Squashes of interest

Ya, so what happens with the squashes. I always purchase seed from reputable companies and often weird things happen with squash. I have been under the impression that cross pollination occurs when seed is gathered from plants that cross pollinate and that seed planted the next year may not come true to the original parent? Have I got this wrong?

Last year and this year too, I have these green squashes growing on the same vine as the spaghetti squash. Clearly they are NOT the same squash. They look the same shape as the spaghetti squash, but are green with flecks, the inside does not have the typical core of seeds, as the spaghetti squash and is definitely not of a spaghetti squash manner. Still tastes good as good can be, but does not come stringy as the spaghetti squash does (phew, that is a whole lot of typing spaghetti, which is another word, just like with Silkiebantam and her having problems spelling "quarantine", smiling, that I seem to always type wrong until I correct it).

Ya, so what's with that anyways? Anyone have a clue what squash has cross pollinated to make these green "look alikes on the outside" but not the same on the inside?

Maybe a little horticultural lesson on why purchased seed would not remain true to the parent spaghetti squash. I would imagine seed companies would keep their cultivars separate. Need explanation here. No guessing. Only if you know answer the question please. My mind gets muddled very easily

Ya, I can see that the banana squash plants have I think green hubbard growing on them too, along with banana squash. That is understandable, as this seed was gathered from a store bought banana squash (Uno, you just wait until that big fat banana squash lands on your dinner table, get out the chainsaw!! got a few going hard in that patch!!). I'll get some pretty pictures of the banana and the...well...what I think is the hubbard, growing on the same vines today and add to the thread.

I think it is time for pictures of the garden harvests. Let's start a thread on the bounty that will grace our tables this winter. Long live the garden foods!! Have a most awesome day, CynthiaM.

This is the weird squash, obviously some mixed breed that was growing on the same plant as the spaghetti (there's that word again) squash that I brought into the home last year. Got the same ones coming this year, massive!

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Cut in half

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Cynthia, could you have two different plants growing there?

I've seen what she's talking about and the spaghetti (even I stumbled over that!) and the other green seedless squash are on the same vine.

I'm guessing you had a bud sport, or a mutation and everything from that point, on that shoot, will be different. There can be fun things come from bud sports. Too bad no one really grafts squashes, grin.

Jocelyn, can you explain a bit more what a 'sport' is?

Cynthia, my banana squash plants produced nothing at all. I finally pulled them out and threw them in the compost bin.

I am very interested in seeing what you end up with and would love to try a piece, but just a piece. We reserve the chainsaw for Big Ugly Wood. Don't want to get into hacking Big Ugly Squash.

Sports are mutations, can be a deletion or who knows what. Mother nature shuffled the deck and dealt new cards. Sometimes you get a chicken with one green leg and one yellow leg, same thing. The copy of id+ for one limb bud didn't work, so that leg was yellow. The bird breeds like a green legged bird though, as only the limb bud lost its copy of id+. I had one, that's how I know what the chicks are like. Bud sports in plants are a mutation in one bud, and as a lot of growth can happen from that bud, everything on that branch is the new genetics..........nectareens growing on one branch of a peach tree, late ripening cherries on one branch of an earlier variety...that sort of thing. With trees, you just root that piece, or graft that piece, and get a whole new variety. Never tried grafting a squash. I suspect it would be a bit of a finger cramper, due to small sized bits to fit together. Wonder if it's possible to root a piece of a squash vine?

Instead of composting all those squash vines, will any of my animals eat them?

I have a nefarious plan to boil them and serve them to Doug as dinner! Heh, heh!

Sue, I'm going to go and pick some squash vine stuff today and see if the birds like them. I kind of think they won't. I need to cut back drastically anyways, even more than I have already, time to get all vines short, so what is still growing will mature more quickly. Was thinking of taking out the vines, but really don't think I will. I still have green growth with no mildew yet, so time yet to let grow, garden clean up is coming fast though, time to get things tidied up, smiling. I don't think your plan is nefarious, I bet the greens would be good sauteed with a little butter and garlic. Does anyone ever try to cook squash greens? I sure know that I LOVE the sauteed squash blossoms!!

A sport, well, perhaps that is what happened. But last year and this year these green spaghetti squash squashes that are not really spaghetti squashes but green things grew. Sweetened, these don't mature to spaghetti squashes, they don't string, I know you mentioned that. Oh well, they are still yummy.

Uno, so you want me to use our chainsaw, smiling. I will, you got stuff coming your way when they are fully mature. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

There's really no alternative, they have to be sports, where part of the plant has a different genotype from other parts. Cross pollination will not do that - the result of cross pollination will still be one single genotype, throughout.

Oh aren't those genetic things just interesting. A sport, so ya, imagine that eh? I don't know, I think it most interesting. I might find out today what sport is growing on the banana squash plant. Chicory Farm and her Husband stayed overnight at our place in their vacation trailer and this morning we will be going to the garden to look at my "stuff". I know he has been farming food for years, bet he will have some good insight too into what is going on in my squash patches. Those things that are growing on the banana squash vines are enormous, huge, and freakin' me right out. I think they might be hubbard, never grown that variety, so have no clue what they should look like. I was looking at one yesterday, the fruit was bigger than a basketball, looked more like a pumpkin with kind of a handley type thing on it. Yep, I'll get some pictures of those too and bring them here. They certainly are squashes of interest. Have a most awesome day, CynthiaM.

