Anyone ever grow butternut squash from saved supermarket butternut squash?

[HamdenRice]

I was just wondering because I really love it and have never grown it. I had it a few days ago for dinner and decided to wash, dry and save the seeds.

We've had some discussion about hybrids and whether certain plants grow true, so I'm wondering whether anyone has ever saved squash seeds, grown them and gotten a yield, or did they not come true?

Another reason I want to do this experiment is that we also love this squash that many Latinos cook with, usually sold in Spanish supermarkets as just "calabasa," which sort of means calabash or pumpkin. I don't think I've ever seen the seeds at the garden center and would like to try to grow it also. Hope it's not strictly a tropical species.

On edit, I think I identified the striped green and yellow "calabasa" in the local market as Cucurbita foetidissima

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima

which if not harvested at the right time is poisonous. Guess I'll stick to butternut and acorn squash experiments.

[WolverineDG]

1. Well, I'm growing a chayote that sprouted before I could use it

I'd been trying for months to cut the dang thing just right so I wouldn't damage the seed, to no avail. So when one decided to sprout all on its own, I stuck it in a container. Turns out that's the right thing to do. Who knew? Also found out the dang thing will just keep growing & growing & growing too.... :scared:

dg

[hippywife]

2. Not unless it's an organically grown one.

All the squash in the grocery around here these days seem to be from Mexico.

[HamdenRice]

3. Are you saying that the seeds from a non-organically grown squash

are more likely to be hybrids? Or that you consider the seed from a non-organically grown squash to be non-organic?

I sure hope they're not some kind of round-up read frankenfood.

[hippywife]

4. I'm saying that if it's not organically grown

there's no way of telling how much herbicide and pesticide was used in growing it.

As far as Frankenfood goes, they are supposed to label all genetically modified food. The PLU codes for produce are as follows:

4 numbers = conventional produce
5 numbers, starting with 9 = organic produce
5 numbers, starting with 8 = genetically engineered produce

Either way, whether conventional or GMO, I don't feel comfortable eating it or growing it. The safest bet is to strive to grow as much as possible from organic sources, and within that as many heirloom varieties as possible.

That's my approach. YMMV

[HamdenRice]

5. Oh.

Even if the squash itself was laced with pesticides, I don't think a plant grown from that seed would contain pesticides. The tiny seed will grow into a very large trailing vine, and then fruit will grow on the vine and all that matter will come from the air (CO2), water and soil minerals here.

I don't think there's likely to be a single seed in this country -- even in the most stringent organic farm -- whose "parent" plant lines have not been exposed to pesticides at some time. I'm not even sure that organic farmers are required to buy organically grown seeds.

I would be worried about genetic manipulation, though, because once that is inserted in a plant, it stays in its offspring forever.

[hippywife]

6. You may want to go to

the websites of Seed Savers Exchange or Seeds of Change and look around. As far as I'm concerned, any part of a plant grown with pesticides/herbicides is suspect. Why would it not be? Why wouldn't the goal be to start with the very best you can get to begin with? :shrug:

[HamdenRice]

7. Organic seeds would be ideal, for a number of reasons

the most important to me being that it would encourage the organic seeds industry.

But from a safety standpoint, I can't see how it would make any difference. If you look at the total mass of a seed, even if it does contain pesticide residue (which itself isn't certain), and compare that mass of the mature plant and all the fruit that comes from it, it's hard to imagine how any of the residue in the seed could get into the next generation fruit. Comparing the few grams of a pumpkin seed to the many pounds of plant and fruit, it's clear that any residue in the seed would be so diluted in the adult plant and its fruit that it would be immeasurable.

The plant's matter does not come from the seed; it comes from the air, water and soil. The seed is just the genetic blueprint and the first baby leaves and stem. Most of the cells of any seeds in the squash family become the first leaves of the seedling (the Cotyledon) which shrivel up and fall away as the plant matures, anyway.

Inasmuch as I eat supermarket squash anyway, I could not possibly be further contaminated by eating the fruit of a plant that came from a supermarket squash.

But the idea of supporting organic seed companies makes sense. Also, as my OP questions, my main concern is that some supermarket brands squashes are hybrids that won't grow true compared to heirloom seeds that will.

That's really my question.