Selfsufficientish.com

grahamhobbs wrote:Odsox and MMM, do you buy pumpkin seed every year? Mine are a mix of Uchi Kuri, Crown prince and Potimarron, plus maybe whatever my neighbours grow, but they all come out all different shapes, colours and sizes.

No, just use the same packet until they've all been sown or they don't germinate any more (but actually the last in my packet were sent to Peggy Sue ). Mine are just self seeded ones this year, like last year but I will be buying a packet for next year as they aren't fruiting like they should.

How do you 'cross' them then?

Millymollymandy wrote:How do you 'cross' them then?

It's easy for me as the butternuts and the potimarrons are widely separated, so all I have to do first thing in the morning is pick a male butternut flower and use it to pollinate a female potimarron flower.
If you were to do this professionally you would have needed to cover the female flower with a gauze bag before it opened and again after you pollinated it, to stop a wandering bee from doing what bees do.
But I'm just playing about, seeing if I can develop a slightly sweeter potimarron or a more savoury butternut.

Good luck Odsox, I grow my pumpkins and butternuts all together, although the various varieties of pumkins clearly cross and get mixed up, I've never seen an obvious cross between a butternut and a pumpkin.

And then what exactly, you save the seed from the fruit which appeared on the flower that you hand pollinated? Then see what happens the next year when you sow them?

Mine (the self seeded ones) just come up as potimarrons, they haven't been crossed with anything (by a bee).

Yes, exactly that. The trick is to remember which fruit you pollinated with what.
Probably all you will get is a slightly different plant with no discernible benefit, but on the other hand you may get something totally different.
You should save your seed anyway as after peas & beans, they are one of the easiest to save ... as witnessed by all your self sown ones.

I am currently swearing at my courgettes they are so productive it is just plain rude. Centiflor Tomatoes are a site to behold too, absolutely amazing and they grew from seed that was from fallen fruit that overwintered in temps of as low as -17 for about 3 months! Anyone want some seed for next year?

Odsox wrote: You should save your seed anyway as after peas & beans, they are one of the easiest to save ... as witnessed by all your self sown ones.

I did but I didn't need them. Came back from hols to all these nice little plants ready and waiting for me - two were even in the perfect position......

The only trouble is that pumpkins and beans are very promiscuous, so they cross like crazy. I like White Lady runner beans but the neighbours grow other (red flowered) varieties, so keeping my seeds true is difficult. It does have beneficial results my Purple Tepee french bean has crossed with a climber so this year I've got some climbing purple beans, that I'll save the seed of.
On the pumpkin side the grey colour of Crown Prince seems regressive because that has been eliminated in the crosses although the deep wrinkles remain on some.

Sweetcorn at last, except the blasted birds are eating them, though thankfully they start at the top end which is the less ripe/tasty bit. Guess we'll just have to keep eating it then.

When down at the plot tying in the apple cordons I noticed an apple on the ground next to one of the trees. A big fat apple. It was next to the James Grieve so I think it was from that one.
So having had a small sliver, we baked it in tinfoil with raisins, cinnamon and cider in the embers of the bbq we had.
This is the first apple from trees that were planted last winter, we've only kept one apple on each so that they get a chance to establish.

Another 90 degree fahrenheit day here. Tomorrow, we're getting better.
Last couple weeks I've been harvesting my asian pears. Most have insect damage, but I get enough to cause serious claustrophobia in the fridge.
I keep on harvesting little bits from my brocolli. I've been planting some spinach seeds. Some are kinda old, but I'm hoping for a few salads next month.

Fruit galore - first peaches, lots of plums, eating early pears that were picked about a week ago, first apples ripe, spend all my time picking stuff right now.

All we've harvested are the potatoes.........don't know what kind, didn't plant them, they just came up all over the veg plot. OH is being careful with the digging though, the other week he harvested the blue water pipe . It was only 9 inches below the surface - in the veg plot??? Anyway it isn't our house, we rent it so the so-called veg plot is being cleared and grassed over - safer that way!

2nd early potatoes are now all dug and in store, while maincrop potatoes I dig a root at a time when we want roast or chips.
Tender stem broccoli keeps coming as do the courgettes, next lot of mange tout peas are just starting and so are my early Brussels sprouts.
Squash are ready but the first one is destined to become a butternut risotto on Saturday.
Apples, lettuces, carrots, turnips, celery, parsnips, summer leeks, borlotto beans and of course runner beans.

My celery is now about 6-8 inches high with teeny little stems. What's the trick of getting it to full size in one season?