what am i???

digitS'

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I have grown Armenian cucumbers and the picture sure doesn't look like how they started out. It has been about 7 years ago so my experience with them isn't fresh in my mind but they aren't round. They didn't do very well for me but melons seldom do.

They are a melon variety. I can imagine that they will cross with others.

It is difficult for us to know what the catalog companies do and do not. I don't believe that there are many that produce their own hybrids or even grow and process their own seed. They are involved in catalog sales and may have some trail gardens. Johnny's continues to release their own varieties and must maintain a breeding program altho' there have been some major recent changes in Johnny's ownership with the employees taking over.

Consolidation in the seed industry continues. Hybridizing has been outsourced for many years. I remember being surprised that Goldsmith Seeds had its seed growing in East Africa. Then, Syngenta bought Goldsmith. "Syngenta employs over 27,000 people in over 90 countries." Wikipedia tells us. I think that most of the seed is grown, not in Switzerland where Syngenta is based, but in China.

Alright, what does all this mean to someone with a backyard garden? Responsibility is diffused up and down the line in these multi-nationals but, as always, there are weak links. The magic in a seed isn't to be found in a corporate office somewhere. Attention has to be paid from the ground up - in fact, it needs to be focused most closely at the ground-level. Financial Affairs won't assure quality in a seed packet.

Steve
 

Ridgerunner

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I've had pretty good luck getting the seeds I order through "companies". I can't think of any screw-up I've noticed from them. Maybe an occasional green bean that has a flatter pod than it is supposed to have. Nothing really major I can remember. Those flat green bean pods would have come from a smaller seed company, not a Burpee.

I get a lot of my seeds and most of my transplants from a local mom 'n pop gardening store. Carla and Janet are great to chat with and are really helpful, even when it comes to saving my own seeds or starting them which cuts into their profits. Occasionally I notice things not exactly right. For example, I got some purple hulled peas from them this year. Those seeds are supposed to be white. There were a few brown ones mixed in. Somehow some other variety of field pea seeds got mixed in that packet that they packaged themselves. Probably from customers getting careless when they package their own bulk stuff. I can't remember any of their transplants being labeled wrong.

There is an organic guy in this area that sells transplants at various plant sales. I always get something from him just to play with. All his stuff is open pollinated, no hybrids. At least no hybrids on purpose. I occasionally get something from him that does not match the picture when I Google that variety. A couple of years ago I got a sweet pepper that was supposed to be a big red bell. It was a sweet pepper and it was red, but it was certainly not a bell. It produced a long skinny pepper. I was happy with it as far as production, though the wall was not as thick as Id have liked.

I guess my quality control issues do stem from smaller or local places, not the really big ones. But its something I can live with.
 

digitS'

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My big find a couple years ago was the 2 potato-leaf seedlings that showed up in a packet of Early Girl tomato seed.

It wouldn't surprise me if ALL the Early Girl seed comes from the same farm field somewhere. Maybe, they are grown in a greenhouse to have better control of the conditions. I mean, it isn't as tho' they need tons and tons of that seed. In fact, that was the initial hurdle for the marketing on Early Girl, now and for years the most popular US home tomato. The wholesaler didn't want to "mess with" a home garden variety since truck farms were their primary clients.

Anyway, I think that what must be very low-paid hybridizers missed a few flowers and the mother plant, self-pollinated. The mystery girls turned out to be vulnerable to foliage disease so I didn't get anything special out of it but I wonder how often something like that happens. I suggested that possibility to SweetMissDaisy and her Super Sweet 100. If we really get "down in the weeds" - some of these hybrids are going to be from lines that are totally useless to the home gardener. Only the offspring will have the valued "package" of qualities. Accidents on the ground will result in surprises in the home gardens.

I don't believe that there are any deliberate hybrids of Armenian cucumbers so, this isn't what is gong on with Major's plants. Still, isolation for the Cucurbitaceae is a big deal! They are talking about miles between fields in the grower contracts with the seed companies!!!

Wow! I may have gotten a little off-topic! I better just say that I hope Johnny's maintains its quality and I'm very much for employee ownership.

Steve
 

vfem

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They look like Tiger Melons to me!

http://flowerseeds.co.nz/tiger-melon-seeds-p-56.html

You have had a crazy year of mislabeled seeds from all over! I haven't had that issue with any of the seed companies I've used. I've traded seeds with people and got mislabeled seeds that way. You have some odd luck my friend! :)
 

MontyJ

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Yep, I have had something similar to this happen to me. Just a few years ago I bought blue lake bush beans from a local greenhouse. After planting, the soon sprouted and took over half the garden with their vines. Turns out they were pole beans :rolleyes:
 

majorcatfish

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almost forgot received a reply from johnnys thursday. it's looks like a tigger melon and they do not sell them, their best answer was a possible seed mix up at one of their suppliers and offered a refund..

oh it gets better

after having a good laugh the dw asked whats so funny explained to her...

confession time
the dw explained to me while i was down in charleston,sc she was taking the plants in and out of the house to give them sunlight,
in the evening she was bringing in the last tray and found dd cat was up on the table and pulled the 2 sticks out of the yard long and tigger
dw said she had a 50/50 shot getting them back in the right one, and since i did not say anything till now dw figured they were right.

so what i thought died in the raised bed was not the tigger but indeed it was the yard long.

oh well it is ,what it is ...........thank you everyone for your csi help.....
 

digitS'

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Ockham's Razor: Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate. More-or-less: The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

I seldom go there . . .

;)

Steve
 

Carol Dee

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digitS' said:
Ockham's Razor: Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate. More-or-less: The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

I seldom go there . . .

;)

Steve
AMEN :D
 

majorcatfish

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after a real fun day at work< just a bit of sarcasm there> today went and watered all the children. and saw this just laying there. it's one of those yard long/ tigger melons :lol:

have a early day tomorrow told the dw we will split it for lunch, and have a good laugh over it....

oh by the way i did replant the yard longs...looking to win the cucumber division :ya
 
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