Saved on the plot · Walthamstow
Seed saved on one London allotment, and labelled so it can be trusted.
Seed saving on a Walthamstow allotment: runner beans and heirlooms, crossing and isolation, drying pods in a wet autumn, and a seed-swap table at the gate.
Envelopes at the gate since 2021
| Lot | Plants | Kept true by | Came up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner bean, plot population | 18 | open, crossed | 9 / 10 |
| Runner bean, bagged trusses | 6 | bagged, hand-tripped | 8 / 10 |
| Climbing French, speckled pink | 8 | 2 m and a row of beetroot | 10 / 10 |
| Tall pea on hazel sticks | 14 | self-pollinated | 9 / 10 |
| Potato-leaved tomato | 3 | far end of the plot | 8 / 10 |
| Red cos lettuce | 5 | self-pollinated | 7 / 10 |
Packets on the table
Newest first. Each packet opens into the full note, with the plant counts and dates from the shed notebook.
- SharingThe swap table at the gate: envelopes, labels and germination testsHow a trestle table by the allotment gate became a February seed swap: what we ask people to bring, how envelopes are labelled, and testing germination first.Packed 22 Feb 2026 · 6 min
- DryingLeaving the pods to hang: drying runner beans in a wet autumnWhen to leave runner bean pods on the plant, when to pull the vines into the shed, how I test that seed is dry, and how it is stored away from damp and weevils.Packed 12 Oct 2025 · 6 min
- VarietiesHeirlooms through the gate: peas, French beans, tomatoes, lettuceThe easier crops for seed saving: how far apart I keep varieties, how many plants I save from, how tomato seed is cleaned, and the crops I leave alone.Packed 8 Sept 2024 · 6 min
- IsolationRunner beans and the bees: why keeping a variety true is hardRunner beans cross readily because bumblebees do the work. What that means on a crowded allotment, the distances nobody has, and what I do instead.Packed 24 Mar 2024 · 6 min
Taped inside the tin lid
- Label everything: variety, year, plot and number of plants.
- Save from many plants, never from just the best one.
- Say honestly whether a lot was isolated or open to crossing.
- Test germination before any envelope goes on the table.
Why the notes exist
I grow beans, peas, tomatoes and lettuce on half a plot in Walthamstow mainly for their seed, and I write down how each lot was kept true, dried and stored, so that the envelopes handed out at the gate are worth sowing.