You can simply cut them open, scoop out the seed, squeeze it out of the pulp and dry it. Once you can snap a seed in half you'll know that it is dry enough for storage. Store in a dry place, preferably which is not hot.

You might want to keep in mind that at least several varieties of pumpkins and gourds are all from the c. pepo species and will readily cross. So your seed, unless produced in isolation or with hand pollination, will most likely produce some interesting crosses in the coming growing season.

George
Tahlequah

Thank you so much for the info.

I didn't know b/c they had been outside and may have froze and thawed a few times.

I don't mind if they have crossed.

I will work on them asap.
Andrea

I am a newbie at pumpkins so I do not know the level of stupidity this question is but will pumpkins only cross with other pumpkins or can they cross with squash and gourds also.

Dale

Dale, I'm so sorry I didn't see your post until now. Yikes! Time flies. Okay, here's the scoop. "Squash" and "pumpkin" are nebulous terms, often referring to the same thing. So, when you read the terms remember that they can be synonymous.

There are four main species of squash. Apart from very special circumstances these four do not cross, even if they are planted together. These families are:

C. Pepo which includes most summer squash, yellow flowering ornamental gourds, Jack O'Lantern type pumpkins, acorn squash, delicata and sweet dumpling squash. This species is generally known for fast production and the ability to rebound after drought. They are, however, usually susceptable to squash vine borers. This species has very prickly stems and leaves.

C. Maxima includes the really LARGE pumpkins, such as Big Max and Dill's Atlantic Giant. Also under c. maxima, one finds banana squash, Turk's Turban, buttercup, Hubbard and many many others. C. Maxima is probably the most susceptible of the species, when it comes to borers and pests. I just can't grow them here. They look like they'll produce and then BANG! They die without producing anything. But in the western part of the country, where borers are not a problem, they are wonderful. C. Maximas are known, generally, to have some of the drier, most fine grained flesh of all.

C. Mixta is a species from which most people only ever see cushaws. C. Mixta is generally very resistant to pests, requiring a bit more time to mature fruit than c. pepo or c. maxima. Vines of this species are often HUGE.

C. Moschata - My favorite of the species. Generally takes a bit longer to mature fruit than either c. pepo or c. maxima. Both c. moschata & c. mixta appear to require a bit more heat than the other two species. C. moschata includes the ubiquitous butternut, Tahitian Melon squash and the old time cheese pumpkins. Most of the time, when one sees a buff/tan colored squash it's a c. moschata. Both c. mixta and c. moschata are resistant, though usually not impervious, to squash vine borers.

I have heard of c. mixta/c. moschata crosses, though they are very rare. I've also heard of an occasional c. maxima crossing with a c. pepo (I think). But those crosses are so rare, that for practical purposes, one should be able to grow one variety of each family and not worry about crossing. I would recommend at least 1/2 mile isolation between varieties of the same species, or else hand pollinate. If one hand pollinates it is important to be meticulous, never assuming that everything's alright, if for instance, one didn't properly close a flower.

None of these four species will cross with the white flowered gourds (Lagenaria siceraria).

Some seed companies list their cucurbits by species. I believe Baker Creek Heirlooms does this. Otherwise I'd recommend you do a little research on the Internet, if in doubt. I'd be happy to help too : )

Hope this helps!

George
Tahlequah, OK

Here is a link that might be useful: Hand pollination of Squash

This question is along the same lines as Andrea's. What if I save seeds from a hybrid pumpkin? Will it be anything like the original plant the next season?

That depends on what the two original varieties, from which that F1 cross was made, were like. If they were both pretty similar, then you will probably end up with something similar to the fruit from which you got your seed. But sometimes the parent varieties of a hybrid are VERY different. Then, when one plants seed fro the the offspring the results vary wildly.

Add to this the factor that, if you purchased that pumpkin, it may have been grow in a field with other squash of the same species, and thus crossed. Then your offspring could be almost anything.

George

Well, just an update. I scooped out the seeds from 4 pumpkins. A peanut pumpkin,a white pumpkin,an ordinary orange one and a cinderella one. I laid them on newsprint and they dried nicely. I have them in jars w/out the lids. We'll see how it goes?

Thanks all,
Andrea