1. If this is your first planting with known quality seeds, no chance of crossbreeding showing up. Any crossbreeding only shows up when the seeds are saved for a new generation.
2. Acorns are C. pepo and butternuts are C. moschata. I have never encountered a cross between the two either naturally or engineered.
3. While Table Queen will turn yellow/orange when fully ripe, they should be dark green until storage. Is it possible that that you have a different acorn? They come in a variety of shades and colors. The other possibilty is that you have stress on vines that results in premature aging.

I forgot to mentioned that the yellow ones were also the biggest of all of the Acorn squash I planted.

The only acorn yellow ones are exactly where they overlap with the Butternut plants.

Premature aging causes a the color to change from green to yellow?

Dean

It's definately not a crossbreed. Maybe a golden variety got mixed in with the seed pack?

I doubt it is a mixed up seed as the only yellow ones are exactly in the overlap area only, all my other non overlapped ones are dark green.

I might save a few seeds and see what I get next year.

Dean

Dean,

I'm not sure you are understanding, if these are seeds from a true packet, and not something you saved from last year, it is impossible they are a cross breed. Especially if there are two fruits which look different on the same plant. That clearly indicates stress to a certain part of the plant, which caused the yellowing of the skin.

Forget the fact that you are talking about two types of squashes that cannot be crossbred.

I doubt it is a mixed up seed as the only yellow ones are exactly in the overlap area only

As already mentioned these 2 varieties will not cross, cannot cross, and even if they could you wouldn't see it this year.

So the yellow ones you are seeing are simply a result of 1) stresses such as nutrient deficiency on that part of the plant, excess water pooling around that part of the plant, excess sun exposure, or some sort of root damage or pest affecting only that particular branch of the plant. And yes, as acorn age they turn yellow.

Or 2) if you planted multiple seeds in the hill then the there is a slim possibility that one of the seeds was from one of the yellow acorn varieties and that is the branch you are seeing.

The most likely is #1.

Save the seed if you wish and what will grow from it next year, assuming no other problems, will be green acorn squash. ;)

Dave

Dave,

Thank you for the clarification, that makes more since to me now. I still might save a couple seeds just to see what I get, but you are probably right.

thanks,
Dean

Dean, just a note about saving seeds for C. pepo. The species includes a wide range of types (zucchini, patty pan, spaghetti, hard-necked pumpkins, acorns, ornamental warted gourds). Because pumpkins & summer squashes are so popular, it is the most widely-grown of all the squashes... so it is the most likely to cross-pollinate with something grown by your neighbors. Squash flowers are outstanding pollen sources, and bees will fly great distances to feed on them.

As an example: My garden is at least 1000 feet from the nearest neighbor, so I felt safe growing squash for seed without isolation. For all but C. pepo, this has been the case. I grew bush acorns for seed two years ago, hidden within a large corn planting (to discourage borers - it helped). This year I did a mass planting of that seed, thinning down to the 18 strongest plants.

Of the 18 plants, 15 were normal. One still looked like a green acorn, but was round, not pointed. One was a semi-vining plant that bore a heavy crop of small orange acorn-like squash, also more rounded than normal (good tasting, though). The third oddity was a massive vining plant, that formed several pumpkins.

So the bottom line is... unless you hand-pollinate C. pepo squashes in urban or suburban areas, the seed is not likely to be pure. If you only save seed for yourself, this may not matter - it could even be interesting. But if you save seed to share with others, or if you really want to keep a variety pure, then isolation & hand-pollination is required.

I forgot to mention that I planted some zucchini green and yellow crookneck squash not more then 30 feet away. The Acorn color matches perfectly the yellow crookneck.

So can I assume the yellow crookneck squash crossbreed and gave color to my acorn squash?

thanks,
Dean

My butternut/acorn cross. Sorta names itself...buttercorn. https://scontent-den4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/363333704_1657409584760627_1816520998450146452_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=5AxDgKIbz4IAX_h6XjL&_nc_ht=scontent-den4-1.xx&oh=00_AfAGza_h0JDMqM-mUSPQ9Qn8r8lsVcBTckw9zZ9Bxpk0cg&oe=64C9374B