Does anyone know if my hubby plants 2 different types of cantaloupes in the same garden will they cross? I told him I think they will and he disagrees. Who is right?
I think that they more than likely will. You can see that in corn. If you plant two sorts in the same patch they often give you cobs of mixed kernel sorts. I once received some pattypan seeds from a fellow gardner, it produced fruits but they were in-edible because they had crossed with some other things like "Turkish Turbands". The question is: will planting two different sorts in the same garden make a difference in the taste? I would hazard the guess that it would not, however the seeds from the crossed fruits might give you something unusual the next season, if you plan them. Bottom line is I think that you are right about cross-pollinating, but will that make any difference with the flavour of fruits that you will get this year. That's something I simply don't know.
I betcha you're right If the bees pollinate one melon they don't know the difference in the other melons. Or do they? Deanna
i agree that they will cross pollinate for any seeds you save from the fruit. they suggest that one plants the different melon varieties at least a half a mile apart. but, if one wants to save seeds for the next year, they can do a couple of things. one is to plant the varieties so that they blossom at different times, not at the same time. another is to hand pollinate each of the female flowers and bag them till they start fruiting. another way is to make like boxes around the plants you wish to save seed from with reemay cloth.
Even if the melons cross-pollinate, you wouldn't know until you planted the saved seed. Then next seasons fruit might be "strange". If you have say 2 cantaloupe crossing, you might not notice. Bunkie is correct about hand pollinating. Melons will not only cross with other melons. They can interbreed with other members in the Curcubit family-cukes, zucchini, pumpkins/squash and gourds. They cannot cross with Birdhouse gourd. It is a totally different family (Lagenaria). Plus they bloom at different times of the day. Lagenarias are night blooming. They do not depend on bees for pollination.
