"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message
...

We inherited a fresh squash from a friend who was given it by a
friend. We
had never tasted squash before and duly roasted and ate it with
Sunday
dinners. It was delicious.

I have never grown squash before, but many other veg. succesfully.
Are the
seeds I have saved from the said squash likely to be suitable for
planting
next year and so being sure of producing the same variety (about
30cm / 1ft
long and pale brown in colour?

If so, are there any special considerations I should make when
storing the
seeds and planting them - presumably initially in pots, in the
greenhouse,
next spring?

Without a bit more info it's rather hard to be of help. Was it a
winter squash or a summer squash? Winter squash are pumpkins, gramma
etc and summer squash include zucchini/courgettes, vegetable marrows
etc. Can you ask your friend to find out what it was?

But, even with that proviso, I'll take a punt and assume it's a winter
squash given that you roasted it and you obviously can get/see some
seeds in the thing so it's less likely to be a summer squash which are
usually eaten before seeds appear. Don't expect too much from the
seeds as winter squash need a fairly long isolation distance to avoid
cross pollination and if it was grown in the city or close to
neighbours winter squashes then a mongrel from the seed is a possible
outcome, but worth trying if you've found one you like

The normal way to save seeds for a winter squash is to let the squash
sit around for a few weeks to allow the seeds to mature, to then cut
the thing up for eating and to scoop out the seeds and to either put
them on a piece of paper towel to dry out completley - the kitchen
bench is a good spot (they usually get a very thin papery skin on the
seed and when you can rub it off between yor finger and thumb they are
dry enough to store) or to put them in an envelope and hang them
somewhere safe and warmish to dry out completely. Just store the
seeds in a dry place, no special needs other than that.

If it's a pumpkin of some sort then the seed will be viable for about
10 years and I've found (as have others) that seed a few years old is
better than fresh seeds.