Alternate Planting

Mother Earth News, Sep/Oct 78
Alternate Planting

You can isolate closely related vegetables in time rather than space! In other words, grow only one variety of radishes (or whatever) for seed in a single season, another variety during the next growing season, etc. By alternating crops in this way, you can propagate several of your favorite strains of any individual crop with little danger of unwanted crosses originating in your garden.

Unfortunately, though, there's nothing to stop the folks down the street from growing a variety of, say, cabbage or pumpkin that is different from yours (and which insects or the wind will cross-pollinate with your strain) ... so alternate planting can be risky in cities and suburbs. Even so, it should work most of the time because people usually harvest vegetables for the table long before their plants go to seed.

Organic Gardening, Sept/Oct 1992
Squash Species
by Suzanne Ashworth

You can grow one type from each species below and still save seeds, but if you want to grow two or more varieties from a single species and successfully save the seed, you'll need to pollinate the plants by hand.

• Citrullus lantanus - Watermelon, citron
• Cucumis Melon - Muskmelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, casaba, Armenian cucumber and Asian pickling melon
• Cucumis sativus - Cucumber
• Cucurbita maxima - Banana, buttercup, Hubbard and turban squash
• Cucurbita mixta - Pumpkin, green-striped cushaw and white cushaw squash
• Cucurbita moschata - Butternut, cheese and golden cushaw squash
• Cucurbita pepo - Acorn, crook neck, scallop, spaghetti and zucchini squash; small striped and warted gourds