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hmeadq

Saving cucmumber seeds?

hmeadq
19 years ago

We grew out Mexican Sour Gerkins on a few large pots on our porch this year. They are FANTASTIC! We got 25 seeds from SSE for $5, though so they were expensive, so we definatly want to save the seed.

We are also growing Lemon Cucmumber, but they are in the back feild, (perhapes 1500 feet away). The Sour Gerkins appear to be pollenated mainly by little sweat bees since thier flowers are so small. So my question is how do I save the seed?

Thanks

Comments (9)

  • gardenlad
    19 years ago

    I'm not familiar with Mexican Sour Gerkins. But if we assume they are a regular cucumber (Cucumis sativus) then the recommended isolation distance is a 1/2 mile. Personally, for my own use, given your conditions, I would take a chance and see what happens. Again, assuming you have other things growing between the back field and the porch, you should be OK.

    To maximize seed viability, cucumbers are allowed to over-ripen on the vine. Once they have changed color, and start turning soft, you harvest them. Then put them in a safe place for another 21 days. At that point you split them open and harvest the seed.

    Like tomatoes, cucumber seed should be fermented. Just follow the same system you'd use for tomatoes. However, I've found that fermenting cucumber seed smells worse than tomatoes, and is more attractive to fruit flies. So if possible I would do this away from living spaces.

    If the Mexican Sour Gerkin is not C. sativus, then you have no problems so far as seed purity goes. If it's a different species it won't cross with the Lemon Cukes.

  • carolyn137
    19 years ago

    I just happen to have my SSE catalog near the computer and Mexican Sour Cukes are Melothria scabra.

    They are in the family Cucurbitaceae but Suzanne Ashworth doesn't even mention them in her chapter on Cucurbits and seed saving.

    They are a tad obscure. ( smile)

    I've linked to the best website I could find that menti9on s them, go to the very bottom, and I really don't know what to say definitively, but would assume they would not cross with your Lemon cuke, which as Brook pointed out , is C. sativus, a true cuke, which the so called "cuca=melons" as some call them these Mexican ones, are not.

    Carolyn

    Here is a link that might be useful: Melothria scabra

  • hmeadq
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Thanks for the great information! That means I could grow them RIGHT next to each other, and next year, I well may as I plan on planting a hundred feet or so of these little gems!

    Thanks gain for the help!

  • gardenlad
    19 years ago

    With the information we have, the odds of them crossing are pretty much zero, and you should be safe planting them near each other. Cucurbits do not cross inter-species, and the Mexicans are a different genus as well.

    You've really got me curious about these. Can you describe the taste, texture, etc.? And have you tried pickling them yet? How did that work out?

  • hmeadq
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    I have not tried pickling them, and I doubt I will this year, its all I can do not to gobble them all off the plant so I have some to save!

    They look like tiny watermelons, and so far have been a snap to grow, although they got off to a slow start, when they went they WENT! I think our especially cool early summer was not especially great for them. They are a wonderful trellising plant with a leaf maybe 3 or 4 inches across and a fairly fine vine with a tiny yellow flower. We put them in 2 large (18" pots) 5 plants per pot, now they look like 4 foot high bushes , climbing up the house!

    The skins are very thin so there is no need to peel or worry about them. They have a very slight sour taste, which seems to get a bit stronger as they get older, but still very mild. Full grown they are about 1 inch long although some are smaller. They are great to put in salads, and even people who swear they don't like cucumbers seem intrigued by these wonderful little things. Which are one bite and don't need to be cut or bit in half.

    We have been (cringe) (whisper) Miracle Growing them since they are in a pot, so I'm not sure how well they will do when we put them in our not so fantastic soil next year.

  • gardenlad
    19 years ago

    Thanks for the additional info. Sounds like something I need to try.

  • hmeadq
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    OK... They turned ripe and fell off the vine before they truned color... So what should I do now? I don't know how long they've been falling, I think a chipmunk likes them since I found one with what looked like little tooth marks in it...

    Thanks...

  • gardenlad
    19 years ago

    All I can do is offer a guess as to how to proceed. The delayed-seed harvest is unique to cucumbers, among the cucurbits, and thus may not apply to your Mexicon Sours.

    What I would first do is open one of the ripe ones, and look at the seed. Does it appear plump and filled out, or flat and papery? If filled out, it may merely need to be washed, dried, and stored away. If flat, it probably isn't viable.

    My guess is that fully ripe ones will have plumped up seed that merely needs washing and drying. In short, treat it like a watermelon.

    Either way, I would do a series of experiments to see what happens.

    1. Harvest seed from ripe fruit. Merely wash and dry half of it, but ferment the other half before washing and drying.

    2. Treat some fruit like cukes. That is, put them aside for a period of time. Then use that seed, and repeat the first experiment with it. That is, ferment half, and don't ferment half.

    Make sure to keep all four samples separated and clearly marked.

    Next spring, perform a germination test with all four samples. If some of them don't germinate, or have a low germination rate, and others don't, you know what not to do.

    If they all germinate well, plant them separately, and see if there are any differences in how they grow. Are some faster to grow? Does one set flowers and fruit faster than the others? Any differences in plant size, foliage growth, etc.?

    All this will tell you which is the best way to save seed in the future.

  • hmeadq
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Great advice! An experiment it is. And next year I will be able to tell all of you how to save your seed for next year...

    I better go collect more fruit before the chipmunk gets them all though!

    Thanks