How much winter squash does everyone grow?

[Liberty7]

OH yes, I've been reading all the horror stories with bore viner.

I've never been a big fan of growing winter squash although I am growing two plants of Waltham butternut this year (free seeds from Wintersown.)

I've been reading how winter squash are such excellent storage keepers and was wondering if many of you grow a LOT of winter squash for this reason.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Liberty7!

I am growing Winter Squash for the first time this year & I'm doing it because they are SO EXPENSIVE here in the UK. If they do well, taste good & store well I will save a lot of money over the winter & I will know they haven't been sprayed or have travelled thousands of miles to get to my plate. A great bonus, especially in these difficult times. All this PLUS the JOY of growing them from seed to plate!

I am only growing 3 plants as I have no idea how much they will produce!

Hope you are having a great weekend! :rainbow-sun


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[FarmerDenise]

We grow about 10 hills of assorted winter squashes, mostly pumkins. What we don't eat, the chickens will. Just gave them another one last week from last year's crop.
I wanted to grow some acorn squash this year, but the seeds didn't sprout.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't grow winter squash as a primary crop, more as an incidental. I don't consider winter squash to be a heavy producer for the amount of space it takes up, even the bush varieties, thus it doesn't deserve its own space. I plant it among the corn.

I'm growing 3 hills of butternut, three of delicata, and two that will prove interesting. Last year I grew butternut, acorn and lakota and saved the seeds from a lakota. With potential cross-pollination, I have no idea what I will get from that. I expect it will be edible and may be interesting.

 

[Rosalind]

Define "a lot"?

I try to plant enough to get at least seven or eight pumpkins, a couple of Hubbards, at least one Crookneck (like a butternut on steroids), a bunch of spaghetti squash, and several acorn- or Delicata-type single-serving squashes. Last year, the weather had other ideas and I only got three pumpkins and two spaghetti squashes out of about ten plants. Hoping we get a drier summer/fall this year so my plants don't get mildewed again...

DH professes not to like winter squash, although he still eats plenty in the form of soup, casseroles, covered in cheese and tomato sauce, pumpkin-creamcheese squares, cake, etc. He does like making Jack-o-lanterns.

 

[seedcorn]

I've done the most I ever have. 5 butternut, 3 acorn, and 3 buttercups. Also planted summer squash of zucchini and yellow crooked necks. Been eating crooked neck and love it fried w/bacon.

 

[Debby]

First time garden so I have no idea how it will turn out, but I planted winter squash between my rows of corn. Now the corn is so thick and tall, I'm not sure it will get enough light in there to do anything. (Likewise the beans growing up the corn.) Anyway it has sprouted and is growing. Two hills of Waltham butternut, two of buttercup, and four of Potimarron. Also four hills of pumpkins.

Debby

 

[HiDelight]

The squash looks nice cozy inside that corn!

I planted an entire package of each but only have 4 plants of a Japanese winter squash (I can not remember the name but it begins with a "K" ) 4 plants of half black half orange sugar pumpkins (I have no idea but could not resist) so 8 total ..(funny how I got an even four of each huh?)

I have only had one really great year of winter squash here so fingers crossed I would love this to be my a second good year!

 

[wifezilla]

I plant as much as I can. Anything that we don't use quickly gets baked or steamed, then frozen. If I have too much for the family to use in a season, the ducks get any surplus. I had some spaghetti squash, zucchini and other things that got a little freezer burned. I thawed them out and put them in warm water and gave them to the ducks on cold days. They LOVED it.

 

[digitS']

. . . I planted an entire package of each but only have 4 plants of a Japanese winter squash (I can not remember the name but it begins with a "K" ) . . .

Kabocha, HiDelight?

I really like most winter squash but many do not fully mature here and, therefore, don't have good storage life. The safest bet for me is Burgess Buttercup and it has a real good flavor.

Kabocha is related but didn't work. I love sweet potato types but discovered that I'd only get a storage crop 1 year out of 3. Acorns are fine but they don't seem to have a good flavor coming out of my garden . . . ? I even gave them to someone once who had the nerve to tell me so - honest, anyway . Maybe it's the make up of the soil.

A fully-mature buttercup will last until March on a basement shelf. And most importantly, it will make the bestest pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas !!

Steve

PS: Pumpkins are used for jack o'lanterns then cut up, steamed, and frozen for the chickens. They seem to like the smoky flavor of the wax candle .