How to Dry Giant Pumpkin Seeds for Germination
Saving seed from a giant pumpkin is similar to saving the seed of any pumpkin. The trick with a giant pumpkin is ensuring you're saving seed from an open pollinated, non-hybrid giant pumpkin. If the pumpkin is a hybrid, the offspring of the seed may not resemble the parent plant--in the case of a giant pumpkin, what you grow may not be a giant. In other instances, hybrid seed will not germinate. If you're sure you're working with a giant pumpkin that is non-hybrid, it's simple to save, dry and store the seed for spring planting. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Select a healthy giant pumpkin that is growing on a healthy plant. Ensure that the pumpkin is the result of open pollination and is not a hybrid variety. It's best to save the seed of two or three pumpkins if possible.
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Cut the pumpkin in half and extract the seeds. It may be necessary to use a small saw to cut through the thick rind of a giant pumpkin. Letting the pumpkin stay in the field until it is past normal maturity will make it easier to cut through the rind.
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Place the seeds in a colander and run lukewarm water through the colander to clean the seeds. Skim any debris left in the colander off the seeds.
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4
Spread the seeds in pie pans to dry.
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Stir the seeds several times a day for the first few days, turning them over as you stir.
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Place the seeds in a cool dry location to continue drying for at least a month.
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Test whether your seeds are dry by trying to bend one of the giant pumpkin seeds in half. If the seed is dry, it will snap. If it is not dry, it will bend.
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Place the seeds in a paper bag when they are completely dry.
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Place the bag of pumpkin seeds in the bottom of the refrigerator until time for spring planting.
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Tips & Warnings
Some gardeners put their giant pumpkin seeds in the freezer for a couple weeks before sowing.
Pumpkins will cross-pollinate easily, which means that the seeds you save from your giant pumpkin may not produce fruit that is similar to the parent plant. To avoid this, you can hand pollinate a few flowers to ensure that the pumpkins from which you are saving seed will be true to their giant heritage.
References
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Comments
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Here's how to save the seeds from the big boy we carved up at the Moose Lodge last night!
