The card index in the shed, newest first
Seed notes
Every lot written up since 24 March 2024, filed behind the year it was packed. The second date on each card is the last time I corrected it after a germination test or another season.
2026
SharingPacked 22 Feb 2026
The swap table at the gate: envelopes, labels and germination tests
How 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.
2025
DryingPacked 12 Oct 2025
Leaving the pods to hang: drying runner beans in a wet autumn
When 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.
2024
VarietiesPacked 8 Sept 2024
Heirlooms through the gate: peas, French beans, tomatoes, lettuce
The 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.
IsolationPacked 24 Mar 2024
Runner beans and the bees: why keeping a variety true is hard
Runner beans cross readily because bumblebees do the work. What that means on a crowded allotment, the distances nobody has, and what I do instead.
Lots that failed keep their card, with the failure written on it. The rules for that are on the page about how seed is written up.