Organic Seed Production and Saving: the Wisdom of Plant Heritage by Bryan Connolly

Author:Bryan Connolly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Published: 2011-12-08T00:00:00+00:00

‘Prescott Fond Blanc’ melon.

When melons are ready to eat, the seeds are mature. A melon is ripe when it generates a wonderful melon aroma. As they ripen, melons change color and develop a yellowish or orange background hue. Melons in the reticulatus group “slip” or detach from the vine when ripe. Most growers can extract the seed by hand and pull off any of the extra flesh attached to the seeds. A twenty-four-hour fermentation is the common method to extract high-quality seed. Fermentation also helps reduce seed-borne disease. If fermented too long, melon seeds sprout and then die when dried. Decant debris and wash seeds in a colander or on a screen, then spread out to dry.

Cucumbers Cucumis sativus

Pollination: Hand pollination difficult

Isolation, seed-borne diseases, and major pests: Similar to squashes

Spacing: Row 80"; plant 4"–8"

Estimated seed yield: 300–500 lbs.

Soil pH: 6.5 or slightly higher

This crop seems to be descended from wild plants of the Himalayas. C. sativus will not cross with any other species. Cucumbers have more diversity than most gardeners realize. There are white ones, yellow ones, round ones, and one called ‘Poona Kheera’ that looks like a fingerling potato. Additionally the plants can be short vine “bush types” or have long vines.

Isolation is the only practical way of producing a seed crop. Hand pollination is possible, and a much higher percentage of fruits set than in melons, but it is tedious for the amount of seed produced. Many varieties will grow in our climate. I am partial to the odd ones and have grown lemon cucumbers for years. In addition, my wife and I have been successful in growing ‘Early Russian’ cucumbers, ‘Beit Alpha’, and ‘Poona Kheera’. Lemon cucumbers seem to grow well even with cucumber beetle pressure. Striped cucumber beetles are attracted to the bitter substance cucurbitacins. Because the beetles crave these awful tasting chemicals, bitter cucumbers get the most insect damage. You can select against insect-attracting plants and bitter fruits at the same time. If the cucumber is going to be bitter, so will the first leaves of the seedling, called the cotyledons. Take a small slice of a seed leaf and taste it. If it is bitter, discard the seedling.

Leave fruits grown for seed on the plant much longer than cucumbers for eating. Allow the fruit to get oversized and turn dark yellow. They generally can keep for some time, so if in doubt leave them until just before frost. Cut the fruits in half and scoop the seeds out. Seeds are surrounded by a gel capsule that cannot be washed off and needs fermentation to be cleaned. Put the gel and seeds into a five-gallon bucket and allow them to ferment for a few days. The contents of the bucket will bubble and froth. Stir the seeds, and when it seems the seeds are free of the capsule and are sinking to the bottom, pour the debris off the top. As the seeds sink, decant the unwanted pulp several times, then wash the seeds in a colander or on screens and spread out to dry.

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