Squash - zucchini question

[sissy]

Has anyone ever had a zucchini cross pollinate with a squash & produce in the same season?:confused: I thought that if they crossed that it would be the next year from planting the seeds.:rolleyes:
Any way I have a funky looking squash with a light cream green color. Kind of fascinating. :D All the other squash look normal. And no I did not do it. I guess the bees did it.:sarcastic: Please let me know it you have ever seen this.
Thanks,
Sissy

[NCLee]

I've seen yellow squash with a green cast to them when we didn't have any zukes planted. May be something way back in their genetic past or simply the amount of light received down under those big squash leaves. Never known for sure what causes it.

Lee

[tomato204]

It can't happen. What most likely happened is you have a seed of some other kind of squash that was included in your seeds or a mutation. Pollination only affects the seeds that will make squash the next year.

[sissy]

http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg437/AFIOOL/strange/Dscn3142-1.jpg

Both squash are on the same plant. (Made a mistake not same plant)
What do you think?
I think it is strange & neat.
Do you think it would be safe to eat it?
Thanks,
Sissy http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/vb/%3Ca%20href=%22http://s542.p

[NCLee]

Sissy, not wanting to argue with anyone, but that sure looks like 2 different plants in the same hill. Could be just the angle of the pix. The thing that makes me question it is that squash appear along the stem of the plant. The distance between the 2 in the pix seem to be fairly far apart.

IMHO.....
And, if, it is indeed the same plant, I don't see any reason for not eating it. Think about all the color variations in heirloom tomatoes. All the way from deep purple to those that are still green when fully ripe. I wouldn't hestitate eating a tomato that varied in color, as long as there's no indication of disease in the plant.

Just my 2-cents, this morning.
Lee

[DM]

Has anyone ever had a zucchini cross pollinate with a squash & produce in the same season?:confused: I thought that if they crossed that it would be the next year from planting the seeds.:rolleyes:
Any way I have a funky looking squash with a light cream green color. Kind of fascinating. :D All the other squash look normal. And no I did not do it. I guess the bees did it.:sarcastic: Please let me know it you have ever seen this.
Thanks,
Sissy


Yes, it's quite common with zucchini. It cross' with quite easily with squash... At least, i've seen zuks planted near squash that ended up with something different than the parent plants in the same year... I don't know how it happens, but it happens too often for it to be uncommon.

DM

[sissy]

NCLee, You are right I just took a closer look. It is two plants side by side. I'll have to watch & see what the next squash looks like from that plant. I do know that is the first one that looks like that. Sorry for the mislead, to early when I took the pic to pay attention.
Thanks, Sissy


DM the squash & zuc's are planted close

[NCLee]

Sissy, not to worry. :) It's an interesting thread, and you're getting closer to solving the mystery. That's the main thing.

Lee

[fancyfowl]

probably some type of hybrid and you get reversion from some seed now and then. Nothing wrong with the fruits, eat em up. There is much hybridizing going on to make new bicolored and yellow squashes as well as different shapes and color shades. Cross breeding can not effect this years fruit as the seed is what contains the gentic potential and it must be planted to make fruit.

[Mom5farmboys]

Quite a few years ago I planted pumpkin and watermelon close together in the garden. When I went to harvest pumpkins in the fall the insides looked just like a watermelon, very fiberous with the seeds embedded in the flesh. I didn't eat them because they seemed too strange. The watermelons weren't affected at all though.

Ever since then I am careful to put space in between all my squash, melons, and cucumbers.