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Omaha, Nebraska

I'm sure it's been discussed here before, but I can't track it down: is there anything to saving seeds beyond rinsing them off well and letting them dry?

I harvested the small one of my four today to eat (89 pounds on the bathroom scale -- about 1/3 of it didn't pollinate well, so it had a weird shape). I've never tried growing Carolina Cross before this year and wanted to be able to answer all my friends who ask "but can you eat it?" and understand my big one will probably be overripe next month at weigh-off time. So now I know that yes it's tasty, but more fibrous than the grocery store melons. And I have 900 seeds to practice on if I can take care of them right.

9/9/2017 2:00:41 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I dry them in my closet for a few weeks,circulating them periodically.
Then I test a few.
If they germinate,I freeze them.
I've also kept them in a cigar box on the shelf in said closet.
Never had any problems.
This winter you could practice grafting !

9/9/2017 5:39:02 PM

Omaha, Nebraska

Yes, I was considering trying out grafting. This year the "experimenting" I did was just trying to get the seeds to germinate in the first place. I wasted one of my 10 "pedigreed" seeds that rotted without sprouting at all, which scared me. So I practiced on some random Carolina Cross seeds until I was confident I had it down before I tried any of the good ones.

9/9/2017 6:21:32 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I've had success with starting grafts,but I've never grown one much larger than a 2 gallon pot.
I don't have much room so I can only grow about 2 plants.
I have enough trouble with them !
My luck I'd get a personal best going and the plant would blow up.

9/9/2017 10:11:10 PM

SW Ohio

I wash mine in the colander several times with soap and water until they no longer feel slimey. Then do a final rinse with a tiny bit of bleach in the water. Spread them out on an old window screen and put a fan on them. Stir around on the screen every few days. I leave them drying for 3-4 weeks before storing.

9/10/2017 7:05:07 AM

NE Arkansas

Just harvested seeds from our 253.4 and rinse them good in a colander, on a newspaper with a fan for a few days, then into a paper box lid for a month and test a few then bagged up

9/10/2017 11:07:36 PM

Central NY

Mice Love them too... Protect them

9/11/2017 7:36:41 AM