Squash Crossin (NOT!)

I'm assuming here that you want to save seeds for the coming years and that's why you don't want them to cross. How about a little more info on which squash you are planting, since some will not ever cross anyway.

A frequently asked, and confusing question Hothead.
the family Cucurbitaceae has 4 species
Some will cross with each other, others, will not.
ALL WILL CROSS WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE SPECIES.
_{(And No...Pumpkins and squash will not cross-pollinate with cucumbers or watermelons)}


Cucurbitaceae Species:
Pepo (C.Pepo)
WILL CROSS WITH... C. moschata, C. mixta
WILL NOT CROSS WITH....
C. maxima

Species:
C. maxima
Will ONLY Cross with... C. moschata
WILL NOT CROSS WITH ANY OTHER SPECIES OF CUCURBITA


Species:
C. mixta
WILL CROSS WITH... C. moschata, C. pepo
WILL NOT CROSS WITH.... C. maxima

Species:
C. moschata
WILL CROSS WITH...C. maxima, C. mixta, C. pepo


Some common varieties of each Species:

C.Pepo
Casserta, Cocozefle, Connecticut Field, Delicata, Early Prolific Straightneck, English Marrow, Golden Custard, Orange Gourd, Pea, Gourd, Small Sugar, Table Queen or Acorn, Tours, Tricolor Spoon Gourd, Uconn, White Bush Scallop, Winter Luxury, Yellow Crookneck, and Zucchini.


C. moschata: Alagold, Butternut, Calhoun, Chirimen, Dickinson Field, Golden Winter Crookneck, Kentucky Field, Large Cheese, Sugar Marvel, and Turkish Honey.

C. mixta: Green Striped Cushaw, Japanese Pie, Silverseed Gourd, Tennessee Sweet Potato, and White Cushaw

C. maxima: Banana, Boston Marrow, But-tercup, Delicious, French Turban, Hubbard (all types), Mammoth, Mammoth Chili, Marblehead, and Olive.

So lets say you want to raise a Butternut squash and a Delicata...
Isolation, by either mechanical means, or distance, is the only sure fire method to assure you have pure seed Hothead.

distance, for the average gardener is not an option...and even if it is an option...
It should be mentioned here that the PRIMARY POLLINATOR of squash varieties is INSECTS..Bee's for the most part, so this is the question:
How far do Bees travel for nectar..

So, mechanical means...
reemay, cloth, someway to cover the flower after YOU hand pollinate the female blossom

Cucurbit flowers open shortly after sunrise. Honeybee activity closely coincides with the period when the flower is open. So your visit to pollinate said flower, needs to be timed to beat the bugz...
then cover the flower, draw the petals up and tie them with twine, cover with a small sack, cup, etc. over the flower....

Something to think about:
How can you be sure any cocurbit seed you get is pure when they are grown COMMERCIALLY by the Hundreds of acres, down the road from a variety that they WILL cross with?

Hothead, a lot of folks make sure the flowers are pollinated by hand, then bag them for a while so they can't get other pollen. MARK THEM WELL with something that will last the season thru watering, weather etc. Once they are growing squash, remove the bag of course. Let these marked squash go all the way to maturity, each one has a ton of seed.