Here’s a Cucurbit cheat sheet for #seedsavingformarketgrowers These are the 6 most common cucurbit species in market gardens. If you grow two crops of the same species. They will cross pollinate together. For better or worse. (In the case of Squash – mostly for the worst.) But if you grow two cucurbits of different species … More Cucurbit Cheat Sheet
Melons and watermelons don’t cross They both have melon in the name and they are deliciously sweet but that’s where the similarities end. By melons I mean cantaloupes, Chrentais, honeydews, and a slew of other melons with white seeds in a central cavity.. And by watermelons I mean watermelons with their black spittable seeds. ???????????? … More
Do you have any giant cucumbers in your fields? If you answered yes, go on out to the field and cut one open. Does it have some mature cucumber seed in there? If not, you can leave other big fruit to keep maturing before trying again. The seeds will keep maturing too. You can do … More Any giant cucumbers in your fields?
If you really want to save squash seed in your market garden, Moschata is your squash. Compared to Pepo and Maxima squash, there aren’t that many Moschata varieties out there. Mostly the butternut clan. And until recently there weren’t even that many butternuts available in seed catalogs. Moschate also have 5 sided stems but the … More Moschata Is Your Squash For Easy Seed Saving
Maxima squash says it all. This is the squash that gets the biggest. 2118 pounds is the record (as far as I know). But by no means are Maxima squash all giants. Cucurbita maxima is the second most commonly found squash species in market gardens. They are the Hubbards, the Turbans, the Kaboachas, the Buttercups, … More Maxima Squash Says It all
If you’re growing squash (be it summer or winter), you’re likely growing some Cucurbita pepo squash. Cucurbita pepo is one of the 3 squash species most commonly found on market gardens. Pepos are a motley crew. Delicata, Spaghetti, Acorn, Zucchini, Pie Pumpkins, Jack o’Lanterns, Patty Pans, Crooknecks, and Sweet Dumplings are all Pepos. Not to … More Meet The Motley Pepo Squash Crew
Are you still afraid of saving seeds? Of all that crossing that comes with bees and pollinators and wind in your seed crops? Let us review #seedsavingformarketgrowers so far. Two crops will only cross if they are the same species. If a crop is a SELFER (predominantly self pollinating) – there is very little crossing … More Saving The Seed Of The Dreaded Cucurbit
Saving onion seeds is as EASY as popping those sprouting onions into the ground and letting them put on green leaves that turn into flowers, which in turn become seeds. And saving onion seed is as HARD as the amount of rain you get. All that moisture and maybe hail and harsh winds can spread … More The EASY and HARD of Saving Onion Seed
Beets is chard and chard is beets. That’s right, they are both the same species Beta vulgaris. And that means they will cross up if you let them. My favourite thing about growing beet/chard seed is the elongated stems of the flowering plants with their defined edges and stripes that offset the vivid colours. My … More Beets is chard and chard is beets.
Should you save carrot seed? To answer that, start off by thinking about the carrots you grow. Are any of your carrot varieties open pollinated? Or are they all F1 hybrids like Napoli, Yaya, or Miami? If you’re only growing F1s and you don’t want to trial any OPs, then carrot seed saving is not … More Should you save carrot seed?