Volunteer mystery squash plants!

[Mountainbluebird]

Hello, greenthumbs!

I started a garden in a new area this spring, after clearing out an old shed. It had a rough start due to hot, intesne winds for a solid week when everything had JUST started to take off. Most shriveled up and died, so I was ready to give up. But shortly after, I finally got some rain and dozens of little squash babies started popping up all over (in places I hadn't planted any)!

Now, this wasn't a complete surprise, as I used my compost in the beds, which likely contained seeds from a few squashes that rotted and weren't suitable for feeding to my chickens. I decided to let them take over the garden so I could at least produce something this year.

Here is the fun part! Many of the plants are developing fruit that I absolutely do not recognize. I'm talking all kinds of shapes and sizes, textures and colors.

The seeds that made it into the compost would have only come from acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash, which I had bought from the grocery store or local farmer's markets, as well as a monster zucchini from last year's garden that managed to stay hidden until too late. I've been scouring the internet for answers, and it looks like all the aforementioned besides butternut squash can cross-pollinate (including pumpkins and gourds) to create hybrids.

But the absolute diversity of these fruit is so amazing! It makes me wonder if there is more going on here.. such as old seeds that had been stored in shed years and years ago (the original foundation of the house on this property is a hundred years old). I also have found shards of pottery while tilling the area. I have no idea the age, but do know the land I am on was cared for by Ute people. I've heard seeds can wait ages for the right conditions to germinate. But through hundreds of seasons under hard packed clay? Is something like that possible?

It has been so much fun trying out some of these mysteries. Some seem more like summer squashes, and the chickens have gone to town on all parts of them, including the rind. Others are more like winter squash and they only went for the seeds. I tried cooking one up and it had a mild but pleasant taste! The shape and texture led me to guess a hybrid between spaghetti and acorn squash. I'm a bit hesitant to try eating the ones that look more like pumpkins

Does anybody else have any experience with this kind of thing? Theories? Thoughts? Expertise?

I'd love to see volunteer compost plants and mysteries of yours as well! Or if you simply have plants that you're proud of. Gardening is such a joy!

 

[vall]

My accidental spaghetti x scallop were watery and bland. Glad you got a better cross than I did!

 

[NatJ]

The seeds that made it into the compost would have only come from acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash, which I had bought from the grocery store or local farmer's markets, as well as a monster zucchini from last year's garden that managed to stay hidden until too late. I've been scouring the internet for answers, and it looks like all the aforementioned besides butternut squash can cross-pollinate (including pumpkins and gourds) to create hybrids.

That is probably what happened.

Especially for the squash from the farmer's market, they were probably growing quite a few kinds and a lot of cross-pollination would have happened. Being pollinated by the "wrong" squash variety would have no effect on the fruit they were going to sell that year, so there is no reason for them to prevent it.

But the absolute diversity of these fruit is so amazing! It makes me wonder if there is more going on here.. such as old seeds that had been stored in shed years and years ago (the original foundation of the house on this property is a hundred years old). I also have found shards of pottery while tilling the area. I have no idea the age, but do know the land I am on was cared for by Ute people. I've heard seeds can wait ages for the right conditions to germinate. But through hundreds of seasons under hard packed clay? Is something like that possible?

I do not think any of those are very likely, considering how many squash plants you are dealing with. For that many to be growing that happily, they probably came from fresh seeds (like from last year's squash.)

It has been so much fun trying out some of these mysteries. Some seem more like summer squashes, and the chickens have gone to town on all parts of them, including the rind. Others are more like winter squash and they only went for the seeds. I tried cooking one up and it had a mild but pleasant taste! The shape and texture led me to guess a hybrid between spaghetti and acorn squash. I'm a bit hesitant to try eating the ones that look more like pumpkins

They are probably safe to eat, but may not be appetizing.

I've read that they can be poisonous if they cross with some kinds of gourds, but that you don't really have to worry: the poison tastes bitter enough to be obvious, so any squash that tastes fine is also safe.

Does anybody else have any experience with this kind of thing? Theories? Thoughts? Expertise?

Other than reading about it, and having pumpkins grow from my own compost, I don't really have any experience. But it's definitely interesting!

