drying and re-growing seeds

[jono]

Hi all,
I have been given some seeds from the eden project: "baby bear" pumpkin, "stripped stuffer" tomato and "crystal lemon" the round cucumber. I am looking forward to growing these this year but would like some advice, once harvested how easy is it to dry the seeds and re-use next year???
Many thanks.

[jono]

[Unwashed]

All easy, but don't bother saving the pumpkins unless you live a million miles from any other member of the tribe because they cross terribly easily.  That's probably true for the cucumbers too, but I don't have any experience growing them.

Toms are easy to save, just dry them on a bit of kitchen towel.

[saddad]

I prefer to "ferment" my tomato seeds to remove the pulp before I dry them but they are easy. If you are growing only one variety of cuc in a greenhouse then they should be OK. Pumpkins you must isolate the flower and hand pollinate the fruit you are going to save the seed from..
As only those toms are "relatively rare" I would buy in the others...
:-\

[Oldhippy]

How is the 'fermenting' done, Saddad?

[tonybloke]

squeeze the pulp including seeds into a glass of water. leave this to rot for a few days. then lift off the 'skin'on top of the water, and rinse the seeds in a sieve to remove all of the pulp. This removes the pulp, which is where any virus's  lurk. you end up with clean seed which are best spread on a piece of kitchen towel to dry. ;)

[Kendy]

Pumpkins you must isolate the flower and hand pollinate the fruit you are going to save the seed from..
:-\

I've just dried and kept the seeds from one of last year's pumpkins - so they won't grow after all ?

[saddad]

They will grow fine, perhaps even more vigerously than the parents but you have no say in what you actually get in terms of fruit size, shape, taste...  :o

[Mortality]

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html

Has some useful info on seed saving.

[Mortality]

Pumpkins you must isolate the flower and hand pollinate the fruit you are going to save the seed from..
:-\

I've just dried and kept the seeds from one of last year's pumpkins - so they won't grow after all ?

Yup they will probabily grow, its just you dont know what they were pollenated with, so you could get an odd new type. I've saved some seeds from a greengrocer bought Butternut squash and am growing it this year, it might produce a decent squash or it might not, but then i'm curious to see what I might get  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pumpkins and cucumbers are both outbreeders which require isolation if you want to be sure the seed will come true. That being said, there's a lot less chance of cucumbers being accidentally crossed as there aren't so many of them growing outside. I'll be bagging flowers this summer; I don't think it's anything difficult. Unless you're really keen to get true seed, you could just save the seed and be prepared for the fact that some of it probably won't come true.

[amphibian]

Pumpkins and cucumbers are both outbreeders which require isolation if you want to be sure the seed will come true. That being said, there's a lot less chance of cucumbers being accidentally crossed as there aren't so many of them growing outside. I'll be bagging flowers this summer; I don't think it's anything difficult. Unless you're really keen to get true seed, you could just save the seed and be prepared for the fact that some of it probably won't come true.

You can't bag the flowers of squash as such, because the male and female flowers are separate. You have to hand pollinate.

[Jeannine]

You bag  the female flower to prevent pollination, when the flower is right hand pollinate  it,then re bag the pollinated flower to be safe  till the flower falls off. XX Jeannine

[Robert_Brenchley]

If it was an inbreeder you wouldn't need to bag it.

[amphibian]

You bag  the female flower to prevent pollination, when the flower is right hand pollinate  it,then re bag the pollinated flower to be safe  till the flower falls off. XX Jeannine

I use masking tape, on both male and female. I always used bags on inbreeders. Now I think about it bagging makes sense because there is no danger of damaging the immature flowers.

Live and learn.

[amphibian]

If it was an inbreeder you wouldn't need to bag it.

Many inbreeders outbreed if not bagged, like peppers for example.

[no-lottie]

I only save tomato seed from bagged blossom, more as personal choice and knowing what I'll be growing from that seed in future sowings will be what it's supposed to be. Those that know me, also know that they'll get bagged seed in any seed swaps or offerings. Where possible, I bag chillies and peppers as well.

Anyone who wants to know how it's done, just ask as it is quite easy.

Another alternative that has been trialed is glueing, check this link:-

http://alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bp&action=display&thread=3702