Catherine, I just want to clarify that it depends on the store. I work for Wegmans produce, and we buy most all of our squash from local smaller growers in the fall. I've speak to the squash farmer that sells to the location I work at quite often and have saved seeds of squash, that were not hybrid, that have come true. The worry is cross pollination. Though his patches are very large of course there is always that chance. So if you don't have the space to take a chance, buy seed. Remy

Citrus with ripe fruits are sold all the time in fairly small (3-gallon or less) pots, but they are regularly fertilized and never allowed to get cold overnight. I suppose those sold up here are mainly intended as house plants. The from-seed should not be an issue as long as the plant is otherwise happy. A calamondin would bloom at a younger age and be more forgiving of conditions, but the fruit does not appeal to everyone.

"cultivated seeds"??? The seeds harvested from a store bought pumpkin are usually hybrid varieties and don't grow true from seed. But still worth a try if you don't mind surprises. ;) Just soak the seeds in a container of warm water just enough to barely cover them for 2 days (ferments the gel coating on them so it comes off). Rinse them well several times and air dry them for several days on coffee filters or paper towels. Once very good and dry, store them in a paper envelope till spring. You'll find How to save seeds FAQs on the Saving Seed forum here if you need more info. Good luck. Dave

Usually, fruit trees are not grown from seed for the following reasons: 1. The tree resulting from the seed will not be the exact same cultivar as its parents, and the fruit will often be inferior. Whenever plants are propagated through sexual reproduction, it's the luck of the draw as far as what genes the offspring gets. That's why fruit trees are almost always asexually propagated from cuttings. 2. It takes a long time to grow a tree from a tiny seed 3. Most fruit trees are grafted onto different rootstock (of a different cultivar or very similar species). This allows the tree to began producing fruit much early in its life. It may start producing at 3 years instead of 10 years like it would growing in the wild. By stunting the tree's growth a little bit, more of the energy will be diverted towards fruit production. That being said, growing fruit from seed can be fun if you have the patience to wait 10 years. You could end up with a new variety. It's cheap and easy to grow from seed, but you will likely put a lot of time investment into the tree only to find out that the fruits don't taste as good. One more problem is that most of the fruit varieties sold at the supermarket may not be the best tasting varieties; rather they are the varieties that last longer during shipping and don't bruise. So flavor is sacrificed. If you plant a fruit tree yourself, it may not be the best idea to plant the same name variety you see in the supermarket. Do some research. All these reasons are why it is usually better to buy a fruit tree than grow from seed.