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| Looking for Squash Blossoms (Flor de Calabaza) and Epazote.
I provided a link with pics of both. Let me know if u got some!! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Pics
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by rqeversole none (roberteversole@gmail.com) on Wed, Jan 18, 12 at 1:25
| Squash blossoms are just the flower of any variety squash plant. You can also eat the blossoms of cucumbers as well. It isn't a specific variety though. Just remember, if you eat your blossoms, you don't get actual fruit, so you should plant extras. Most people choose an early maturing summer variety for blossoms, and you will need to make multiple plantings to ensure a ready supply. Good Luck! |
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| I read just today ,eat the male flowers,the females will still produce .just don't rob all of them or you can hand pollinate |
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- Posted by rqeversole none (roberteversole@gmail.com) on Wed, Jan 18, 12 at 2:48
| Yeah, you can do that as well. It's just usually easier to plant a few extra that you don't eat the blossoms from. The male flowers usually show up about 2 weeks before the females so that bees can discover the new flowers, that way by the time their are females they will be visiting the plant regularly already, thus ensuring pollination. If you eat all the males first, the bees never know about them, thus diminishing pollination drastically. Hand pollination is the only way to go if you pick the males. And what a pain that is...hand pollinating squash is an itchy and time consuming process. After the 15th-20th plant I would rather just go without! |
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| Thanks for the advice guys, I am new to gardening, a total newbie. How do I make the distinction btw males and females? Thanks again!! |
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- Posted by rqeversole none (roberteversole@gmail.com) on Wed, Jan 18, 12 at 12:53
| Males and Females: Very easy to do. The first thing is that the males come out about 2 weeks before the females, so study those that open first, there is almost a 99% chance they are males. Now, a little anatomy lesson....simply look at the base of the flower, if it is smooth into the stem, it is a male. A female flower has an ovary just below the flower, before attaching to the stem. This is the actual fruit (squash, cucumber, watermelon all look this way). It looks like a little bump between the stem and the flower. If the flower is fertilized, the flower portion will fall off and the ovary will develop into your fruit. Hand pollination: Find a male flower, and break it off the plant. Rip the "flower" off (this is the decorative petals, leave the interior intact). Use what is left like a paintbrush, and "paint" the pollen (already on it) onto this females. What kind of squash are you looking for? Robert |
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- Posted by seedmoney 8A (seedmoney@embarqmail.com) on Wed, Jan 18, 12 at 13:05
| Luis- I have Epazote seeds to share--shoot me your addy and I'll drop it in the mail for you. |
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| Thanks Robert! Now I get it! I am too new to this so I don't really know which kind of squash I am looking for, I wouldn't know the name anyways.. I only want the squash for the flowers mainly, if there is a Mexican type/kind of squash I would definitely want that. I would assume all squashes have flowers?? All I know, it looks like pic I added to the link below. Hoping it helps. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Squash
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- Posted by starflier79 7a (My Page) on Wed, Jan 18, 12 at 23:10
| If you just want the blossoms, I would just find a summer squash that is very prolific. I grew Black Beauty Zuchinni and Early Proloific Straightneck and had plenty of male blossoms to eat and to pollinate. Like they said the male and female blossoms are easy to tell apart once you know what you are looking at. The male blossoms have a long stem. The link below shows what the two blossoms look like. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Male and Female Squash Blossoms
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| Here are my 2 cents,if i was you I'll grow tatume squash for the blossoms and the tender squash is very easy to grow bugs don't care for it and it has the fattest juiciest blossoms and the squash is very tasty too(available @ baker creek)I have a couple of seeds but they are 2 years old so not sure if they still good,I also have grown all kind of dif. varieties of squash and the flavor is very dif. it does not compare to the one you are lookig for:for quesadillas or stuffing;the Curcubitas pepo type will produce tender yummy summer squash that if you leave them too long on the plant will harden and become "winter squash" so you get 2 in 1,johnny's seeds have epazote and the elongated variety you want i belive is call "magda":)happy gardening! |
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