Vegetable interbreeding?

[Black Forest Dan]

Hi all,

I know some of you are growing multiple different varieties of vegetables, well, have you ever had any problems with plants cross-fertilising? Or are the little darlings clever enough to work out who's who on the pollination front even when they share a bed? Will they only breed when they're both wearing the same pair of genes? ;)

Have you any experience on which plants are most prone to cross-breeding, and has it ever been a disadvantage / problem? I've got a couple of different courgettes and two pumpkins which I will be planting out in the same part of the garden soon - what happens if you experiment and use male flowers from a yellow courgette plant to pollinate a female flower from a green courgette for example? Or even between related plant types, like courgette with pumpkin, does the male pollen have any effect in the wrong female flower?

Dan.

[Black Forest Dan]

[Diana]

Pumkins, courgette, squash etc freely interbreed.

All it means is they won't come true to type, but the only thing to do is try. You may loose one quality breed into something only to gain something you prefer (colour, size, flavour)

Beans also freely interbreed. I think a lot of things will, but only within their own family - i.e. I don't think a bean will breed with a squash to make a 3lb orange bean pod ;D

[BAGGY]

Would that make it a squean ? :-\