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Friday, September 21, 2012

Winter Squash on Purpose

These are the winter squash that I grew on purpose.     Definitely ones to do again.


Queensland Blue.  I only got the one.  They are long vines and the young fruit does not seem to like damp.   I got this one because I let it grow out of the bed into the path where it got more air and sun.  It's about 10-12 inches in diameter.  The vines scarred around the vine borer and just kept growing.   Harvest when it turns blue, then grey.  Leave a bit of stem on.    It has a dry flesh that is wonderful baked.   I'd do these again.  

This is supposed to be Omaha Pumpkin.   I've grown Omahas before and these are not they.    Some seed contamination, I guess.   They're usually just a smaller, elongated version of your basic jack-o-lantern pumpkin.  These are a bit wrinkled and very yellow instead of orange.  
Golden Hubbard.   Easy.   Large.  Screaming orange.   Very long vines that wander.  There is no doubt when the fruit is ready.   They start out yellow, then turn orange-red.  Try to take the stem off for long term storage.    This is the only squash that does better without the stem.  I can't get the stems off, so we'll be eating these soon.  Protect them from rodents if you can.  Our voles loved them.   I'd do these again.  

Greek Sweet Red.   I love these.   They're large and they are fast growing. These are about 16 inches tall.   The flesh is dry and delicious.    They come on late, but fast so don't despair if you don't see any for a while.   I've had several show up in the past month and they're ready in just a few weeks.   There are two more that showed up a couple of weeks ago and I expect they'll be turning in the next couple of weeks.    The vines will go everywhere and they're pretty hardy against vine borers.   Let them go.  You'll find fruit in weird places, but it's pretty tough and can handle some movement if you need to get a vine out of the way.  Just support the fruit as you move the vine to where you want it.  These will continue to change color after you harvest them.   Protect these from rabbits if you can.   I harvested the greener one a bit early to get it away from a curious rabbit.