I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!
Is it possible that last years pumpkins and gold-rush courgettes
crossed and I now have a new hybrid?
What next?

Pam in Bristol

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!
Is it possible that last years pumpkins and gold-rush courgettes
crossed and I now have a new hybrid?

Interesting. There is a lot of confusion over this genus. Some
authorities have classified them as one variable species, but they
are usually classified as several. I believe that modern results
indicate that the species aren't interfertile, except in one
combination, and that rarely. What I can't remember is whether
pumpkin and marrow are the same species!

You could try a Web search on C. pepo, C. maxima, marrow and
pumpkin, but be warned that finding reliable Web pages on that
topic is hard. There is a hell of a lot of misinformation that
looks very plausible.

What next?

Ask Monsanto ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Pam wrote in message
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!
Is it possible that last years pumpkins and gold-rush courgettes
crossed and I now have a new hybrid?
What next?


What's next? Well how about cooking one in the way you normally cook marrow
and telling us all what it tasted like, what colour the flesh is etc.
If it's any good perhaps you do indeed have something the seed companies
might be interested in.
Problem being, what has fertilised the flowers this year, and what will this
years seeds produce?
That will be fun for next year and the next........

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!
Is it possible that last years pumpkins and gold-rush courgettes
crossed and I now have a new hybrid?
What next?

Pam in Bristol

A report last year based in Cholsey Oxon, said that the previous year a show
winning pumpkin had had it's seeds donated to the local school for children
to try their hands at growing pumpkins themselves. When the results grew the
plants were fine, however every single child who'd used the show seed was in
fact growing some sort of marrow/pumpkin hybrid, sounds similar to what you
described, size shape etc are marrow, but the colour is pumpkin. Most
amusing I thought.
Duncan

"Druss" wrote in message
...
"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!

They may be pumpettes or, possibly, mumpkins. :-)


Steve

"Druss" wrote in message
...
"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!

They may be pumpettes or, possibly, mumpkins. :-)


Steve

On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 16:10:46 +0100, "Steve Kimberley"
wrote:

They may be pumpettes or, possibly, mumpkins. :-)

I think more correctly now, they are "pumpows"!
Fits Duncans description.
It shows that it doesn't always pay to save seed for economy's sake.
I wanted pumpkins!
I will report when I have cooked one as Bob suggests. Pumpow soup
should be the tester I think.
Have not done a web search yet, Nick!


Pam in Bristol

Pam Moore wrote in message . ..
I have successfully grown pumpkins for the last few years for my
grandchildren, using the seed saved from a shop-bought pumpkin.
I used the same batch of seed for about 3 years.

Last year I saved the seed from one of mine and have nurtured 2
plants. However I now have 4 huge fat yellowy-orange marrows!
neither pumpkin, marrow or courgette!
Is it possible that last years pumpkins and gold-rush courgettes
crossed and I now have a new hybrid?
What next?

Pam in Bristol

I think I have read somewhere that crosses between marrows/courgette
and pumpkin can produce poisonous fruit, so I would be very wary about
eating these until you have checked it out. One of the seed companies
may be able to advise.
Tony Bull

"Pam wrote in message
They may be pumpettes or, possibly, mumpkins. :-)

I think more correctly now, they are "pumpows"!
Fits Duncans description.
It shows that it doesn't always pay to save seed for economy's sake.
I wanted pumpkins!
I will report when I have cooked one as Bob suggests. Pumpow soup
should be the tester I think.

Or if they are more Marrow than Pumpkin then skinned and sautéed in Butter
with a little Black Pepper. :-)

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here.