Squash History

[digitS']

While looking around for squash ID, I came across this:

Squash History - Mother Earth News

Winter squash was one of my earliest interests as a kid. I'm still learning .

Steve

 

[Collector]

Interesting article, I never knew all that history with squash, but that was great read. Our winter squash and pumpkins are going to be a bust this year I’m afraid. The summer squash however is the best we have had in several seasons..

 

[flowerbug]

can you imagine being the first person who discovers a really good edible squash all those years ago? to me that would be close to figuring out how to tame fire and roast things and burn them to a nice crispy nummyness.

since i've not had hubbard squash before i'm looking forwards to harvesting the one i see in the squash patch. i think another three weeks will do it, but i'm not sure there are external signs of it being ready or not. i haven't looked too closely at the rest of the garden to see if there are other hubbards in there. it tends to be a jungle once the plants have spread out.

the web says about 50-55 days after fruit set. ok, i've been reading up on it some more. so now i'll just leave it alone until the stem dries out or the plants die back or until there is a chance of frost. got it.

it is just sitting there looking purty at the moment...

 

[digitS']

I fully expected some problems in the squash patch this year but it's only been an opposite of @Collector 's experience - zucchini hasn't done so well. I wonder if this will be a year when the somewhat feeble plants succumb early to mildew. And yet, those Butterbelly crooknecks are looking as I expected.

This may not have been the best year to try the first-ever pie pumpkin, Cinnamon Girl. They also are as expected which I'm happy about but I'm hoping for sure-fire status and how will I know if it's an okay year for all the winter squash.

It takes a certain kind of person to be excited about a Hubbard squash, @flowerbug . Oh, I would be ... but my experience with an earl Blue was 1 fruit/vine, which was okay but they didn't look like they had matched up well against Buttercup.

What it seems to me is that it would make sense to grow C. maxima, C. moschata and C. pepo varieties every year and that really would cover the bases well. It does complicate things because I'm not sure that I can recruit the right players.

I ain't the coach, anyway. Just the guy behind the plate hoping to catch what's thrown and that the ball isn't hit out of the infield.

Steve,
oh geez

 

[flowerbug]

so far one fruit per plant is what it looks like. i'm not seeing any more out there. i'm also not seeing many other squash in that patch. i'm hoping they'll come through in the next six weeks or so... we'll see... the proof though will be in the cooking/flavor/texture. we don't know yet if we really like them yet or not so it is probably a good thing we don't have a lot of them.

the buttercup out front have a few squash but i don't think it is many on those either. the large bumblebees were around early in the season and then they were gone completely. i've not seen any on flowers for a while. the cosmos haven't started blooming yet as those will often have bumblebees on them. those are like the onion flowers for attracting them, i can use them as a good way to get a rough census on the number of bee species around if i have the patience to watch.

i am seeing plenty of the smaller solitary bees wandering around in the beans and in the cucumbers and melon plants, also in the trefoil.