Two-Tone Hybrid Melons
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We've planted heirloom gourds and various sorts of pumpkins in the same patch for years. Two years ago we decided to save the gourd seeds. When we planted the seeds the next year, one or two plants produced what looked like two-tone pumpkins but had very hard gourd-like rinds.
This year all the offspring are large, but only about 40 percent are two-tone. The others are plain green. One of the two-tone hybrids is as large as a medium pumpkin - 30 in. in circumference - and doesn't seem to have a hard rind. We think that with careful breeding these two-tone hybrids may become a new species, which we've decided to call "gunkins".
We probably won't have any seeds available for a few years, but anyone who wants to experiment with this sort of crossbreeding should certainly try it. Keep in mind that crossbreeding doesn't show up in the current year's fruit. (Tom Monsen, 7485 Dahlgren Rd., Chaska, Minn. 55318 ph 952 466-2089; rimonsen@wwdb.org)
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Two-Tone Hybrid Melons FARM HOME Food 34-5-41 We've planted heirloom gourds and various sorts of pumpkins in the same patch for years. Two years ago we decided to save the gourd seeds. When we planted the seeds the next year, one or two plants produced what looked like two-tone pumpkins but had very hard gourd-like rinds.
This year all the offspring are large, but only about 40 percent are two-tone. The others are plain green. One of the two-tone hybrids is as large as a medium pumpkin û 30 in. in circumference û and doesn't seem to have a hard rind. We think that with careful breeding these two-tone hybrids may become a new species, which we've decided to call "gunkins".
We probably won't have any seeds available for a few years, but anyone who wants to experiment with this sort of crossbreeding should certainly try it. Keep in mind that crossbreeding doesn't show up in the current year's fruit. (Tom Monsen, 7485 Dahlgren Rd., Chaska, Minn. 55318 ph 952 466-2089; rimonsen@wwdb.org)
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