It all started with my interest in the Master Gardener Heritage Seed Library. Since becoming a Master Gardener in 2019, I had yet to take Master Gardener Phyllis Pugnetti's seed saving class. This was my year. There's so much information and so many seeds to choose from! I was fired up!
After taking the foundational class, participants become members of the Seed Library. They receive free open-pollinated vegetable seeds and can return seeds from plants they grow in their own gardens to the library. I had good success growing melons last year, so I brought home several bags of Model Melon, Honey Rock Melon, and Hale's Best Jumbo Melon seeds. I also purchased several bags of Butternut and Acorn Table Queen Squash seeds. I'm already salivating in anticipation of what's to come in late August.
I have planned where I will plant things in my garden, trust me, I have the space.
This spring I volunteered with the vegetable team, working with experienced mentors to plant thousands of vegetable seedlings for the Master Gardener Plant Sale in May. Following their lead, I planted my seeds at about the same time they did. I have a great new heated “She Shop,” so I spread out the seed trays on the counter under the east window. Two trays were heated at the bottom with two heat mats. Within a few days, all 12 butternut squash seeds sprouted. Then… nothing happened.
Finally, a few acorn squash seeds sprouted, then a few Hales Best melons. And then… nothing happened again. My heart sank. I discussed my situation with my vegetable team leader and we agreed that since it had been at least 10 days since I planted them, the seeds were most likely rotten. My timing was good, so all was not lost yet. On the first day of the Master Gardener Sale, I bought a few seedlings of each melon variety and acorn squash. Even a few seedlings are better than none at all. I brought the seedlings home to acclimate and waited until mid-May, after the last frost, to plant them.
Imagine my surprise, delight, and dismay when the previously ungerminated seeds in my store began to sprout! Wow! I now had at least a dozen seedlings of each variety of melon and pumpkin. I set up two cattle fences for the smaller varieties and prepared hills of soil for the larger varieties.
Then, as I was getting ready to plant, my loving, caring husband mentioned how he had tried to grow pumpkins and cantaloupes as a child but “never got anywhere.” He casually remarked, “Isn't there some reason why you can't grow pumpkins and cantaloupes together?”
Oh no. That might be something.
I got out my reference book and learned that with these crops, if the species names are the same, you shouldn't plant them near each other, especially if you intend to save the seeds. This year's crop will be unaffected, and the pumpkins and melons will grow to seed. Next year's seeds will be unpredictable hybrids. I started looking up the species names of pumpkins and melons on my iPad. They were the same. I was down the rabbit hole.
Two hours later, I rearranged my plantings. Luckily, Phyllis was teaching a class at the West Valley Food Garden that week, so I was able to check the facts with her. I mainly wanted to know how far apart I should leave different varieties when planting them. I was a bit surprised when the answer was 100 feet. Oh no. I don't have that much space.
Phyllis made peace with me by encouraging me to plant all the seedlings and enjoy the harvest, but not to donate the seeds to the library. She also admitted that she had had some problems with germination this year and thought that perhaps the seeds I planted were older than optimal.
So I set off with my head held high and ready to plant.
So I planted them. I felt such a sense of accomplishment. And such a sense of defeat when I went into the garden the next day to find my Model Melon and Honey Rock Melon plants had been drilled into, uprooted and flattened by adorable little quail parents. The melon plants were all lying flat in the dirt, shriveled beyond recovery. I loved the quail.
I still have lots of butternut squash, Hale's Best jumbo melon and a few other varieties I bought at the plant sale that are getting established.
Now, if only we could keep the pumpkin bugs away.
• If you have any gardening questions, contact the Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1604 or email gardener@co.yakima.wa.us.
