Can crush cross-pollination with cucumbers

There is an old wives’ tale that says if you plan to grow pumpkins and cucumbers in the same garden, you should plant them as far apart as possible. The reason for this is that if you plant these two types of vines next to each other, they will pollinate each other, which will produce a strange fruit that will look like nothing edible.

There are so many lies in this old wives’ tale that it’s hard to know where to start to disprove them.

Pumpkin and cucumber are unrelated

Let’s start with the basic idea that pumpkin and cucumber plants can fertilize each other. This is absolutely, undeniably not true. Zucchini and cucumbers cannot cross-pollinate. Indeed, the genetic structure of the two plants is very different; it is not possible, unless laboratory intervention is carried out, for them to reproduce by cross-pollination. Yes, the plants may look somewhat similar, but they are not really similar. Think of it as

to raise a dog and a cat. They both have four legs, a tail and are both pets, but no matter how hard you try, you won’t get a dog-cat.

While a pumpkin and a cucumber cannot pollinate each other, a pumpkin and a cucumber can. A pumpkin could very well be pollinated with a zucchini, or a hubbard pumpkin could be pollinated with an acorn pumpkin. This is more of a cross between a Labrador and a Golden Retriever. This is quite possible because although the fruits of the plant may look different, they are from the same species.

This year’s fruits are not affected

Which brings us to the next error in the wives’ story. It is that the cross will affect the fruits that grow in the current year. This is not true. If two plants are crossed for pollination, you won’t know unless you try to grow the seeds of the affected plant.

This means that unless you intend to save the seeds of your pumpkin plants, you will not know if your pumpkin plants are cross-pollinated. Cross-pollination has no effect on the taste or shape of the fruit of the plant itself. If you want to save the seeds of your vegetable plants, you can see the effects of cross-pollination the following year. If you plant the seeds of a zucchini that has been cross-pollinated, you could end up with a green or white zucchini or literally a million other combinations, depending on which zucchini it has been cross-pollinated with.

For an amateur gardener, that’s probably not a bad thing. This accidental surprise can be a fun addition to the garden.

But, if you’re worried about cross-pollination between your pumpkins because you intend to harvest the seeds, then you’ll probably have to plant them far away from each other. But, rest assured that your cucumbers and pumpkins are perfectly safe if you leave them in your flowerbeds unescorted.