Hi, not sure if this is right area - I have just finished a pumpkin and wondered if it is possible to save the seeds to plant for next year. If it is possible, what is the best way to dry and store them - any advice would be appreciated.

Hi Julie
Yes it is possible, spread the seeds on a sheet of news paper to dry in a warm room for a few days,when dry put in a paper bag store in a container in the salad draw of the fridge.
dont forget to label them.

thanks for this info - will try this and see how many come up - isn't it too cold in the fridge?

No its not too cold, its the best place to store seeds, i keep all my seeds in the fridge in an airtight box.

Hello Julie
I would simply dry the seeds off slowly and store them in a paper bag somewhere cool and dry. They should germinate well next year.
Cucurbits are incredibly promiscuous though so what you get growing next year from your seed might be quite different from the parent plants. It'll depend on what other varieties you had growing nearby.

John

Hi Julie,
I feel that John is perfectly right in all he has said.
I do not consider it to be correct to store seeds for prolonged periods in a Refrigerator Salad Draw.
I appreciate that a lot of people agree with Walt and I have read articles that advocate Walts advice.
My seeds are kept in individual airtight containers which also contain a Slica Gel Capsule.
If the Pumpkin that you are talking about is an F1 variety then perhaps it would be not wise to save the seed at all. As John says the whole Curcubit family are notoriously promiscuous and depending what other Curcubits were growing in the vacinity as to the chances of them not breeding true.
My seeds are stored in the coolest part of the house and I have been storing them there for the last 30 years without any problems. I do hope this does not confuse you.

I wouldn't save any cucurbit seeds, F1 or otherwise. Runner beans and tomatoes are a different matter. Treat yourself to a new packet and be sure of what you will get.

You might also like to think about saving them for eating, rather than buying them from the health food shop. They are delicious in a salad after frying them slightly in olive oil!

Best wishes,

Mike T

PS I wash them before drying as they are rather sticky.

Yes, this past summer I grew what I thought would be some wonderful pumpkins from saved seed (grown near all sorts of other curcurbits) and the result was a cross between a pumpkin and a courgette - a tall pumpkin that wouldn't stand on end! Although I have lots of saved seed from squashes, pumpkins and courgettes (all grown adjacent to one another on the allotment) I now have to chuck them all! Oh well. Promiscuous is a description I now understand first-hand!

To eat the pumpkin seeds don't you have to have grown a special hull-less variety?
Carole.

Hi, depends on how picky you are. If the seeds are average size or small, try roasting some (with sunflower oil and a little curry, for instance) and see if you enjoy eating them. Some people, however, prefer tender kernels and wouldn't eat any with the hulls intact. I personally wouldn't bother trying to roast huge seeds with their hulls.