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Eastern Pennsylvania

I have never grown a greenie. I want to cross one of Glenn A's true squash with Eddy Z's 218 x 898 squash.

If you have a cross that has mostly squash but a little pumpkin in it, it will throw some of both, right? My question is: will pumpkin female flowers always appear with a white/yellow tiny pumpkin while the squash females appear green? Will you know beforehand whether the fruit will be green or mixed/other? I'm asking because I would want to self one of the true green offspring of this cross. I like the idea of bringing big, heavy genes into the squash.

Thanks for any help, I hope people are surfing the squash boards from time to time! Jim

2/15/2006 12:15:10 PM

Indiana

The same plant will not throw green and orange in case that was the way you were thinking.

2/15/2006 1:32:48 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

So if you're looking for a green one and the plant starts dealing you pumpkins just forget it and pull the plant?

Also, I had the question can you identify a squash by it's color before you actually pollinate it? (will the tiny pumpkin below the female flower always be green for a squash)?

2/15/2006 1:45:35 PM

Long Island,New York

Tough question.
Sometimes pumpkin x pumpkin will grow squash.
Sometimes squash x pumpkin will grow either.
Sometimes pumpkin x squash will grow either.
Sometimes squash x squash will grow pumpkins.
Sometimes green babies at pollination will grow orange pkns.
Sometimes yellow babies will turn to greenies.
The striped ones really freak you out.
Generally, for a squash x squash the females are green from the start...Females go from green to pumpkin more often than they go from pumpkin to green. Eddie's 218* x 898 is probably going to throw pumpkins...if you self it the seed has a better chance of producing greenies, if you cross with a greenie you have an even better chance of a greenie from that seed.

2/15/2006 4:56:01 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Ah, thanks G. Eddy's will be the pollinator for your 663*. I don't have room to grow both full, sorry Eddy. How do you like the cross?

2/15/2006 5:11:10 PM

Long Island,New York

I think its neat and you should get a nice squash with interesting genetics out of the deal. OI think Eddie's cross is neat. We saw Beachy grow a 998 on his 218* x706Knauss cross and now there's eddies 218* x 898Knauss cross. I expect good things from the beachy and the EddieZ cross in the future. So...who's doing 280Beachy x eddies cross?.......

2/15/2006 6:49:23 PM

Norton, MA

I had green babies on a 503 Beauchemin in 04. So did Jim. Mine turned the most perfect white almost overnight at softball size. It got duller and duller white and eventually ripened to a mix of green-gray-blue, pink, white, and cream. On the only squash plant I've grown the fruits started green, lightened to a very whitish pale green, and turned gray-green when ripe. NEVER KNOW! AleX Noel.

2/15/2006 8:10:30 PM

New Hampshire

Bruce Whittier's 1301 srarted out green and ended out dark orange. ???

2/16/2006 4:48:37 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Too bad, a 1301lb squash would be hard to beat.

Should I expect the plant to behave like a regular Atlantic Giant? Do you shade the fruit?

2/16/2006 10:01:09 AM

Butler, Ohio

856 Hester. I have seen both really green and really orange from it. Anybody else?

2/16/2006 8:47:16 PM

Greencastle, PA

900 Lyons related stuff is weird like that. Welty mentioned to me that the pollination wasn't well controled. That would explain the many different phenotypes from the 900 and its progeny. Also (not relating to the color), If you look back into the 900's genetics far enough, you'll find that it goes back to a Scott Cully seed from the 80's. Nic said that he asked Scott about the seed, and he said that he recieved the seed that grew his pumpkin from someone other than Howard Dill. I thought that was interesting. The 962 Willemse is a fairly inbred decendent of the same strain.
Tom

2/16/2006 9:20:15 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

I crossed the 552 Sherwood with the 1097 Beachy last year, hoping the Green from the 865 Mettler would come through. I grew a 405 and a 410 on that plant. I have seeds available if anyone wants to try them!

2/16/2006 9:22:00 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

That could definately go either way. I have seen some really orange fruit from the 1097 lately. Are you going to try it this year John?

2/17/2006 1:02:22 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

I have sent out quite a few seeds and several folks are going to try them. I will offer them to the 4-H club as well for anyone that wants to try a greenie. I think if either one throws green there could be some real size potential! I am still undecided on which squash I will be growing but likley a 848 Mackenzie will be in the mix.

2/17/2006 8:38:03 PM