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Princeville, IL

Harvested seeds today from my 192 uow Bushel gourd. I do not know the parents but do know the seeds are much bigger than other bushel gourd seeds I have harvested this year. There are pictures of the seeds in my diary. Are there two different linages of bushel gourds and does this account for the size and shape difference. I am pretty new to bushel gourd growing and don't know much about them.

2/21/2017 9:09:51 PM

Bethlehem CT

There are two different seeds that I have seen. One is the 177 Westfall type seed, (like the ones in your picture) The other is a slightly larger seed with a "walnut" look to it. John Nieuwenhoff has been growing the walnut type for years and I believe he has crossed the two. It would be interesting to hear from him and others on this topic. Those large seeds you harvested are very interesting to me.
One thing I have noticed is that bushel gourd seeds do change a little bit in shape and color when they are allowed to remain in the gourd as it rots/dries. I call these fermented seeds. (I have a untested theory that they should germinate better too.) The "fermented" seeds are darker in color with more rounded edges and less pronounced curves. The winged protusions on the seed are often nearly lost in the fermenting process. Could your large seed be of the walnut type? Perhaps, it has just lost some of it's walnut characteristics because you have allowed the flesh to ferment before removing the seeds.

2/22/2017 7:09:13 AM

Bethlehem CT

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=233280

This site is awesome, some great information has been posted by growers over the years. Check out the above link. Harry Hurley drops some knowledge in his diary.

2/22/2017 7:18:23 AM

Bethlehem CT

If you look at the top row of seeds in the link you can see the Scherber seed and the Nieuwenhoff seed are lighter in color, my bet is that those seeds were retrieved earlier. (Before the "blubber" started to ferment in the gourd.)

2/22/2017 7:32:45 AM

Georgetown, Ontario

Here's an interesting bit of info. I originally got my seeds from Quarry Farm Gourds and they were the large pecan looking seed type.I was told they were a strain grown by Jeffers. I have been selfing them and growing them for a few years. Two years ago I decided to cross the Westfall line from Doug English (small smooth seeded type) with my line in the hopes of coming up with a more vigorous line. The seeds from that cross were all the large pecan type (140 Nieuwenhoff 2015). Last year I grew those and selfed them and all the seeds from that are small smooth seed type. I assumed they would be the large ruffled type since the 140 was but that was not the case. Andreas Wild from Gernmany grew a new European record from the 140 and his seeds were all the small smooth type too. As for what Big Moon says about the fermenting I think he is right that most of the extra ruffles on the seed will rot off if the gourd is left to dry. And the 166 seed of mine in that diary picture were immature and not fully developed. Also they were from a Doug English line, not from the large seeded type I usually grew. I have a pretty short growing season here so I often don't get the seeds fully mature before the frost. Harry Hurley has all the info you need in his diary.

2/22/2017 8:18:15 AM

Princeville, IL

John, thanks for the great link. The 192 was definitely a giant Nigerian Bushel linage. It was light green in color and has the right seed shape. My biggest bushel gourds were the light green ones this year though I did have a bunch of dark green ones also. Sure wish I had written down and kept track of what was planted. When My first crop was destroyed I just started some seeds later. I have stakes that say 279.5 English, 187 Ciesielski, and 130 House so I know that was three of the plants but I had about 6 plants in the spot. 130 House was 193 urena x open. According to my seeds I used I also planted the 117.5 Sheldon, 136 Sherber, and the 170 Sherber I think the last three were ones that the raccoons dug up and destroyed. I know that I planted some of the Big puffy seeds because I couldn't believe how much they differed from the other seeds.

2/22/2017 12:45:41 PM

Princeville, IL

John,
also looks like I planted your 175 ( 177 Westfall x open).

2/22/2017 1:28:37 PM

Fuquay Varina, NC

Pumpkin Shepherd
Georgetown, Ontario

(Pumpkin Shepherd-Here's an interesting bit of info. I originally got my seeds from Quarry Farm Gourds and they were the large pecan looking seed type.I was told they were a strain grown by Jeffers)....Here is the story. The ruffled and pecan shape seeds I sold to Rocky Ford Gourds as we were partners in shares(selling seeds)and they renamed them bushel 100. . Rocky Ford Gourds sold their business to Quarry Farms. Quarry Farms picked up our inventory of the ruffled and pecan gourds seeds (bushel 100) and continued to sell them as bushel 1000. By this time I had stopped supplying them seeds and Quarry Farms began to reproduce the seeds by growing them in their hothouse. I got the seeds from Richard Wright(NJ) WR holder at 231.5 1992 as recorded in the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records.(He is now deceased but I give him the credit.) These were never seeds from Jeffers. I have Jeffers seeds from that time period and have even received several hundreds seeds from him in the last two year, and they are the same as number 5,6 & 7 in my dairy post...http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=233280 (Thanks big moon for that post, I didn't have to look it up. Now with this note and the post you have all the history pretty much. On the site below you will see Jeffers dark green gourd strain. http://gourdsbyjeanie.org/giantgourdcontestants2000.htm
See also: http://gourdsbyjeanie.org/rules.htm I hope this helps

2/22/2017 11:04:03 PM

Fuquay Varina, NC

and continued to sell them as bushel 100 not 1000 sorry

2/22/2017 11:07:18 PM