Who grows winter squash?

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

would storing squashes that seem wet get dryer the longer they are stored? similar to storing of certain apples-the longer they are stored the sweeter they get?

 

[Hal]

would storing squashes that seem wet get dryer the longer they are stored? similar to storing of certain apples-the longer they are stored the sweeter they get?

The higher the more moisture content the higher chance and the sooner they will rot in storage. I haven't noticed any significant drying out in storage over the years as they will just simply rot.

On storage I will point out one thing and it does not hold true for all types as some are best eaten promptly and deteriorate in storage.
You will notice some of the moschata and maxima improve their flavor from tasting like chalk to having great flavor as it takes time for the starch to convert to sugar (I'm sure it was starch)
I find this to be the case with the Australian blue skinned maxima expecially Ironbark but damn is it good baked or roasted and it keeps and keeps but you need an axe to cut it.

 

[thistlebloom]

Hal, it's funny but last year I actually had Red Kuri on my seed wish list, not so much because I had a craving for squash, but it's such a pretty thing! Wouldn't it be great if it appealed to my taste buds too!

Steve, I was hoping you'd jump in with a recommendation or two also, your excitement is contagious! I believe my season may some years be a tad shorter than yours, but nothing that couldn't be overcome with some frost cloth probably.
And I do like pumpkin, and used to grow Luminas all the time for pies and breads.
That was not here of course.

Hal, coincidentally I just happen to have access to fresh horse manure, he's real cooperative that way, as long as I keep shoveling the hay to him , he keeps churning out that by product!
Making a manure hot bed would be a handy thing to learn. I've only read about it before.
Thanks so much for your help, this might be the year I become a squash lover!

 

[Hal]

Red Kuri is good to look at and a good keeper and as you can tell I certainly like to eat it.

The hot manure bed is excellent for squash and melons, something the french have down to a fine art. If you want to do some reading on hotbeds I ran across the best info when looking into french melon history and cultivation. Actually for squash you can even negate the use of a hot bed and use a mound technique, I'm not fully functional right now as it is almost 3:30am here. I'll drop a good explanation in later if that is okay?

Horses are very handy when you have your own, my grandfather still uses one to work the vegetable garden not to mention he converts all that feed into something I can use!

 

[thistlebloom]

Red Kuri is good to look at and a good keeper and as you can tell I certainly like to eat it.

The hot manure bed is excellent for squash and melons, something the french have down to a fine art. If you want to do some reading on hotbeds I ran across the best info when looking into french melon history and cultivation. Actually for squash you can even negate the use of a hot bed and use a mound technique, I'm not fully functional right now as it is almost 3:30am here. I'll drop a good explanation in later if that is okay?

Horses are very handy when you have your own, my grandfather still uses one to work the vegetable garden not to mention he converts all that feed into something I can use!

Yes, I'm definitely interested in learning more about hotbeds Hal, thanks!
Ooooh, wouldn't that be awesome to be able to grow some melons too?
I'll go have a talk with production!

 

[Hal]

Yes, I'm definitely interested in learning more about hotbeds Hal, thanks!
Ooooh, wouldn't that be awesome to be able to grow some melons too?
I'll go have a talk with production!

Good, nothing better than learning a useful skill and someone happy to learn.
Yes, even something as simple as a nice Minnesota Midget melon.

 

[Smart Red]

Smart Red, do you save your own acorn squash seed or are you buying seed/starts? Also which acorn is it? Some acorns cultivars are much better than others.
Do you wish to stick to acorns or would you like to try something sweeter?

This year I stuck several different squash in the same bed so I didn't try saving seed. I probably have some saved from the prior year, though. I wouldn't mind other types of squash, but prefer the smaller sized varieties as DH doesn't do well with left overs.

 

[Carol Dee]

Well... we try... usually acorn and butternut. We still have trouble storing for long but find after the bugs get the vines we do not have all that many to worry about storing! Any advice on keeping vine bores and such at bay? They are worse in the zucchini beds.

 

[thistlebloom]

Good, nothing better than learning a useful skill and someone happy to learn.
Yes, even something as simple as a nice Minnesota Midget melon.

Yes, that would be nice. I grew those a few years back, along with Blacktail Mountain, which was developed here very locally. I didn't get anything much to ripen, although at the end of the season they were both loaded with blooms.

 

[digitS']

No vine borers here and I'm knocking on wood that they don't show up!

Rumbo, Butternut, and Hal's recommendations for Thistle' (Kikuza, Futsu and Yokohama) are Cucurbita moschata. Carol Dee, this species is supposed to be resistant to the vine borers.

I only know what I've read and here is Cat's experience with Rumbo (link).

Steve