You might start with African violets. They have a long and complex hybridization history, so crossing any two varieties is likely to give you lots of seedlings with considerable variation. Some offspring may throw back to wilder types with what are considered undesirable characteristics (e.g., dropping flower petals after only a couple of days), but others will surprise you. I assume you have a diagram showing the reproductive parts of the flowers and can get pollen to the stigma. African violets have pollen sacs that often have to be cut open with a fine and sharp knife blade to get the pollen out. Once you have delivered pollen from one plant to the stigma of another, the ovary will swell up fairly dramatically. Wait a couple of months, and the ovary will turn brown and begin to split open. Harvest the abundant, dust-like seeds and set aside for a few days to let them dry. Then sow them at the surface of African violet mix and keep continuously moist till seemingly thousands of tiny seedlings appear. I keep the seedbed in a Zip-Loc or similar sealed plastic bag till I see sprouts and then prick out some of the plants for trnasplantation, as many as I can make room for. Keeping the seedlings in the bag after they sprout can lead to rot, so I remove them into the air and set them in a bright location out of direct sun. A north window is ideal. Growing garden hybrids is trickier. Many cultivated plants from the local Home Depot or seeds from the large seed companies have been hybridized to produce the large, showy flowers many gardeners seek out. Many of these varieties will revert to a much less attractive wild type if hybridized. You could experiment with crossing different types and colors of petunia to start, since they are easy to cross and produce a lot of seeds quickly. From seed to blooming adult can take just eight weeks or less if you care for the seedlings properly. Give it all a try. I hybridize a type of succulent plant called Haworthia from South Africa and get some very cool plants when I achieve a successful cross between two different species. biosparite

The simplest method is to take cuttings down to green wood, not tip growth with weak stems, or stems with bark forming. I use the "asparagus" method to determine the point to cut the stem. If you grasp the stem below the point where bark forms, then bend the top back, you should see the area where the tip growth stops being supple and stiffens. This is the area where you make the cut. The bottom third of the cutting will have its leaves stripped off. It is good to have a node or two under the rooting medium, since side shoots will start from these points and allow the plant to form secondary leader stems. If the plant gets sheared at ground level, it will have a much better chance to send out new growth. The stock plant should be in a rapid growth stage for optimal cuttings. If it is dormant, the cuttings will take forever to root and be weak. Use a sterile medium like vermiculite or perlite, definitely not water or soil as the rooting medium. Bottom heat at 70 to 80 degrees will speed the rooting. I don't use rooting hormone any more, but fungicide might still be useful, especially if the rooting medium is cold and wet. It usually takes 2 weeks or more for cuttings to root, and another 2-3 weeks for the plant to develop a good root system.

I have some Cover Blubbers, but I got mold on a couple of them and it didn't come off. The company replaced them, which is awesome (I was just informing them, when I told them, not expecting anything from it except maybe tips for cleaning the mold), but I'm really careful about what I use them for now. They're fantastic, even given the limitations. The harder kinds might be less prone to having mold stick. My answer of what I do is the same for only a slice removed, though that might not have been clear--and it might not work for you, or how you want to store things, but just to be clear: I use plastic wrap, and put it right up against the flesh, which means, pushing into the wedge area that has been cut out. If it needs help staying in place, I'll wrap another piece over it, but I always leave half the melon free, especially a cantaloupe, so the rind can breathe. Works for me. :)

Thank you all so much for the really excellent advice. Each of these comments is extremely helpful to me. I can't tell you how much better of a mindset I have about the whole thing. A combination of people understanding how it can become overwhelming - if you let it - but also learning how to set some logical criteria for making a decision (such as features, price, warranties, using psychology & a pinch of salt with reviews, strongly considering the customer service of the company, deciding what your priorities are and keeping your sanity are some ) has helped me a LOT to get a grip on this endeavor. :D Finally to understand that nothing's perfect but narrowing the margins can give you a pretty good shot at succeeding. If you've found some place with pretty good customer service you've got that as a fall back. Getting that this is NOT an investment but an expense also changes my point of view and understanding about it. (Ugh, marketing ploys. It's always like they are doing you a favor and not just trying to get your money). There's a lot more that you've explained here but I just really wanted to thank you and say it's made a massive difference to my whole outlook and feelings about it. I was able to make a decision this morning that I feel good about and feel a bit like having a glass of wine and some cheesecake - that's how relaxed I feel about it! c: Quite a difference from the semi-hysterical exhausted fearful creature I was, haha. Cheers everyone. ^^