THE BAD SEED
While seeds are the focus of our discussions lately, I wanted to bring up a
topic that I've raised in the past but haven't gotten a response on. THE
BAD SEED.............You know the one. The plant that looked so promising
in May puts out nothing but male flowers in June and July. The one that
you carefully pollinated every morning for two weeks only to have every
fruit abort. The one that you nurtured and watched and measured and built
your hopes on only to have every fruit start to split at the blossom or stem
or dill ring. Every grower with a few seasons under their belt has probably
had this experience.
What I want to know is; What seed would you never waste your time with
again?
I think this information is just as important in making our seed selections
as how productive a given seed line has been in the past. I haven't seen it
up for discussion here before though. Many of us who have been involved in
this hobby for a few years have acquired more seeds than we could possibly
plant if we have put any effort into it. A look a Mike Turner's seed list
or Rocky's website list will give a good example of that. I would love to
hear from some of the Heavy Hitter Lurkers who check this list from time to
time but never post to it to avoid the inevitable flood of email. If you
reply to me privately I would share your information with the list but not
your address. And also all you other experienced growers/heavy hitters who
have added so much to the list over the years, Al Eaton, Bob Marcellus,
George Brooks, Ray Waterman, Mike Brock, to name a few. You could help spare
us some heartache if you can help us narrow down our list of selections by
letting us know about the duds we may have collected. What seeds would you
consider duds?
I have experience with one that I wouldn't plant again based on my own
experience and what I learned about it from another grower who had planted
it. The 759 Mombert 97. It was my best and most agressive plant ever, but
every pumpkin but one split on it. I had stem splits, blossom splits,
bottom splits. The only one I didn't have was a dill ring. It had my
biggest and fastest growing pumpkins on it but the only one that made it to
the end of the season was the smallest. Steve Daletas grew an 847 from it
in 98, but he told me that every other fruit on the plant split on him. I
don't know of anyone else who grew this seed but would love to hear about
anyone elses experience with it.
So lets get the word out on the BAD SEED so they may never darken our
gardens with their shadows again.
Chris Michalec
Covington, WA
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