saving squash seeds
nandmsmom
17 years ago
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streamy22
17 years agonandmsmom
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Which Winter Squash?
Comments (33)Gardenman, A gardening friend of mine had mentioned that he grows cucuzza on a trellis and that it can get rather large (4 lbs or so). He said that they are self supporting. So I was hopeful that butternut squash might also be self supporting. However, I do note that some butternut varieties can get upt to 8 lbs. Is there ANY butternut or buttercup variety that can be trellised and which does not need helpful support on the trellis? (I am also planting a couple of the bush winter varieties, including buttercup, and was thinking possibly? of attempting a few of the trellis types also - hence my question. i.e. it's one of those many year-in-year-out "gardening experiments".)...See Moresaving spaghetti squash seeds?
Comments (4)The technique for saving the seeds is not that difficult. Allow at least one squash to ripen on the vine, cure it for about a month after picking (which will improve seed vigor & storage life), then remove the seeds. Clean them as thoroughly as possible, then dry them until the seeds snap easily when bent. Keep them in an airtight container in your fridge for the best storage life. But the real issue may be whether the seeds are worth the trouble. I am assuming that the squash was not a hybrid - if it were, the seed would not breed true next year, and should not be saved. The main problem with saving squash seed is cross-pollination. Bees love squash blossoms, and will travel great distances for them. Spaghetti squash will cross with zucchini & most summer squash, acorn squash, most pumpkins, and small ornamental gourds - plants very commonly grown by gardeners. If you are in an urban area, or near other gardens (within 1/4 mile, and possibly more) the chances of crossing are very high. If you wish to save seed, you would need to blossom bag & hand pollinate, to eliminate the possibility of crossing. There are several good threads on GW about this technique. If you are certain that there are no other gardens within the distance mentioned above, this may not be necessary - but I still recommend it, because bees sometimes travel over a mile for squash blossoms, and safe is better than sorry. There are several "weird squash" threads here that show the possible outcome, and Cucurbita pepo (which includes spaghetti squash) is the worst offender. While hand-pollination can be time consuming, you may only need to do it every 5 years or so, if the seeds are stored properly....See MoreSaving seed from squash- F1's, etc etc
Comments (9)Hi Dirtslinger, I just answered your question over on e the veggie forum, lol, with the link below. That being said, you didn't ask about hybrids before. You don't know what the babies will be. They could be similar to the parent or very different depending on the lineage used to create that hybrid. "I just don't want anything reverting to nasty old wild-stock!" There is no way of knowing if crossed babies will taste good or not. Crookneck squash and zucchini are both Cucurbita pepo. So yes they will cross. Remy Here is a link that might be useful: Saving Squash Seed Thread...See Moresaving spaghetti squash seeds?
Comments (12)I saved all the seeds out of the squash we bought at the grocery and ate. Just scooped out the innards put them on a plate and let it dry in the sun. Once dry picked the seeds out, put them in a ziploc til spring. Having zero experience and not knowing if this would work at all, I planted all the seeds, likely 100. Also bought two packets of seeds and planted them. (started all indoors, then planted at 2-3" tall at end of April) I don't think I had one dud seed, my garden was a spaghetti squash jungle. Ironically, the purchased seeds were Zucchini cross pollinated, so I tossed those to make more room for my saved seeds. We gave away so many and still have a couple dozen stored. (in southeast VA)...See Morenandmsmom
17 years agoremy_gw
17 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
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