Seeds from melons

Last year I saved seeds from some very tasty little tomatoes bought from Morrisons called 'dolce rosso'. The resulting tomatos were delicious and I shall do the same next year.

I was wondering if I could do the same with melons as the seeds are expensive with my failure rate! Does anyone know if the seeds will be true to the parent as the tomatos are?

 

I've tried that before, Liz, but I never got them to the stage of fruiting, so I'd like to know the answer too!

 

The melons that you buy in supermarkets are grown in warm countries with long hot summers.
I've got an idea that the melon seed that you buy in the UK is considered more suitable for our short summers.
But who knows, it might work, gotta say I have tried on one or two occasions with supermarket water melon, but ran out of summer every time. :D

 

This summer my single survivng melon plant finally developed a fruit in september!
I'll try again next year, and try seeds from both sources. :rolleyes:

 

I hope this isn't too off the subject of seeds, but does anyone know whether it is okay to bring seeds back from the states? I have heard that it is worth bringing some back but don't want to get stopped at customs!

 

Most of us have brought seeds (and cuttings) back from abroad although it is now illegal. Camera cases are a favourite place for a few seeds or just a pocket.

 

Did not think it was illegal to bring seeds from abroad, unless you are talking about something like sweet peas. You are quite at liberty to bring seeds back from the states. I have been posted seeds from all over the world. If customs tried to impound then they would get short thrift from me, cause there is nothing illegal in that.
Cuttings and plants I would not bring in. You could easily carry in a new disease or even a new insect pest without realising it. They do have quite strict regulations on importing vegetative material and quite rightly so.

 

I'm not 100% sure but I think the customs have a different approach to seeds you collect yourself and commercial seed in packets.
If the seed is wild collected you could be in more trouble, especilly if it turns out to be an endangered plant.
I think you need a licence for any quantity, probably DEFRA is the place to ask.

 

I am an endangered plant Pete.
I have brought seeds from abroad many times and lots of people bring them in too, if they get confiscated so be it, its a chance you take.If the plant was diseased I wouldnt' touch it.seeds should be taken from healthy plants.

 

I think they might possibly think the seed was something yoiu could.....smoke.
There is not really a worry about seed from endangered species. In fact it is one way of preserving the species. eg look at the echiums that are endangered in the Canaries but there loads of specimums around the world of some of those species and seed is being collected from those specimums. It was not seed collecting that wiped them out. The same applies to hardy cyclamen. It is the harvesting and sale of the tubers that are endangering the wild populations. The growing of tubers from seed which is so easy and better will help preserve those wild populations hopefully. Careful collection of wild cyclamen seed recognises the many different forms and means that horticulturalists have a strong interest in preserving the wild forms with their genetic diversity.
I have never heard of any restrictions on wild collected seed. Chris Chadwell, Plant World seeds of Devon and Chilterns seeds would have great difficulty if there were such restrictions. The US has tried to control seed imports but that was because they were worried about importing species that could be invasive...but that was concerned with importation into the states.
I have received wild collected seed from many countries including the states and I would get very angry if somebody tried to put restrictions on it. It is part of our horticultural heritage and the reason why British gardens are so horticulturally rich.

 

http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/msbp/msbfaq/msb_a14.html

Found this from Kew.
I know we've all done it, but was interested on what the official line is.

 

to be quite honest Pete I cannot see myself going into the jungles of SriLanka if there is any left that is and nicking rare plant seeds.If I was in my teens or in my gap year I most likely would have done.we do have many rare orchids and rare exotic flowers.it has been known some people have died trying to get seeds from the jungle.

 

I meant we've all brought seeds back, I didn't mean trekked through the jungle looking for rareities. :D

 

Chance would be a fine thing! :D I can just see us all doing that...... :rolleyes: Particularly me with my splint....

 

It is still more common to hear of people getting caught trying to bring in plants. Some years ago the owner of one of the big bulb firms got caught trying to smuggle in a rare, wild collected orchid. I don't think most of what you would find is going to bring the law down upon you...unless you do go looking for really rare orchid seeds.
What i cannot understand is why millions of bulbs are wild collected, shipped across international boundaries and sold every summmer in Northern Europe. I thought that was supposed to be against Cites because the wild habitat is just getting stripped. Just look at all the hardy cyclamen corms you see clogging up the stalls and garden centres every summer, and most won't grow decently. Yet they are so easy to grow from seed so there is no need for it.