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#309252 Mar 5th, 2010 at 01:03 PM
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Earth Offline OP
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I have a problem.

I plan this year for the first time, to grows squash, cantaloupe, watermelons, and pumpkins. I have been to several different garden stores and have been told that squash plants can not be grown with cantaloupes because they cross pollinate and create bitter cantaloupes while other stores tell me pumpkins and cantaloupes can not be grown together because they too can cross pollinate causing bitter cantaloupe.

I have so far found room for the squash and watermelon on another side of my garden but if I grow cantaloupes and pumpkins together in the same patch, will it affect the taste of the cantaloupe or the pumpkin?

The cantaloupe will be the Hearts of Gold type and the pumpkin is the Sugar Pumpkin.


Thanks


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Well I always thought that a squash couldn't pollinate a cucumber or melon...I also thought that the result of cross-pollination is only seen if one saved the seed from the affected plant for next years use...

Now you've got me curious also. lol

..but I have heard that cantelopes and watermelons can't cross-pollinate because they are a different genus.


Earth, I am open to a great discussion on this...any takers with us?


~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
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Yeah. I thought the same until I started asking around. I tend to buy my seeds at farms and farmers markets during the year and was told similar things by a few home farmers and commercial farmers that it happens. Though I was thinking maybe its specific types that tend to cross pollinate.

I am a Morning Glory fanatic, at the most enjoyable part about growing Morning Glories are how different types of morning glories cross pollinate or mutate to create exciting and unique types of flowers. So the idea of some sort of cross pollinating occurring between squash or melons or pumpkins seemed credible.


For now I already started germinating the seedlings and still plan to plant them together. I'm doing a raised bed of four pumpkin and four cantaloupe plants. I'm hoping all goes well. But if anyone can chime in and have any information on this it would be appreciated.


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It is okay to plant pumpkin and cantaloupe next to each other.You can also plant watermelon next to cantaloupe. Just don't plant winter squash(e.g. pumpkins,butternut squash) next to summer squash(zucchini,etc.)or cantaloupe next to honeydew. They will cross pollinate and you will end up with some weird looking squash and melons.


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Thanks, emde

I'm very happy to hear this. I was worried I would have to reconfigure my whole garden plan.


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