Will squash cross polunate with other squash?

[animal nut]

This is the first year that we planted squash, we plant several different varieties in the same area. Will the cross polunate? Did we screw up?

 

[bid]

Yes squash will cross pollinate. It won't cause any problem with the squash you get from this years plants. It will only be a problem if you are trying to save seeds for next year...in which case you may get a type of hybrid.

 

[vfem]

Yes.... it won't affect the veggie to get to eat this year, but it will affect the fruit/veggie of the plant you try to get from those plants' seeds.

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

Well that isn't too good!

I already have large plants of different squash in the same area... and its a little too late to move them. Will it affect the flavor of this years fruits at all?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Will it affect the flavor of this years fruits at all?

As bid and vfem both said, it will not affect the flavor of the squash you get this year. Just get new seed next year and you will be fine.

 

[digitS']

The cross-pollination problem most folks have is with zucchini and pumpkins. They are both commonly grown in gardens and, believe it or not, they are both of the same species: Cucurbita pepo. Acorn squash and yellow summer squash are also of this species.

Most winter squash is Cucurbita maxima altho' butternut squash is Cucurbita moschata. And, that's about it . . . Since these are different species, you would probably be safe saving seed from these winter squashes.

Cucurbita pepo (in all its varieties) is around in most gardens, and those plants will cross, so you probably shouldn't save the seeds. Often, the fruits growing from the offspring are the weirdest things . . . neither winter squash nor pumpkins and certainly not summer squash.

The neighbor allowed some of his volunteers to grow a few years ago. Since the same tractor tilled both gardens, I had his volunteers all over my garden also. I mean, they were everywhere!

It took 2 years to irradiate those things and I had to intervene in the neighbor's garden to put a stop to them. They'd get mixed in with what we were intentionally planting and after we realized they were volunteers, we'd wasted the garden space on the useless things.

But remember, this is only a problem with saved seed . . . or volunteers.

Steve

 

[Texan]

The cross-pollination problem most folks have is with zucchini and pumpkins. They are both commonly grown in gardens and, believe it or not, they are both of the same species: Cucurbita pepo. Acorn squash and yellow summer squash are also of this species.

Most winter squash is Cucurbita maxima altho' butternut squash is Cucurbita moschata. And, that's about it . . . Since these are different species, you would probably be safe saving seed from these winter squashes.

Cucurbita pepo (in all its varieties) is around in most gardens, and those plants will cross, so you probably shouldn't save the seeds. Often, the fruits growing from the offspring are the weirdest things . . . neither winter squash nor pumpkins and certainly not summer squash.

The neighbor allowed some of his volunteers to grow a few years ago. Since the same tractor tilled both gardens, I had his volunteers all over my garden also. I mean, they were everywhere!

It took 2 years to irradiate those things and I had to intervene in the neighbor's garden to put a stop to them. They'd get mixed in with what we were intentionally planting and after we realized they were volunteers, we'd wasted the garden space on the useless things.

But remember, this is only a problem with saved seed . . . or volunteers.

Steve

I guess I dont have a handle on what "volunteer" means. Could you explain please?

Mjd

 

[GardenGirl]

As I understand it a volunteer is a plant that appears somewhere you didn't plant it and is usually a variety you planted in that spot the year before. I hear of volunteers most commonly showing up in compost piles because that is where the scraps from the garden go.

 

[Texan]

As I understand it a volunteer is a plant that appears somewhere you didn't plant it and is usually a variety you planted in that spot the year before. I hear of volunteers most commonly showing up in compost piles because that is where the scraps from the garden go.

Oh, ok. Thank You.

 

[vfem]

The cross-pollination problem most folks have is with zucchini and pumpkins. They are both commonly grown in gardens and, believe it or not, they are both of the same species: Cucurbita pepo. Acorn squash and yellow summer squash are also of this species.

Most winter squash is Cucurbita maxima altho' butternut squash is Cucurbita moschata. And, that's about it . . . Since these are different species, you would probably be safe saving seed from these winter squashes.

Cucurbita pepo (in all its varieties) is around in most gardens, and those plants will cross, so you probably shouldn't save the seeds. Often, the fruits growing from the offspring are the weirdest things . . . neither winter squash nor pumpkins and certainly not summer squash.

The neighbor allowed some of his volunteers to grow a few years ago. Since the same tractor tilled both gardens, I had his volunteers all over my garden also. I mean, they were everywhere!

It took 2 years to irradiate those things and I had to intervene in the neighbor's garden to put a stop to them. They'd get mixed in with what we were intentionally planting and after we realized they were volunteers, we'd wasted the garden space on the useless things.

But remember, this is only a problem with saved seed . . . or volunteers.

Steve

I guess I dont have a handle on what "volunteer" means. Could you explain please?

Mjd

Volunteer is a seed that sprouted on its own, and was never planted intentionally by human hands. Like if you throw out a tomato into a compost bin, then one day you look and their was a volunteer tomato plant sprouting. Or you plant wildflowers so that they seed themselves out in a field. You did not intentionally plant the tomato seed or wildflower seeds.... nature took care of it for you!