volunteer squash plant with no girl flowers

[mom2cassie]

I have an odd question... is it possible to have a "sterile" volunteer squash plant? We had one volunteer squash plant. I decided to let it grow. And, well, now it is starting to take over! LOL But so far, after about a week or so of blooms, only boy blooms. And I don't even see any potential girl blooms even starting yet.

Based on the fact that it is a long vine, I'm assuming it is a winter squash. Is this normal or should I rip it out? Any other thoughts?

TIA!

[DoubleDogFarm]

My first thought is always, why take up space with a unknown. Your squash most likely cross pollinated with another squash. Also a hybrid may have been in the equation.

[applestar]

Oh, where's your sense of adventure!? I have,... let's see... 3 volunteer curcurbits and 4 unknowns that are most likely decorative small gourds, in addition to intentionally planted pumpkins, squashes, melons, and cucumbers.

Only thing I do is to only allow the volunteers to grow *away* from ones that I'll want to save seeds. They are subject to review and removal if they take up too much space.

Oh, and my response to the girl flower question is that generally, boy flowers seem to appear first for about 1 week (10~15 flowers) before the girl flowers. Only exception in my experience so far is with this year's Yellow Crookneck squash -- first 3 flowers were girls.

[jal_ut]

What apple said. Give it some time.

Volunteer squash are always a mystery unless its Butternut. I personally treat them like weeds, Its up to you.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Oh, where's your sense of adventure!?

Well it's hard to sell adventure at the Farmers market, even with a pretty bow. I'm growing Chocolate Cherry tomato plants. When a customer ask whats that I show them a picture out of the catalog and I quote " that doesn't look like a tomato" or " my grandson won't eat that".

Eric

[applestar]

Cut them into little 1/4 wedges with toothpicks stuck in them and offer "free taste" Do this when you have a crowd - some one will try it. All you need is one customer to say "That is GOOD!" with a -- You will have more customers asking to taste, and to buy. Save your best ones for the free tasting.

Seems to me if they're rogue curcurbits,, you could always just let them mature and sell them as carving pumpkins and unusual decorations....?

If they taste good, then, great! Keep those separate as pie pumpkins and offer a recipe sheet.

Last year at one of my favorite garden centers, they were selling the most unusual looking gourds, some huge bat-like warty ones, by the pound. They set up the squash tent with a large sliding weight scale.

[mom2cassie]

Thanks all! I'll give it a bit longer, although I was looking at it today, and it's starting to create about 5 more offshoots on the sides and is rapidly heading towards the tomatoes... so I might have to extract it for sheer size! We'll see... Right now, the main runner is about 15 feet! But I was really curious about what it becomes!

Oh, and jal_ut, I have a question -- how can you tell butternut from the rest? And why do you specifically weed them out?

And speaking of mysteries, that reminds me. I wanted to post pictures of my cherry tomatoes for the same reason. I have a suspicion there might have been a mix of seeds in the bag! LOL But that might better be placed in the tomato forum.

Thanks again!

[garden5]

I think what Jal meant about the squash is that he treats all volunteers as weeds since, as another poster said, he doesn't want anything taking up space that he doesn't know what it is.

For the part about the volunteers being a mystery except for butternut, I'm really not sure.

[gixxerific]

Cut them into little 1/4 wedges with toothpicks stuck in them and offer "free taste" Do this when you have a crowd - some one will try it. All you need is one customer to say "That is GOOD!" with a -- You will have more customers asking to taste, and to buy. Save your best ones for the free tasting.

Great idea I'm growing black cherry and they are, well unbelievably good but most would say "that doesn't look edible to me". Even my wife can't get enough of them.

As far as the volunteer that is up to you. As DD said it could very well have been cross pollinated so or a hybrid so who knows what this years crop will bring. Possibly the next "Best Of Show" maybe a dud. I have a few myself going and I'm letting my crazy side take hold and let them go. You never know what you might get.

And the male blooms can go on for a while, I waited a LONG time last year for my watermelon to actually start producing female flowers. You know how women are they take forever to do anything.

[jal_ut]

Oh, and jal_ut, I have a question -- how can you tell butternut from the rest? And why do you specifically weed them out?

I am sorry, you misunderstood what I meant. Butternut squash is of a different species than pumpkins and most winter squash. It is the only one that won't cross pollinate with the others and will come true to form. It is the only one I would keep. No way to tell on volunteers, but if you keep seed from a butternut it will be a butternut next year.

[TZ -OH6]

Squashes tend to put out male flowers first so that the small plant doesn't have to deal with the stress of growing a large fruit. It is better to pollinate than to be pollinated if you want to get as many genes as possible into the next generation.