 

[Mountainbluebird]

I've read that they can be poisonous if they cross with some kinds of gourds, but that you don't really have to worry: the poison tastes bitter enough to be obvious, so any squash that tastes fine is also safe.


Other than reading about it, and having pumpkins grow from my own compost, I don't really have any experience. But it's definitely interesting!

Thank you so much for your thoughts and insight! Its good to know I don't have to worry too much about eating the squash or letting my chickens eat it. All of this has been such a fun little surprise experiment!

 

[GardenBlooms22]

Very interesting! If any grocery store squash was composted, and its seeds germinated, that might explain why some of your squash are so unique. Grocery store produce is usually not heirloom, so for example a butternut squash from the grocery store may have come from an F1 hybrid seed*. F1 seeds are the result of cross pollinating two different varieties of some plant (for example a squash). So if a plant's flower was cross pollinated, the fruit that plant produced would still be true to its own variety, but the seeds saved from its fruit would no longer be pure. So if a store bought butternut squash was composted and one of its seeds germinated, the fruit it produces may not be the same as from the squash it was collected from.

*Not meaning all non-heirloom seeds are F1 hybrids. Seeds can still be collected from non-heirloom fruit and still be pure. The term 'heirloom' basically just refers to a certain variety of fruit being bred pure for many generations.

On that same note, any squash from your own garden that were composted may have contained unpure seeds if a bee or butterfly cross pollinated its flowers with another variety of squash in your garden (even if both varieties of squash were originally heirlooms or otherwise pure)

Those mystery squash you shared look so cool!

 

[Mountainbluebird]

Very interesting! If any grocery store squash was composted, and its seeds germinated, that might explain why some of your squash are so unique. Grocery store produce is usually not heirloom, so for example a butternut squash from the grocery store may have come from an F1 hybrid seed*. F1 seeds are the result of cross pollinating two different varieties of some plant (for example a squash). So if a plant's flower was cross pollinated, the fruit that plant produced would still be true to its own variety, but the seeds saved from its fruit would no longer be pure. So if a store bought butternut squash was composted and one of its seeds germinated, the fruit it produces may not be the same as from the squash it was collected from.

*Not meaning all non-heirloom seeds are F1 hybrids. Seeds can still be collected from non-heirloom fruit and still be pure. The term 'heirloom' basically just refers to a certain variety of fruit being bred pure for many generations.

On that same note, any squash from your own garden that were composted may have contained unpure seeds if a bee or butterfly cross pollinated its flowers with another variety of squash in your garden (even if both varieties of squash were originally heirlooms or otherwise pure)

Those mystery squash you shared look so cool!

This is also very helpful information, thank you so much!
Looks like I'll have to find a way to hand-pollinate and protect the female flowers of the jaradale pumpkins that I want to collect seeds from, to avoid just getting wild hybrids (as fun as they are)
I'm starting to want to go back to school and study genealogy!

 

[NatJ]

Looks like I'll have to find a way to hand-pollinate and protect the female flowers of the jaradale pumpkins that I want to collect seeds from, to avoid just getting wild hybrids (as fun as they are)

Yes, that would work.
What I've read: you can tape the flowers shut (male and female flowers) the night before you expect them to open, then pollinate in the morning and re-tape the female flower. The reason for taping the male flower too is to keep bees out of it: you don't want them taking them pollen, and you don't want them leaving a bit of other pollen either.

I'm starting to want to go back to school and study genealogy!

I enjoyed the book "Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" by Carol Deppe.

I would always recommend checking a book out from the library, if possible, before buying a copy-- sometimes you only need to read it once, and sometimes you just don't like it or find it useful even if someone else did.

 

[Mountainbluebird]

Yes, that would work.
What I've read: you can tape the flowers shut (male and female flowers) the night before you expect them to open, then pollinate in the morning and re-tape the female flower. The reason for taping the male flower too is to keep bees out of it: you don't want them taking them pollen, and you don't want them leaving a bit of other pollen either.


I enjoyed the book "Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" by Carol Deppe.

I would always recommend checking a book out from the library, if possible, before buying a copy-- sometimes you only need to read it once, and sometimes you just don't like it or find it useful even if someone else did.

These are some fantastic suggestions! Thank you so much! It turns out my local library has a copy of that book, so I'll be picking that up today. Thanks again!