I look forward to hearing what Chicory and Mr Chicory have to say about your squash adventures!
Say 'Hi' to them.

We were too busy eating, Coopslave, eggs benedict with Husband's most delicious home made sauce and the locks that Mr. and Mrs. Chicory brought. Forgot to go and look at the garden. Oh well, pictures say a thousand words, so will have to go that, if I ever get my butt out there to do pictures, smiling. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

Here's an Explanation as to why these mutations occur.
They are throw backs.

Your spaghetti Squash has a very tight DNA backbone.
Let's say ABCDE for example.
The freak that showed up could be a AAABB, (Example only) but will only have parts of the original DNA strands, in other words, it could be BBAAC, CCADD, each of these non typical strands will alter the NORMAL appearance, general in the cucubrits (pumpkins, squash) family these happen quite frequently.

These do occur in everything, humans included. just the DNA of humans is a much longer strand, and deviations don't show as much.


I can grow the same Pumpkin seed 10 times, and nothing will change, but the 11th could throw a Greeny (Squash)

I've also grow a Giant pumpkin and I set 3 fruit on the same plant, 2 were pumpkins and 1 was a GREEN Squash. These were all controlled pollinations.

Right now I have a Giant Pear Gourd plant with 5 gourds on it, 4 are perfect copy's of the parents, the 5th has a different color and shape, so it's culled.

Schipperkesue wrote:Instead of composting all those squash vines, will any of my animals eat them?

I have a nefarious plan to boil them and serve them to Doug as dinner! Heh, heh!

Feed them as dinner The stems of the leaves are quite good, they taste much like green beans. After you cook them for a while, the spikes aren't pokey anymore. You can also use the leaves in place of grape leaves for greek dishes. I was thinking about harvesting the stems this year, boiling and then freezing them for mid winter greens for the chickens.


As an aside, I would let these squash get as biiiig as they could to see if you couldn't find just ONE seed in there and see what you could do with it. I wish my squash grew let alone mutated!

Sweetened, I am growing an interesting ornamental squash that has soft velvety leaves. No worries for prickles! I wonder how they would taste?

Iceman, nice detailed information thank you. Ya,so now thinking that my mind is playing tricks on me, there ARE good reasons why there are different squashes growing on different plants. Really does not matter to me, they ALL taste so good, no matter what. Tried my chickens on squash leaves yesterday, not much interest. Probably just too many other things out there that they were free ranging and eating up that were of a better taste. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Schipperkesue wrote:Sweetened, I am growing an interesting ornamental squash that has soft velvety leaves. No worries for prickles! I wonder how they would taste?

Likely the same. I read all parts of squash plants are edible, however I haven't found mention of the roots of the plant as of yet. The flowers are great stuffed with mushrooms or crab and cream cheese as well. Give it a go? Worst that happens is you don't like it. The stalks can be stringy like celery depending how thick they are.

I may try the soft leaves. The squashes are still itty bitty and very soft.

I find squash to be an enigma. This year I planted 5 varieties. Two summer and three winter. The yellow acorn and yellow zucchini are going great guns. The patty pan... well I may get a meal out of it and the pumpkin covers about 36 square feet but the fruit just withers and dies on the vine.

I learned a little triva the other day. Not sure how true it is, but makes sense. There is summer and winter squash. The reason why the two names are used, is because certain squashes mature in the summer and certain squashes mature in the winter (well, late summer to autumn). Hence, summer squash, winter squash. Just thought it was an interesting thought. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

CynthiaM wrote:I learned a little triva the other day. Not sure how true it is, but makes sense. There is summer and winter squash. The reason why the two names are used, is because certain squashes mature in the summer and certain squashes mature in the winter (well, late summer to autumn). Hence, summer squash, winter squash. Just thought it was an interesting thought. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

I haven't heard that before! Would explain why though, with the cooler weather, my squash that refused to produce is trying to pump out fruits (Too little too late I fear).

Another tidbit: I read that summer squash doesn't store as well as winter squash and is significantly smaller. I've actually never even tried to grow a summer squash (knowingly anyway).

CynthiaM wrote:I learned a little triva the other day. Not sure how true it is, but makes sense. There is summer and winter squash. The reason why the two names are used, is because certain squashes mature in the summer and certain squashes mature in the winter (well, late summer to autumn). Hence, summer squash, winter squash. Just thought it was an interesting thought. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

Actually, their named for when you plan to eat them.

Summer squash are just any squash best eaten immature, and immature fruits don't store long so you eat them in the summer. Winter squash is any squash best eaten fully mature, and those fruits are good for months right into winter.

It's not because summer squash mature in the summer, because I've eaten mature summer squash and it's usually not worth the effort.

Well, Country Thyme, that makes even more sense and sounds even more logical. For surely, young summer squash, and I am thinking zucchini, certainly does make for a nicer pan fry than a mature one. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.