Suggestions, Early Maturing non-acorn Winter Squash

[digitS']

I see those Native American types in Native Seed!

Those Delicatas. I've related this before. A most beautiful harvest and had them around for months! One year. Tried two successive years without any much to show from the effort.

It seems like I should try for northern types and there are those even from Native American types. It may not matter. Probably just a matter of resistant to low temperatures. And, it could be me -- hold off longer in setting out the plants. Not just a matter of frost but cold overnight temps, too cool of soil.

Oh, and no. I've never grown a pie pumpkin.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Pie pumpkins are not strong flavored like jack o lantern pumpkins

eta to add a word

 

[digitS']

My jack o'lanterns are not strong flavored. They have little flavor at all ~ sniff.

I have grown Rock Star for about 6 or 7 years. They are a hybrid and did what I'd hoped they would for me - grew fairly big & turned orange. That is all I wanted out of 'em - I'd grown others that didn't always make it to orange by Halloween.

The Big Doris were something new for me this year. A couple got pretty darn big! They turned orange too.

Steve
edited: Big Doris not Big Bertha. Big Bertha is a pepper I tried once.

 

[897tgigvib]

I've grown halloween pumpkins that were WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW strong. Stinging strong flavor.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Trying to imagine a pumpkin with a stinging strong flavor...

Piee pumpkins may also be a good one to try. A few years ago we bought some small sugar pumpkins from a little country store. I think they were marketed as small sugar pumpkins...I think they were, could have been New England Pie. Anyways saved seeds from them, the fruits that came off the plants looked like pie pumpkins. The vines took longer for the squash bugs to get to than the Jack O' Lanterns, and the fruits seemed to mature faster than the Jack O' Lanterns.

A good one to try may be Uncle David's North Dakota Sweet Potato. If I remember right that's what it's called. It's been a while since I've seen it in any seed catalog. I think that I originally saw it in the Seeds of Change catalog. I've never grown it before but it's supposed to be an early one. I'm surprised that the Chiogga squash didn't work out for you, Digit. Did you get any with the warty looking black-green skin?

 

[Hal]

Hal, I read your post on the thread about mildew - this was my little trap to get your response.

It isn't so much the length of the growing season, I don't believe. It is the often 30°f swings between daily highs and lows. Humidity down to about 20% many summer afternoons - it is a fairly arid climate with nearby mountains.

I pretend that there will be 150 days frost-free. Gotta have faith to be a gardener .

Steve

Well played. Sounds to me like hot dry days and much cooler nights. I might already have an idea or two but I want to dig for a little more info first.
What are your end uses for your squash?
I'm assuming you would appreciate something that is a good keeper?
What hubbard types have you grown?
Sorry for the slow reply and possible slow future replies as I am swamped with stuff to do before the 25th.

 

[897tgigvib]

Yea, that was tricky of Digit...

 

[digitS']

I'll tell you what Hal, anyone who grows so many varieties of winter squash should take time to sort thru the ideas. No squash seed will go in the starter mix around here before its time!

Only the Blue Hubbard and I've had it a couple of times. It seemed like not such a good choice for a 2 or 3 person home. I was pleased that the vines did produce several nice fruits.

Yes, we cannot make use of a ton of squash at a time. If it isn't ready until October 1st, and all has to come out of the garden at once, we need several months to make use of a couple hundred feet of squash garden. Pie is a great big deal in this house and I feel I've, at least, got to get it to Christmas.

I fantasize about squash thru January and February . . . life gets pretty dreary for a gardener around here about Ground Hog's Day . . .

Steve

 

[digitS']

. . . A good one to try may be Uncle David's North Dakota Sweet Potato. . . . Chiogga squash didn't work out for you, Digit. Did you get any with the warty looking black-green skin?

They did make a very pretty squash, I thought. No, no warts - I'd just as soon not have warts and this was an impulsive purchase, didn't really realize that they could have warts!

It wasn't a very favorable location in the garden for them, SeedO'. They were right in with the pumpkins. And, the pumpkins were very robust this year. None of the 3 fruits were very good. Just too immature, I think.

You know, the Buttercup was developed at a North Dakota company. Those Sweet Potato squash "have better flavor, yield, and thicker orange flesh than the standard Buttercup variety," Seeds of Change say. Well, they sure look like Buttercups. Well, maybe - look, I was happy with the Kabocha! If they'd just do a little better at maturing. Two or even 3 fruits on a vine. #1 would be mature - I suppose I could have peeled and eaten #3 as a summer squash. #2 would have to be cooked and eaten within days. Imma not giving up on the Kabocha . . . cha cha cha!

Maybe, restricting the vines to 1 fruit each . . .

Steve

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Digit, I thought just about every squash can have warts. I wasn't saying that it did have warts, I guess that would kind of be my way of describing them. I like the looks of the Chiogga and Black Futzu squashes for the color and texture of the shells. Haven't grown either yet but plan on it eventually.

Cutting the fruits back to one fruit per fine may help them to plump up a little faster. We had to take the small sugar pumpkins early this year because of those gosh darn squash bugs. I didn't clip the fruits back to one per vine, I think I'll try that next year.

Do you have a warm room with lots of sunlight coming in you could cure your squashes in? I cured my slightly immature squashes for a few weeks in the sun (outdoors) after they were cut early, still tasted fine. But you should be able to do this inside next to a window.

I'm planning on growing Blue Hubbards during the 2015 growing season. I could eat my own body weight in squash, especially with cinnamon and melted butter on top....