Suggestions, Early Maturing non-acorn Winter Squash

[digitS']

Thank you, Hal.

Obviously, I need to do a better job with curing.

We had a lot of rain in September once. I think that was in the early 70's. That's about it . . . long years between something like that.

Steve

 

[Hal]

Thank you, Hal.

Obviously, I need to do a better job with curing.

We had a lot of rain in September once. I think that was in the early 70's. That's about it . . . long years between something like that.

Steve

Your welcome. Before I forget some of the banana type squash would also be a good option for you, just choose a smaller one not the jumbo pink banana.
Shame these grow 50+ pounds, we grow these purely for pie every year if possible. I'd have recommended them in a heart beat but they are monsters.

 

[digitS']

Those Pink Bananas were how I got my start . . . in pumpkin pie making. But, that was in southern Oregon - several degrees of latitude away.

I've been in that La Madera country! I checked the google map. Well, not right there in that tiny community. About 90 miles to the north in Alamosa, Colorado. I'm even more encouraged. As I traveled thru on to the west, I realized on that trip that the forests were almost exactly the same as here! You bet. Somewhere around Durango, Colorado there is a place with 95% of the same flora as here, 1,000 miles to the north. I'm all but convinced of it!

Steve

 

[Hal]

Those Pink Bananas were how I got my start . . . in pumpkin pie making. But, that was in southern Oregon - several degrees of latitude away.

I've been in that La Madera country! I checked the google map. Well, not right there in that tiny community. About 90 miles to the north in Alamosa, Colorado. I'm even more encouraged. As I traveled thru on to the west, I realized on that trip that the forests were almost exactly the same as here! You bet. Somewhere around Durango, Colorado there is a place with 95% of the same flora as here, 1,000 miles to the north. I'm all but convinced of it!

Steve

Well all that is left for me to do is wait and see how your next season goes for you. High Elevation gardening is challenging but something I envy for that reason. I have some friends in Colorado I help with choosing what to grow and hints and tips for getting head starts ect.
I'd like to grow some of the more uncommon banana types and candy roasters as I have not tried all of them yet. They have good keeping qualities and high quality flesh with good flavour.
I first saw the Pink Banana in high school as a student, the Ag department gave me a garden of my own I could spend my lunch times in even though I dropped out of Ag because the teacher handling my class was an idiot who expected me to teach the plant component of the class for our two senior years because he had no idea and it would get left out otherwise. The good teacher who actually knew his job was the one who gave me the plot.
I spent my senior years growing squash, gourds, corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans and such and turned some heads.

 

[Jared77]

Are you home a lot? Maybe do some row tunnels to get you through the worst of the weather? Instead of looking at the plants, maybe try to stabilize their environment more & you'll gave more success? Just thinking outside the box here.

 

[digitS']

Jared, you are so smart!

I'd really like to do things like that for tomatoes, peppers, all the warm-season plants!

Unfortunately, I am growing these crops in distant gardens - GOOPP (Gardening On Other People's Property).

It is still a possibility but I don't think tunnels are the answer. Maybe cages without the top covering. I just can't be there when too much sun begins to really heat up protected growing! Yeah, I gotta be here at home with my greenhouse .

Steve

 

[Jared77]

Gosh Steve you know just how to talk to someone don't ya?

Seriously though I w thinking of something you could roll the sides up & down on to help avoid the big temperature swings.

Or taking a thought from the winter gardening post you made earlier "your harvesting later in the year" where they were harvesting later than normal for their region.

So maybe at some point you go with some kind of insulating device to help push the plants to make it to 100+ days or longer that you need. Maybe it's a combination of things? Give them a strong head start so they hit the ground running, then extend the season for them late in the year?

Sorry that it's GOOPP that's does complicate things.

I'm all about experimenting with ideas. I look at it as right now you don't have what you want. So try something because if you fail, you're right where you were you were. Your not out anything, and you know what doesn't work or what might need tweaking to be successful. However if you try & are successful, well there ya go! Just how I look at it.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

what about using Agrobon or one of those lighter woven frost covers to help keep the warmth in?

 

[digitS']

That might be an idea.

I used a row cover (here in the backyard) only once, Chickie'sMoma. Then, I built a hoophouse over those beds and covered them with plastic film thru the early weeks.

It seems like a row cover wouldn't count for much but, what it might count for is keeping some wind off the plants. That would be the idea with cages wrapped in film, tops uncovered. Don't know - all I know is that most days of the week, I'm in the gardens only once, maybe only for an hour or so. One garden, there are several days each week I am not there. I cannot cover & uncover, a twice a day thing.

Steve