preserving seeds (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Illingworth]

I saved the seeds from the pumpkins I grew to use next spring. What do you do to preserve them for next year? I washed them off and let them dry on a towel. Is that enough?
jeremy

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

That works for me. Store them in a cool, dry place to make sure they don't mold. I'd also plant them early (indoors for your weather

) so they have enough time to produce. Results will depend on the type of pumpkin you had - I believe hybrids won't give you any fruit.
The year I had success with mine I hand pollinated the flowers, which requires some luck with timing. Also be prepared to heavily fertilise if you want anything decent, and make sure to use the right type of fertilizer as well, I forget which number should be the highest offhand.
The first year I tried growing pumpkins I used the wrong fertilizer and ended up with a plant about 30 feet long with two tiny pumpkins on it.
My pumpkins were a dismal failure this year, the 40 plants that started were eaten by slugs, the most successful one cropped up amonst my corn plants, and couldn't compete for nutrients.
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[Jeremy Illingworth]

Its was only my second year growing. I planted 6 plants and only managed a coule of 60 pound fruits as well as a 70 and an 80. I used store bought seed from Canadian Tire.
jeremy

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

You got me beat. I think the biggest one I ever got was around 20lbs, around a a foot and a half around. I haven't really tried to grow a huge one, and usually slack on the fertilizer way too early. Still haven't had a killer corn crop yet. There's always next year.
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