Collected pea and bean seeds

My father has been given many packets of pea and bean seeds from the major suppliers to send out to orphanages and villages in Hondurus so that they can grow the vegetables. He asked me the following two questions which you may be able to add some comment to. I have sent them to the RHS but it might take a lot of time to get a reply, if at all.

His questions are

1. After the first year they will collect the seed from the plants. Will they have to dry the seeds before they are sown again?

2. If there is a chance of the seeds going mouldy what can be done to stop this?

Any advice will be gladly received.

Thanks

Ry

 

Ry, 1, Normally you would leave the pods to dry on the plants, the problem which could arise is if the seeds are what is called F1 hybrid. If this is the case then the odds are that any seed produced wil not give the same quality or quantity of plants, therefore crop, which the parent plants gave. 2, If there is no chance of the seed pods drying on the plants then once the pods are full they should be picked and taken into a dry enviroment to ripen. I hope this is of some help.

 

I think this is a very difficult one to answer unless you understand the climate of Honduras.
Which I dont.
The growing patterns are probably very different there.
Do they get wet and dry seasons?

That said, most seed needs to be kepy bone dry until it is sown, otherwise it will rot.

 

If the pods won't/can't dry naturally on the plants, then try lifting the plants and hanging them upside down under cover.

Incidentally, there are currently no F1 hybrid pea or bean varieties. Seed from all types (assuming that they came from UK suppliers) will come more or less true to type, except for runner beans, which will cross pollinate with other runner beans.