Promiscuous Pumpkins & Scandalous Squashes.
The Art and Science of Saving Cucurbit Seeds
This zoom presentation will happen on Sunday 13th September from 7pm to 8.30pm AEST. Note this is a later time than our usual quarterly zooms.
Ever saved seed from a favourite heirloom pumpkin, only to grow something unrecognisable the following season? This webinar takes you into the fascinating world of cucurbit seed saving — suitable for experienced growers and those completely new to seed saving alike.
We’ll meet the Cucurbitaceae family, explore the commonly eaten ones and learn why pumpkins, squashes and their relatives are such enthusiastic cross-pollinators.
You’ll come away knowing:
- a summary of commonly grown Cucurbitaceae family varieties and how they are related to each other
- which cucurbits will cross with each other (and which won’t)
- how to use distance, timing, barriers and hand-pollination to save pure, true-to-type seed with confidence
- a simple way to record what you are doing
Our presenter is Alison Hawthorn from Seed Savers Albury-Wodonga. Alison has grown her own veggies since she was 8 years old and saved her own seed for the last 32 years. The challenge of saving true to type Cucurbit seed led to many hours of research that has been distilled into this talk.
