Interested in growing out new squash varieties?

[BobbyG]

from Bob Waldrop's list, with invitation to cross-pollinate this
message widely--b.g.

TO: Running...@yahoogroups.com
Winter squash cross-pollinated seeds for 2010 project
Posted by: "SAr...@aol.com" SAr...@aol.com wijyotishi
Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:23 pm (PST)

Dear winter squash lovers,

What a strange growing year it has been. After a cold, wet, late
spring
we had an unusually cool summer here in Wisconsin, U.S.A., but since
killing
frost in September (Was it the 3rd week? I can't find where I wrote it
down.) we have had nights above freezing and are still having days in
the 40s,
even 50s, so many things are still green.

I grew 24 varrieties of winter squash this year and did hand-
pollinated
crosses with most of them for my crossbreeding project. However, it
turned
out that where I planted them in at the community garden was an area
with a
soil problem. Even the weeds there did not grow as well as elsewhere.
Many of the crosses I did bore no fruit, and the fruits I did get were
mostly
small. This was disappointing, but the good news is that plants from
the
seeds I did get should survive hard times in the future.

Please let me know which of the crosses in the list below you are
interested in growing out next year. You'll need to hand-pollinate
each plant, using
its own male/female flowers, and keep records regarding how each plant
grows, how many fruits it produces in what kind of growing conditions,
the
shape/size/color/ taste/texture of its fruit and also how well they
keep. (Don't
eat 'em all right away!) Using that info. from everyone who grew out
that particular seed, we'll decide which plants' seeds to grow out the
next
year. In 4-5 years, we could have some great new varieties of squash
to
offer fellow gardeners. (And depending on where the participants live,
we can
develop regional varieties of them, too! This will be more and more
important as climate changes.)

I had been going to ask folks to grow a minimum number of plants, but
that
would mean that only people with quite a bit of space could take part
in the
project. You can take part by growing just one plant, if you want to.
Who knows which seeds will produce the most wonderful squash?

If you have not done hand cross pollinating before, I highly recommend
Carol Deppe's book, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, and Suzanne
Ashworth's
book Seed To Seed, which give you clear, step-by-step instructions.
It's
not at all difficult, but it does involve working with the plants
morning and
evening during the breeding season and keeping good records.

Please pass this information on to anyone else who may be interested
in the
project.

Regards,
Shivani Arjuna, WI
Sarjuna@aol. com
920-994-4082

Winter Squash seed availalble for 2010

First-mentioned variety of each cross is the female parent.

Baby Hubbard / Galeaux Both Cucurbita maxima

Burgess Buttercup / Galeaux Both Cucurbita maxima
Burgess Buttercup / Jarrahdale Both Cucurbita maxima
Burgess Buttercup / Nutty Delica Both C. maxima
Burgess Buttercup / Sibley Both C. maxima
Burgess Buttercup / sibling
Fedco Buttercup / Galeaux Both C. maxima
Livingston Buttercup / Burpee Buttercup
Livingston Buttercup / Galeaux
Livingston Buttercup / Upper Ground Sweet Potato C. maxima / C.
moschata

Serendipitous Volunteer Buttercup: This plant came up where I'd had
buttercup last year. Though it came up late, it quickly grew to huge
size and
produced the largest, loveliest buttercup squash I've ever seen, 7 _
inches
wide. One leaf measured 14X12 inches.

Delicata / Godiva Both C. pepo
Delicata / Kamo Kamo Both C. pepo

Godiva / Delicata Both C. pepo
Godiva / self

Queensland Blue / Burgess Buttercup Both C. maxima

Sibley / Sweet Mama Both C. maxima

Sweet Mama / self
Sweet Mama / Sibley
Sweet Mama / Sweet Meat Both C. maxima

Sweet Meat / Burgess Buttercup Both C. maxima

Zeppelin / Lady Godiva Both C. pepo
Zeppelin / Kamo Kamo Both C. pepo
Zeppelin / self
Zepppelin / Sibley C. pepo / C. maxima
Zeppelin / Squisito Both C. pepo