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maine USA

I am growing a couple of pumpkins for genetics. Unfortuneately, the first pumpkin on this plant aborted. Late in august I made a couple of crosses on this plant which I believe to have good genetics. Does anyone know how old or about how large a pumpkin must be for the seeds to become viable? Also, if the pumpkin is still small when frosts come would the seeds continue to ripen if I removed the pumpkin from the plant and stored it? thanks KathyT

9/3/2006 9:51:12 AM

[email protected]

40 days was always considered the benchmark. But I once pulled viable seeds out of a 30 day old fruit.

Bart Toftness has a plant growing from seeds that were younger than that but I don't remember exactly how old they were.

9/3/2006 10:18:32 AM

Nashville, TN

I've harvested several at 35 days - which had well-formed, viable seeds... Seems that the ones over 100lbs - had the best chance of developed seeds.. Whereas the smaller ones - even though older at forced harvest - had few developed seeds.

9/3/2006 11:02:07 AM

maine USA

Thanks a bunch

9/3/2006 12:06:13 PM

Wallingford,CT

I have a plant growing this year from a seed out of a 20 day old pukpkin. It depends on much you want to grow the seed. Takes a lot of special effort to get it started when they are this young. Seeds looked completely normal but need help to start.

9/3/2006 2:01:44 PM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

I just cut open my 659.5. It was 47 days old. There is not a single viable seed in it. There are 100-200 hulls that are extremely small but nothing that even remotely resembles a mature seed.

9/4/2006 12:14:45 AM

Nashville, TN

Brian.. Several things could be a play there... There are at least 4 known genes for infertility in the Curcubita species.. Since it's your hulls that are small - would suspect the cause to be with the mother..

Another thing that can happen - with OP pollination (don't know if this is how you pollinated) - is she could've been pollinated with pollen from another Cuk species. Causing 'seedless' fruit development. (This is primarily how seedless watermelon, squashes, Cucumbers, etc..are produced. Though there are other techniques that can be used as well)

9/4/2006 8:15:51 AM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

The female was the 670 Daigle. I don't know if this has been reported with this pumpkin or not. I also grew the 670 last year with no similar results. It was a controlled pollination with the 1233 Reiss as the pollinator. I had a second pumpkin on the same plant that went bad at 35 days. The seeds were still immature but had significant more development then the pumpkin in question

9/4/2006 11:50:47 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

If pumpkin is not rotten when picked, I think seeds can mature for a few more days

9/5/2006 8:45:48 PM