Butternut squash

[flowerbug]

The Autumn Crown I mentioned is a C. moschata, like the Butternut.

I won't be taking them out of the garden until frost threatens.

It would be a sad commentary on my garden environment if I can't even get to the first day of Autumn and have a squash with that name ...

Steve

did you make it?! oh my! summer went way too fast...

our squash plants mostly finished up by now, but i'm wondering if you or anyone else has had much luck covering them through a cold snap to extend their season? it seems to me that the leaves are not super hardy and will smash down easily and it may not work well at all...

as far as nutrition goes, they probably aren't going to be the best compared to a fully vine ripened winter squash... but i'd still eat them anyways as i like squash of all seasons/types. not many i don't like.

 

[digitS']

@flowerbug , DW claimed that the Autumn Crown that we brought in to eat about 10 days ago tasted like pumpkin. My reply, "Oh, it's better than that." But, she isn't especially sold on them and we only had a few to eat the first time we grew them.

This year, they are in a row about 12' long. The Burgess Buttercup has really gotten outta hand. Or maybe, it's the pumpkins that have had a very good growing year. Yeah, it's them . I no longer can tell how long each of those rows are. They are terribly entangled! The Buttercup even trailed off across a 2' path, a bed of zucchini, another path, and there is a squash in a bed of cucumbers! No way that I could cover all this easily.

Besides, all of these plants, including melon vines etc., are going down fast. I really wasn't checking the temperatures in the big veggie garden . The nearest weather underground station had 3 mornings this week with temperatures below 40°, including a 34°! Kinda glad that I wasn't sitting here watching that thermometer drop at 2:30am on the 17th. Dang, would I have felt it necessary to stir my bones and drive out to turn the sprinklers on?!

No forecast for a below 40° low this week but all we need is a rain to relieve this "moderate drought" and there will be frost. Doubt if I will do anything about it other than make those runs to harvest green tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, etc. Better have a couple of days to fill carport ...

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug , DW claimed that the Autumn Crown that we brought in to eat about 10 days ago tasted like pumpkin. My reply, "Oh, it's better than that." But, she isn't especially sold on them and we only had a few to eat the first time we grew them.

This year, they are in a row about 12' long. The Burgess Buttercup has really gotten outta hand. Or maybe, it's the pumpkins that have had a very good growing year. Yeah, it's them . I no longer can tell how long each of those rows are. They are terribly entangled! The Buttercup even trailed off across a 2' path, a bed of zucchini, another path, and there is a squash in a bed of cucumbers! No way that I could cover all this easily.

Besides, all of these plants, including melon vines etc., are going down fast. I really wasn't checking the temperatures in the big veggie garden . The nearest weather underground station had 3 mornings this week with temperatures below 40°, including a 34°! Kinda glad that I wasn't sitting here watching that thermometer drop at 2:30am on the 17th. Dang, would I have felt it necessary to stir my bones and drive out to turn the sprinklers on?!

No forecast for a below 40° low this week but all we need is a rain to relieve this "moderate drought" and there will be frost. Doubt if I will do anything about it other than make those runs to harvest green tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, etc. Better have a couple of days to fill carport ...

Steve

it's getting cooler at night here now and the days have also moderated for a bit. not sure what the weather might do beyond what i'm looking at this time of the year.

we're quite happy with buttercup and buttercup crossbreed. i'm not sure if/when we'll try something else as they have to be resistant to bugs enough to get a crop. i don't nose around or spray them for the bugs so they're fend for themselves plants other than weeding/watering. this year we had a very tough squash bug season and i'm pretty sure that is because we've grown squash in the same general area for four or more years. next year we'll find another spot. the vines can roam 20-30ft or maybe more in a good year.

out front we have a tiny squash that grew between two very large rocks, we may have to cut it out of there (maybe more likely it will get left to rot in place ), all the rest are now safe in the garage. maybe even given away, i haven't looked the past few days have been busy...

time to get outside for a while... peace and happy gardening!

 

[digitS']

It's 35°f at the school near the big veggie garden, 5am.

I'm up a little late today but have my fingers crossed ... no, not really. It would make it difficult to eat my oatmeal .

Many things in the garden have taken too much abuse from the cold temperatures. The vines were alive but I brought home many pumpkins and squash yesterday.

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

@ninnymary Thank you again for the Honeynut Butternut seeds. Got one up. So far we’ve eaten 5. Given 5-6 away. Have another 10+ to eat and plant is still blooming. They are now my go-to butternut. Meat is drier and sweeter. They are correct size for just 2 of us.

 

[ninnymary]

@ninnymary Thank you again for the Honeynut Butternut seeds. Got one up. So far we’ve eaten 5. Given 5-6 away. Have another 10+ to eat and plant is still blooming. They are now my go-to butternut. Meat is drier and sweeter. They are correct size for just 2 of us.

So glad they worked out for you. I'm impressed that I got 12 out of 1 plant. I've picked 2 but haven't eaten them yet. Maybe I'll roast one tonight. I'm already planning on planting 2 on a wire blue trellis that I have.

I can't remember if it's open pollinated so that we can save seeds from.

Mary

 

[seedcorn]

Believe they were open pollinated. May buy fresh seed next year as I have regular butternut In same garden. Hate to have them cross pollinate. When I do, I can send you some seeds.

 

[ninnymary]

Believe they were open pollinated. May buy fresh seed next year as I have regular butternut In same garden. Hate to have them cross pollinate. When I do, I can send you some seeds.

Other than zucchini I don't have any other squash. I should be able to save seeds right?

Mary

 

[flowerbug]

It's 35°f at the school near the big veggie garden, 5am.

I'm up a little late today but have my fingers crossed ... no, not really. It would make it difficult to eat my oatmeal .

Many things in the garden have taken too much abuse from the cold temperatures. The vines were alive but I brought home many pumpkins and squash yesterday.

Steve

i'm a bit peeved at the moment. we had the squash outside curing in the sunshine and with the rains coming Mom brought them in, but instead of leaving them out in the air she put them in plastic tubs and then covered them with a cloth "To keep the flies off them."??? in the past many times i've said that it's not a good idea to put things in plastic tubs (they don't breathe very well) and i've always put the squash out on flat surfaces for quite some time before we eat them or give them away. so today she figures out that a lot of them are now moldy and guess who gets to go through them all and clean it up and probably roast what i can of those that are damaged...? i've already made plans for today/tonight so it will have to be tomorrow... which i also wanted to have plans for too... oh well... at least this too shall pass...

(dang mouse is busted again - had to use old mouse - multiclicky zone ahead)...

 

[digitS']

Other than zucchini I don't have any other squash. I should be able to save seeds right?

Mary

Zucchini is a C. pepo. The C. moschata butternut should be fine.

Something that I learned the hard way is that both zucchini and pumpkins are quite popular in home gardens. Bees travel and, although those plants don't look like it, the pumpkins and summer squash are closely related. They cross.

A C. pepo, 1 C. moschata and 1 C. maxima may be fine for the seed-saving gardeners to have in their gardens but they should be looking through the cracks in their backyard fences to see what squash and pumpkins the neighbors are growing.

Steve