Daniel, I forgot to tell you that I FINALLY got a pod to set on Francis of Assisi. It isn't ripe yet but I don't think it will abort. The pod has gotten much bigger and looks very healthy whereas the aborted pods don't. Or should I say didn't.
I agree that you should try and use flowers from new plants just in case they die but I wouldn't try on every flower. I find new plants have a harder time than established ones. This year I got Gold Helmet to set 2 pods but last year I got none (first year blooming). I suspect it will be even better next year.
I also find that the larger the flower the smaller the number of seeds. In my garden it tends to hold for both dips and tets. My larger flowered tets give me 5-7 seeds on average. The smaller flowered ones go closer to double digits.
And some cultivars are just dynamos. This year Alice Faye bloomed like crazy! It had never done that before so I set a ton of pods on it. I did that because I knew it was a cultivar that sets pods even when the pollen isn't so great. And it didn't disappoint! With good pollen I can get around 15+ seeds on average. With bad pollen, 5-8 seeds. So even though Alice Faye is small-flowered and not fancy I'll always keep it in my garden for its pod producing capabilities.
