The Mystery Squash Experiment

While chopping down some out-of-control weeds for my neighbors. (See my Weed Getting post.) I happened upon a few old, dried up squashes in their garden. I decided to take them home and conduct an experiment. I have no idea what kind of squashes they are, or how long they have been there, but I have decided to retrieve the seeds, see if they are still viable, and find out what kind of squash they might be. My method for this experiment is simple: smash open the husks, sift through the contents and retrieve the seeds. This being done, I shall plant the seeds, and wait for them to grow. If the seeds are still viable, they will grow and make more squashes, and those squashes can subsequently be identified based on their physical characteristic. (I've been reading HG Wells, can you tell by my grammar and wording?)

First things first, I have spread out some newspaper on my kitchen counter. Using a hammer I have carefully broken open the husk of my first squash, revealing the dried up "guts" inside. Judging by the formation of the guts, I should think that these squashes may be spaghetti squash, but we will have to wait and see! 

It doesn't take much effort to break apart the guts and pick out the seeds. At first my intention was to break open both husks, however, upon finding that there are a great many seeds to be harvested from the first of the two, I think that one shall suffice. Since the husk, guts, and seeds were already dried by the sun, I shouldn't think that any further processing is in order.

I have simply picked out the seeds, rubbed gently to remove any excess remnants of the guts, and set the seeds aside. Many of the seeds at the bottom of the husk (where it had previously rested upon the ground) were stuck, and the guts had packed them down firmly. These seeds, I decided, would not likely be viable, and were discarded. So, now that the seeds have been retrieved from the squash husks, where shall the experiment go?

 I will use these seeds in my upcoming Starting Seeds post, to see if they will sprout and grow. Therefore, it needs be that you should check with me again at a later date and see what transpires. When my Starting Seeds post is uploaded, I will update this page with a link for you to follow.

Saving Seeds from Onions

An onion flower

Onions are a biennial plant, therefore, they only produce seeds their second year. This allows you to have edible onions your first year, and if you want seeds the next year, all you need do is keep the plant in the ground over winter. Next year, your onions will flower and produce seeds. If you're onions become stressed, however, they may "bolt." Bolting is when a biennial plant goes to seed in its first year. If you do not want your plant to go to seed, snip off he flower as soon as you see it begin to develop. These onions won't last as long as other onions,  but will still be edible if you get the flower out of the way quickly. I had a plant bolt this year, so I decided to let it go so that I could show you all how to save the seeds. Once the flower has fully developed it will lose its little petals and the little flowers will turn into little papery envelopes. This is where your seeds live! 

This flower is drying up. See the black seeds poking out?

When these little envelopes start to dry up, it is time to trim your flower and bring it inside to finish drying.

My onion flower, drying in a paper bag

Snip it off the plant and put it into a brown paper bag to finish drying. Mine took a few weeks to dry out completely.

Smashed flower, showing black onion seeds.

Once it is completely dry, smash it all up!  The seeds will be big enough that you can pick them out easily from the chaff.

All my little onion seeds!

Put your little onion seeds in a zip top bag or envelope and put it away for next year! 

Saving Melon Seeds

 I wanted to purchase some fruit to chop up and freeze for smoothies, and this little melon was one of my selections! I figured, after I brought it home, that it would also afford me the opportunity to show you how to save melon seeds. As discussed in my Finding Seeds to Plant post, watermelon seeds are pretty easy to save. Eat the watermelon, spit out the seeds, wash them and let them dry. Other types of melon are pretty dang easy, too! Most melons resemble squash and pumpkins in how their seeds are situated, so you just need to scrape out their "guts" to get to the seeds! First off, gather together your tools: a cutting board, a sharp knife, a spoon, a mesh sieve, a small bowl, and some paper towels.




Cut your melon in half, then use your spoon to scrape out the guts. After I scraped out my melon I put my guts into a bowl and used my spoon to separate the seeds from the guts.







I peeled and chopped up the fruit, putting the fruit in the freezer and flinging the rinds out for the animals to eat. The chickens peck the fruit off, then the goats eat the rinds. The ducks are clueless about food flung out the door. They do not realize what they are missing out on.

Once you have your seeds and guts thoroughly separated (it's okay if a little fruit matter gets in) put them into your sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Make sure you rinse away all of the sugar and pick out any remnants of the guts. A sticky seed is an unhappy seed, and may turn into a rotten seed.









Lay your newly washed seeds out on some paper towels and allow them to dry completely. Store in an envelope or zip top bag to plant next year. I always mark my seed receptacle with the date, and the type of seed, so that there is no confusion on what it is or how long it will last.

Saving Seeds from Peppers

If you've got a good looking pepper, and you'd like to grow more of the same, I will show you how to save the seeds to plant in your garden!

What you will need:

• Good looking pepper
• Sharp paring knife
• Cutting board (optional)
• Fine mesh strainer or seive
• Paper towels

First, if you have a bell pepper, cut all the way around the stem and lift to remove. If using a chile pepper or similarly shaped pepper, cut off the top and slice in half length-wise. Use your thumb to scrape off the seeds and collect them in the mesh strainer, discarding any bits of membrane that may come off with the seeds. If you are using hot peppers, be sure to wear gloves during your seed-retrieval endeavor.

Rinse your seeds thoroughly in the mesh strainer under running water.

Spread the seeds out on paper towels and let them dry for a few days. Put your seeds in an envelope or zip top bag, label, date and put away in a cool, dark place to be planted next year!