Suggestions, Early Maturing non-acorn Winter Squash

[digitS']

Squash have to be in the same area of the yard where I cure onions.

I get a lot more time with the onions and they sit on the wood deck outside the greenhouse. The catch only a little sun or no sun there by September/October.

The greenhouse itself may be a good place for squash but I don't know. It can get hot in there on a sunny fall day. A room in the house is really not possible.

Steve

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Hot? How hot?

Around 80-90 would be great!

 

[catjac1975]

Spagetti squash keeps pretty well. And we love it.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

I'm thinking Digit is looking for something that he could make pie with.

 

[digitS']

We have only tried spaghetti squash one time

- store-bought.

Completely open, I doubt if the greenhouse gets to 90°f on the days after the first frost. I've never kept track of it at anytime other than when the spring plant starts are in there.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

Squashes with warts. Ya know, that's what happens when the wrong kind of toad rubs up against them

~groan~

Digit, I have two large bubble wrap envelopes of seeds getting ready to be sent probably monday.

SeedO, I'll have yours ready to go by then too.

Wanted to put together the bigger ones first to be able to say, "whew, got that accomplished."

I really do have to rotate out a lot of seeds. Some of them going to you Digit are from 2004, but most are much newer. Included are some maxima squash seeds that are the result of crossing Buttercup with Marina di Chioggia, and those make squash that store until august from an october harvest! Just the smallest soft spots were happening and it was good. Also included are some other winter squashes in the moschata species, and some from the pepo species.

 

[catjac1975]

I'm thinking Digit is looking for something that he could make pie with.

Then I have to mention my favorite yet again. Rumbo. Large, prolific, bug resistant. Soooo delicious in pie or roasted as a side dish.

 

[Hal]

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

Okay if Blue Hubbard matured for you but was too big, you can most likely get away with other smaller hubbard types maybe even Baby Blue Hubbard or such. I've grown a few hubbard types from Native Seeds in Arizona and they have done well in cold wet seasons and hot dry seasons, all my squash go in on the same day and most of theirs were picked at the start of my picking season long before my Australian squash were even ready.
Some like La Madera were quite good and even with plenty of water they were not terribly huge. Almost everything I had grown from Native seeds kept for over 6 months, up to around 9 months or so and that was under lousy keeping conditions on my porch exposed to some weather, if I had of done it properly I could have got 12 months but I had grown about 50 types of squash that season and was getting yelled at for filling the house with squash.
We gave a plenty away for eating and kept getting asked what on earth was that? What do I have to do to get more?
The pictures are La Madera

 

[digitS']

A cross, Marshall! Perhaps with the most appropriate varieties.

About Rumbo, Jung Seed asks, "Is it a pumpkin that tastes like a winter squash or a winter squash that looks like a pumpkin?" It is a big fellow and they don't give it an early rating at 100 to 120 days! I order from Jung Seed just about every year, just about forever. (Even before they bought all those other seed companies that I have forever ordered from!)

La Madera is from a village in New Mexico sitting up at 7,500 feet! You know, Hal, there is an old "rule of thumb" about miles north equivalent to feet in elevation. I forget what it is right now but I once figured out that my environment here at 2,000 feet elevation must be about the same as 8,000 feet in New Mexico. All other things being equal - that should be about right.

I like these ideas and stand just amazed at the reports of such long keeping! August squash from an October harvest!!! Yeah, with ideal conditions - 12 months!

Are there things that can be done in the garden and/or after harvest that can add to the storage life of winter squash . . . or, pumpkins?

Steve

 

[Hal]

A cross, Marshall! Perhaps with the most appropriate varieties.

About Rumbo, Jung Seed asks, "Is it a pumpkin that tastes like a winter squash or a winter squash that looks like a pumpkin?" It is a big fellow and they don't give it an early rating at 100 to 120 days! I order from Jung Seed just about every year, just about forever. (Even before they bought all those other seed companies that I have forever ordered from!)

La Madera is from a village in New Mexico sitting up at 7,500 feet! You know, Hal, there is an old "rule of thumb" about miles north equivalent to feet in elevation. I forget what it is right now but I once figured out that my environment here at 2,000 feet elevation must be about the same as 8,000 feet in New Mexico. All other things being equal - that should be about right.

I like these ideas and stand just amazed at the reports of such long keeping! August squash from an October harvest!!! Yeah, with ideal conditions - 12 months!

Are there things that can be done in the garden and/or after harvest that can add to the storage life of winter squash . . . or, pumpkins?

Steve

Okay first of all water influences keeping qualities greatly, if you have a lot of rain or water your plants a lot you get large fruit but the flesh quality ends up poor as it is bloated with water and the fruit also don't last as long in storage and end up more rot prone. Last year and this year have been very dry for us and the flesh quality ends up very dense and flavour packed with excellent keeping qualities! Curing of skins is also very important, make sure to pick your squash when properly mature and with stalks intact, usually during fall in most places the sun is not a huge burning risk, we cure ours outside either on a rack or on a tin shed roof turning them to make sure all sides get some sun exposure to toughen them up. I cure them on the porch in the sun if there is a risk of rain. When we store inside we make sure to keep them dry and away from moisture and we check them and rotate them on a regular basis.
Along with improving storage you will find many of the C.maxima and long keeping C.moschata taste terrible eaten soon after picking even if mature but the flavour improves dramatically with some storage time, it varies from cultivar to cultivar some only take a few weeks or so and others can take months to reach their peak flavour.
As a point of interest if anyone here grows any of the Australian squash belonging to C.maxima they all need storage to reach a good flavour but the benefit is they easily keep 12 months and even up to 2 years with the right conditions and the seed cavities are small and the flesh is thick and dense.