Re: collecting seeds

Marc - Those squash have been cross-pollinating and you can't count on getting the same varieties from seeds you collect.  You need to isolate the varieties to maintain the unique characteristics that make them buttercup, delicata, etc.  That's just about impossible in a community garden and can be difficult elsewhere.
 
Check a library and you should be able to find a helpful book and get some ideas for next year.  If you want to save seeds from your garden this year, tomatoes are a good place to start.  Each plant's flowers seem to pollinate themselves.  Just make sure you're saving seeds from an open-pollinated (not hybrid) variety.  Tomato seeds, by the way, require a simple fermentation step to germinate properly the following year. 
 
For an interesting seed-saving kind of crop next year, try Cherokee Cornfield Beans from Abundant Life Foundation in Washington State.  These produce an enormous range of beans, year after year, and the astonishing variety of sizes, colors, and patterns makes my daughter want to shell the beans.  I repeat, my daughter WANTS to.  We fight over who gets to do the last few.  Bruce Wittchen
----- Original Message -----
From: c*@mlode.com
To: community_garden@mallorn.com
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2000 9:31 PM
Subject: [cg] collecting seeds

 To Whom It May Concern,
 
   My question is I have a rather large successful garden this year (2,350 sqft) and in it I have buttercup  and delicata squash as well as butternut and acorn.                                              I would like to know how do I go about collecting seeds for next years garden and what is the process I need to do.
                       Sincerely yours Marc Penn
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