zxcvbob wrote:

Steve wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:

(notice the followup header to r.g.e.)

How mature does a squash need to be for you to sucessfully save the
seeds? I let a volunteer squash vine grow in my garden this year
(actually I transplanted it from a path to a big bed where it could
run) and it turned out to be an odd variety that I've never grown
before but like very much. It's probably a cross between a Tatume
that I grew a few years ago and a yellow straightneck or crookneck.
The vines run and branch like a pumpkin vine (like the Tatume), but
stay relatively short.

While I was out of town for 3 weeks, it set its first few fruits, and
I picked the big hard-shelled squash when I got back. The seeds are
full-sized, but the shell of the squash was still soft enough I could
scratch it with my thumbnail, barely. The plant has started bearing
good again, and I don't really want to let another fruit mature on
the vine and have the plant shut down again.

I still have one of those 4 big fruits that I haven't cut yet if the
seeds will continue to ripen off the vine fruit. It has been sitting
on the kitchen counter for 2 weeks and shows no signs of rotting, if
that's any indication how mature it is.

I suppose I could test the germination of the seeds that I saved, but
I don't know if they need a few months dormancy before they will sprout.

Thanks, regards,
Bob



Bob,
I would guess that the seeds are fine. If they look full size, are
plump and have a hard coat, they should grow.
I assume you realize that what you get, from those seeds, will not be
the same as what you are picking this year. Some may be similar, some
may resemble one parent, one may resemble the other parent. Some may
be short vined and some might be long. This is true even if the squash
was self pollinated this year. (You would have to grow out several
seeds to see the full range of possibilities.) If it got pollinated by
yet another squash or pumpkin, then just about anything is possible.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. It IS kind of fun.

Steve




I plan to sow a bunch of the seeds and select the ones that most
resemble the parent plant. After 3 or 4 generations I'm hoping to get a
reasonably pure strain.

Best regards,
Bob

That should work just fine. You'll probably want to do a taste test of
the squash on each plant before you decide if it is worthy of seed
production for the next round. You will also want to use a twist tie or
something to keep the chosen flowers from opening and being pollinated
by who knows what. Pollinate the flower yourself and close it back up.
Mark the selected ones so you don't eat them!
The ones you have now, for seed, were open pollinated, I assume, from
your original post. Are there other squash near by? If so, you should
consider hand pollinating one before the season ends. It's going to take
much longer than 3 or 4 generations to stabilize things if your seed
has one parent of something completely different.

Steve