My parents visited again this weekend and while I was spoiling myself with another half marathon attempt, they were perusing the seed aisles at Wisley.
Here’s my share of their finds:
It’s a pack of 10 assorted yet edible Italian squashes. The seeds were packed together so there was hours of fun trying to identify 10 unique varieties. I could seperate 5 distinct seed types before bundling the remaining into a large nondescript pile. I still haven’t a clue what any of the seeds are, I’m assuming that the large seeds give rise to the larger squash and maybe the bent seed is the crookneck squash but I suppose I could be completely wrong.
I’ve labelled them with the vague impression that I may treat this as an identification puzzle. There is a very slight possibility that I may label my sowings properly this year and eventually manage to marry seeds with fruit and then if the pigs fly, I might save the said seeds and be full of enlightenment this time next year.
Or not of course.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Tattyanne // Oct 14, 2008 at 4:44 pm
How exciting! I look forward to the results next year!
2 Karen - An Artists Garden // Oct 14, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Oh – it is going to be such fun next year seeing what comes up – and how good they will taste!
K
3 .zohra // Oct 25, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Hej Earthwoman,
I just found your web almost by accident and I like it..
I am from Czech rep. and I am also running the web called earth woman in Czeck…I so your books and everything looks like we have something in common…nice
I just want to tell you this and thats it..
~peace~love~freedom
.zohra
4 Matron // Oct 28, 2008 at 10:57 am
I just love the shop at Wisley. Such an amazing selection of seed packets I cannot resist.
5 Anna // Nov 1, 2008 at 3:20 am
Also, even if you don’t label all your seedlings, you’ll be able to tell which seeds lead to what fruit. When you harvest the squashes and cut them open, I think it will be pretty clear.
6 Compostwoman // Nov 5, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I love these and I might look out for some around…..
The only flaw with your seed saving plan is that as you probably know, squashes are very promiscuous ands they will interbreed like mad so the seeds from the different squashes wont all be the same as the parent….BUT thats part of the fun and games….
I have got to a really good Turks Turban pattern by playing with seeds and pollinations…..its the one on the top of my blog homepage!
7 Anna // Nov 5, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Well, yes, but you could cover the some flowers from each plant with bags and pollinate by hand if you wanted. I’m planning on doing this next year with some of my own vegetables- tomatoes for example.
8 Compostwoman // Nov 5, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Oh yes, thats what I have been doing with the TT’s…and also I do it with the many heritage varieties of tomato I grow in the polytunnel…but its also fun to just let them cross pollinate..I got a much improved Black Russian Tomato inadverantly this year..I think it crossed with a Spanish Beefsteak type and I got a load of huge, beefsteak, purple tomatos……which were delicious
and I have just realised I didn’t save any seed from it..( cw smacks head in disbelief…..) oh well I will have to have another go in 2009.
9 earthwoman // Nov 8, 2008 at 11:00 am
Thanks for the comments, I didn’t realise that squashes had fickle relationship habits. So am I going to end up with one combined form of squash in the second year? Hopefully taking the best features of all the original 10.
10 The M1 Gardener | What a Palaver // May 19, 2010 at 10:37 pm
[...] I had a slight hiccup with my squash seeds. I’d run out of plant labels so wrote the name on the polystyrene potting cups with marker pen. All the details floated away with the watering and now I’m left with umpteen unidentified forms of pumpkin and squash. It’s like last year all over again. [...]
11 Earthwoman // May 19, 2010 at 10:40 pm
[...] I had a slight hiccup with my squash seeds. I’d run out of plant labels so wrote the name on the polystyrene potting cups with marker pen. All the details floated away with the watering and now I’m left with umpteen unidentified forms of pumpkin and squash. It’s like last year all over again. [...]
Leave a Comment