How to plant fresh seeds

[the1honeycomb]

I wanted to get my winter garden started, I couldn't find Butternut squash seeds anywhere!
I used a squash that I had from early planting and rinsed the seeds and planted them I hope there was nothing special I had to do!!

Would love your knowledge and opinions!!

 

[Mike]

So long as you have an open pollinated (aka heirloom) type then you shouldn't have any problems.

It's best to wait until the squash is fully ripe, almost over ripe, before removing it from the vine. This will ensure the seeds inside have fully matured and developed. Then just cut open the squash and remove the seeds. Let them dry and once dried go plant.

 

[the1honeycomb]

WEll keep your fingers crossed for me! they have been planted!!

 

[Mr_Yan]

With squash you won't have to wait long to at least know they're viable.

Planting a seed from a fruit off a hybrid plant is not a terrible thing. Generally F1 hybrids are a cross pollination from two (sometimes more) distinct and genetically stable cultivators. These then will exhibit known traits from each of the parents but they tend not to be genetically stable in their reproduction. The short of it is you won't really know what traits are present in what you're growing. I've read about de-hybridizing tomatoes to a genetically stable version of the F1 you started with but don't remember the details. The take away of that article was the majority (I think 50 to 75%) of the F2 - the seeds started from the F1 plant - were like the parent but there were some odd balls in there. The author then continued this for a few years and after something like 7 generations deemed the plants to be genetically stable generation to generation. Oh where our winter garden reading leads us...

With all that said what squash did you have growing around this one when it pollinated? You may have created a new hybrid that you're growing now.

I've been trying to get into the easier seed saving so tend toward OP (open pollinated) and only doing one cultivator in my tiny garden.

 

[the1honeycomb]

I am amazed I already have sprouts coming up!! dumped all my containers into the raised beds. and hay from the chicken coops, very happy little seeds.