I was unable to continue the Seminole pumpkin breeding project I began last year for a couple of reasons.
- We sold our property in Florida and missed the spring of 2016
- Bringing seeds into our new country legally is difficult
I could have snuck some seeds in with me (as one native told me, roughly, “no one expects you’ll follow those rules! You got to stick them in your clothes, in your pockets!”) but I couldn’t in good conscience sign a piece of paper on the plane stating I wasn’t bringing in plant material while bringing in plant material.
I’m hoping to get a special permit to bring in my Seminole pumpkin seed lines but thus far have been denied because the seeds are not “professionally cleaned” and packaged. Since they’re my own line of seeds, saved right from the guts of pumpkins and spread out to dry on a kitchen countertop, they definitely aren’t professionally cleaned. I’m not sure why this is important but I assume it has to do with the potential for viruses to some into the country, which would be terrible for local farmers. I’m okay with it – eventually they may let me bring some in if I meet the right people and/or figure out a way around the issue of cleaning.
For now, I’m gathering varieties of local pumpkin from the markets as I spot them.
Pumpkins like the one I just posted on my Instagram account yesterday:
Isn’t that beautiful?
This is the pumpkin I also feature in yesterday’s video, where I talk more about my plans to breed better varieties:
When life doesn’t let you take your Seminole pumpkin breeding project with you… make lemonade!
Or something like that.
9 responses to “Back to Pumpkin Breeding”
Your new country? Where are you now? I just moved to Florida but have plans ‘in the future’ to go to Panama.
I’m at an undisclosed location in Central America. Panama is a good choice.
David,
My seminole pumpkins arent doing anything this year.last year i had a ton. this year 3 or 4 pumpkins. i did let 3 or 4 of my rabbits out of their pens so i think they are eating the young female flowers. I had emailed you few months back about the goji berri plant i bought from you several years back. said it wasnt doing well. well here it is september and it and about 3 others i rooted from it are covered in flowers. probably 100 flowers each. hpfully get some gojis this year. is it weird that it didnt flower/fruit in the spring? everyone else on the tube was posting pictures of all their gojis abck in march and april.
It probably likes the weather change! Mine often bloomed late in the year.
I don’t think this was a good year for pumpkins in Florida. I’m hearing this from a lot of people.
Just letting you know David, I cannot see the image from instagram. Good luck with your breeding program by the way. I think pumpkins are a delicious, staple food, with the potential to grow in abundance. So long as you select the right varieties. :)
I commented and the page reloaded – that’s when the image appeared. Weird looking pumpkin. I look forward to watching the video.
Thank you – and I’m glad the picture loaded.
My Seminoles haven’t done much this summer… Partly because I have a puppy helping in the garden and mostly because of the drier than norm for my area. Blossom end rot. I do have a couple to save seeds from though, and about to give up an pull the vines so I can get on with preparing for garlic… I’ve grown it in containers with moderate success but this fall trying garlic in the ground… I do have 13 Seminole pumpkins left from last summer… Just sitting in the living room. They dont taste very good now, but boy they are easy keepers! 13 months just hanging out in the living room… I dust em off once an awhile but that’s it. I did start with about 40 and ate some an some rotted… No complaints!
Our pumpkins went crazy this year. First year I’ve tried growing them, they’re in a newly established/amended garden area ripe with nutrients. They were Seminole seeds from a pumpkin I bought at the 441 market in Gville last fall. I planted 3 rows 15′ of pumpkin and corn, thinking they’d grow together. The pumpkins out-competed the corn right off the bat, and grew about 100ft radius around the 3 rows I planted. Completely took over the whole garden area. I had one vine go 20′ up a nearby dead tree, out the top, and back down to the ground. There were 2 pumpkins suspended from the ‘back down’ part, Hermine threw one into the goat pen, the other is still ripening. Probably harvesting 50+ good sized pumpkins from our 3 rows of vines.