debwhite0215- Are you talking about simply having your plants get pollinated or are you trying to prevent cross pollination? These are two very different things. Cross pollination is when two varieties of the same type of plants pollinate each other. Like if one variety of eggplant pollinated a different variety of eggplant, that would be cross pollination. If you saved the seeds from a cross and planted them you wouldn't know what to expect from the resulting plants. If you are just talking about making sure your plants get pollinated, most veggies are self pollinating but obviously it's always better to plant more than one. Not only for pollination reasons but also because you just aren't going to get much from only one plant (tomatoes and zucchini being exceptions). little_minnie- The misinformation in gardening does bug me a bit. There is a ton of very persistent misinformation that surrounds heirloom, open pollinated, hybrid, and GMO seeds. Everybody wants heirloom, non-hybrid, and non-GMO seeds (not that home gardeners can get GMO seeds) because they want to save their own seeds. And I'm always telling people they don't have to stick with just heirlooms, they can save open pollinated seeds as well and that if they don't prevent cross pollination it won't matter if something is non-hybrid because they'll end up with hybrids in the end. Needless to say, that farmer saying that hybrids are sterile and not able to cross with heirlooms would have frustrated the hell out of me if I saw it. :) A little off-topic but still somewhat relevant. Rodney

You are all so kind to post responses. Farmerdilla, I had no idea that Armenian cucumbers are not actually cucumbers! Thanks for pointing that out! This small fact has really caused me to re-plan my garden lay-out! Dave (and Sue), thanks also. I do hope to save seeds, so Sue's link will be helpful. No need to respond to this, but it is interesting that the fruits of a cross-pollinated plant are mostly unaffected, but it seems they are not wholly so, if there is a difference in the seeds. I assume a difference in the seeds can affect the taste of the seeds, even if its appearance is the same. Maybe I will check out an intro botany book and try to learn about plant growth to have more than a "layman's" perspective. : ) That is, when I find a suitable break from my regular studies (i.e., late ancient history). : )

Here's a response I gave to someone else on the Seed Saving Forum that might be helpful to some people: If you want to save seed from squash(without bagging,) you need to grow only types with a different second name. Squash's latin name is Cucurbita, but all squash have a second name of who they are compatable with. Like zucchini is most always Cucurbita pepo. Butternut is Cucurbita moschata. So zucchini and butternut will not cross because their second names are different. But Acorn squash is Cucurbita pepo, so it will cross with zucchini. There are other second names like maxima and mixta. Also, if you neighbors are growing squash close to you there could be cross pollination. The reason they is so much cross pollination between compatable varieties is squash need insect pollination to make fruit. Other veggies like tomatoes do not. So technically if you wanted to totally make sure your seed was pure, you would need like a mile or something between varieties. For home gardening that is impossible, and as long as your not really close to the neigbors you should be fine. I have seed saved from a local farmer and the squash grew true to type even though he grows different varieties. I think it is just cautionary that you may not get 100% if something is growing in the distance: ) Remy

scotishred: If you post again, you would be helping yourself, as well as making it much easier to provide you with meaningful advice, if you would specify your location. Depending on where you are located, which more or less determines your spring weather patterns, starting seeds such as sweet corn, or even melons and squash indoors in peat pots may be an unnecessary step that you could eliminate. I am on the southern edge of zone 6b, and always start long-season plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant indoors. This helps to ensure that these late-setting plants have plenty of time to mature a good crop before frost. But I never start corn, squash or melons indoors, since it is just not neccessary when the seeds can be planted in adequately warm soil by the 2nd or 3rd week of May. Direct-seeded plants of these crops pop up quickly, and just as quickly catch up with those seeded indoors. So unless you are located in a northern latitude where there is a real question about whether sweet corn will mature before frost (that would be zone 3 and above), direct seeding might be best for you. Before I direct seed corn I dig a trench about 4 inches deep parallel to the seedrow and place a good amount of nitrogen fertilizer in it. This helps to feed the corn, which is a big nitrogen eater, and ensures that the ears fill out nicely. Beginning growers often assume that the earlier they plant indoor-started plants like melons the better, and end up with big, leggy plants that are difficult to transplant and will never be as healthy and vigorous as direct-seeded plants of identical type. There is no point in setting out heat-loving plants until night-time temperatures are high enough to make them grow quickly, unless you are going to the additional step of using cloches. Also, as a beginning gardener, I would suggest that the Carolina Cross melon you are growing is not a good choice for you. This is a giant melon, used by growers who compete to grow giant vegetables. You don't want to be trying something like this when you are just starting out, especially since this melon requires such a long season to ripen. Instead, I would suggest something like the 10 lb. Sugar Baby, which can ripen in 75 days and produce a better tasting melon than any of the giants. It's also something you can actually use. Having said all that, sweet corn seedlings should look like grass when they emerge. They are grass. Big grass. With ears. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA