Squash seed cleanup

[flowerbug]

after squishing the seeds from the pulp i dried them down in trays to make sure that fungus would not be able to get started on them when they are put into storage. i don't have freezer or fridge space for all of these so i try to keep my seed count and supplies topped off with the most recent seeds and then i also keep seeds from previous years too because in a few cases i want to be sure to have seeds of those squash that did ok before.

i had seven trays to clean up of seeds that had been drying for the past few weeks and months and so i spent the past few days trying different methods to get the dried chaff off without damaging too many seeds and also being sure to pull out any i noticed were not good enough to use for planting or those that were unviable or empty.

with doing this many seeds doing them one at a time was a lot of work, after a few trays i changed to rubbing handfulls together and that did make it go quicker for a few trays and then at the end trays i used a washcloth (or a terry towel would work well too for larger amounts). this last method worked so well that it sped things up by about 80%. which was how i finished it all up today (other than some stragglers i still have to find of the buttercup).

the Baby Blue Hubbard seeds were by far the easiest to get out of the squash and to put on the trays to dry, but the texture of the seed coat underneath the dried stuff really made it about 10 times harder to get that off. even the towel method didn't do enough so it did take me a lot more time to get all those seeds mostly cleaned up.

the Kabocha and Buttercup seeds on the other hand cleaned up so much easier i could do a whole tray in about 15 minutes.

i'll repeat my previous mentioned method for getting the seeds out of the squash by cutting the squash in half and then scraping out the seeds and pulp so that i could then squeeze the seeds out of the pulp onto a tray so they could dry. with the forced air heat running in the winter it only takes a day or so with stirring once in a while to get the seeds dry so they shouldn't start getting mold on them, but keep an eye on them just in case. i do not rinse them with water at any time. it doesn't accomplish much and when the seeds are completely dry any dried pulp will come off so why bother, waste the time or waste the water? once completely dry they get cleaned up to be more presentable and so they can be stored without taking up extra space but also all those failed and empty seeds along with the remaining dried pulp can be fed to the worm farm.

my best answer to the BBH seed texture issue is to cross breed and see if i can come up with a different seed coat while keeping the rest of the squash about the same. yeah, i need another project like i need a...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not saved squash or gourd seeds for a while. When I do it's for my own use so I don't worry about the dried pulp. I dry my seeds on newspaper or a paper towel, I'm not too picky about which. I try to spread them out so there is only one layer and let them get really dry, weeks if not longer. When They are dry I separate the seeds from each other. If a bit of newspaper or paper towel sticks to a seed, no problem, that will not stop it from sprouting and growing. I don't worry about that paper any more than I do dried pulp.

Just save the full ones and seal them in a glass or plastic jar. That keeps moisture, bugs, and mice out of them. I don't freeze or refrigerate them either, but store them where the temperature doesn't get extreme.

When I give seeds to someone else I carefully select good seeds and clean those up by rubbing them between my thumb and fingertips if they need it. If they are for someone else I do try to give good clean seeds, only the best. But for my use I don't see the benefit.

 

[flowerbug]

I have not saved squash or gourd seeds for a while. When I do it's for my own use so I don't worry about the dried pulp. I dry my seeds on newspaper or a paper towel, I'm not too picky about which. I try to spread them out so there is only one layer and let them get really dry, weeks if not longer. When They are dry I separate the seeds from each other. If a bit of newspaper or paper towel sticks to a seed, no problem, that will not stop it from sprouting and growing. I don't worry about that paper any more than I do dried pulp.

Just save the full ones and seal them in a glass or plastic jar. That keeps moisture, bugs, and mice out of them. I don't freeze or refrigerate them either, but store them where the temperature doesn't get extreme.

When I give seeds to someone else I carefully select good seeds and clean those up by rubbing them between my thumb and fingertips if they need it. If they are for someone else I do try to give good clean seeds, only the best. But for my use I don't see the benefit.

i only really see the benefit in not have multiple containers and/or having the seeds in the containers taking up less space. i'm working with a small room here.

as it was getting kinda tight on the floor in spots because i had all these trays sitting there waiting for me to get them in storage cleaning them up was just a part of getting that space back and i still have to get the patio door glass cleaned and that area along there dusted and all the dead bugs and cobwebs wiped up again. the wispy cellar spiders we have in the house don't do a huge amount of webs but over a period of a year or so they can build up and start to look like dustbunny farms too. any of the change bugs that are on the windows get snagged by those spiders and they then collect nearby on the floor. it's not super visible because of the worm buckets and tables in front of the patio door, but once in a while i do have to get some cleaning done. the past few weeks are me trying to get that done. something i hate to do so i can drag my feet and find distractions along the way, like cleaning up squash seeds...

but yeah, i certainly understand the minimal approach to gardening when i am only doing things for myself and when presentation isn't a big priority. i am definitely a firm believer in keeping it simple.

OCD tactile thing like beans though is part of this too for me, having something to clean up is helping me have my hand to do something for a bit besides typing. soon i need to get my orders placed for photography stuff and get back to beanland.