Squash do not grow well in Ireland, and when I fond a variety that produced fairly well in the cool summers that we get, I stuck with it. But I have been wanting to find other varieties and types of squash and pumpkins that also grow well enough to produce an abundant and tasty crop. And this year we finally managed to do a large variety trial, and some of them could work out quite well.
0:00 Squash are hard to grow
1:09 27 varieties
2:35 Cucurbita pepo – acorn types
4:29 Cucurbita pepo – other types
6:08 Cucurbita maxima – Japanese types
8:07 Cucurbita maxima – large types
10:36 Cucurbita moschata – butternut and others
11:56 Selecting a few and trying again
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42 Comments
I'm in envy of all the space you have available to run your trials.
In my 30'x30' vegetable garden, I've found that growing acorn type squash do best in my suburban central New York back yard. I've had much better yields when growing semi-vertically than I have on the ground. I use the term semi-vertical because I train them to run southwards on the ground along the garden fence line for about 15', then train them up the fence and northwards. Unlike completely vertical growing, this allows the plants to add roots along their nodes at ground level before I train them up the fence,Three plants produced 26 squash this season with this method – the best I've done in 20+ years growing here.
I was literally just wondering "what is that variety of really productive grayish squash that Red Gardens grew?" And then you come out with an entire video on squash. Crown prince was the variety I was looking for.
Hm, very interesting! I haven't tried any pumpkins for years now, but plan to grow couple of winter/storage varieties next year – so I hope that your experience helps me, too!
Because you have short and cool summers, maybe some (very) early varieties for cooler climate (Russia, Baltics, Scandinavia) could be interesting for you?
In Estonia, bumpkins are either stored during winter as they are in proper conditions or marinated in huge quantities. Marinated ones are generally very good for couple of years.
Thank you very much.
Wow, 23 kg is so much. I always thought round pumpkins would generally weigh less because of the big cavity inside, even with a thick flesh like the one you grew. That is why I tried growing Lunga di Napoli variety several year ago, hoping for heavy fruits which weren't "full of air". The yield was great, around 50 kg per plant with 4 or 5 similar sized fruits on each, though I must say I was watering and fertilizing them with chicken manure regularly, so they probably wouldn't perform nearly as good in your trial. My favorite thing to do with them to use a big amount was to make a pumpkin soup, but that still only required a few kilograms at once. They also didn't seem to store too well (though that may be because we don't have a proper place to store pumpkins), so we had to use them all the time in everything we made and store the rest in freezer or in jars as a puree.
I'd definitely love to try the Crown Prince variety after seeing it in several of your videos, it looks great and has the perfect size for using it one at a time.
Try "baby bear" next year on a pile of cattle manure
Looking to grow squash in central scotland, so your tests in Ireland should give me a good idea of what can be expected 🙂
Interesting. In north Florida it's not easy to grow squash for the opposite reason, too hot for too long. I can barely get a zucchini out before vine borers, stink bugs, mold and parasitic algae kill the plant. It takes chemical warfare to get a Connecticut field pumpkin or spaghetti squash to produce. The local landrace, Seminole pumpkin, is a moschata which does very well. It's that or perhaps Calabacita, unless you really enjoy a fight.
Most of the storable varieties will continue to ripen after the vines die back if they haven't before then. Oh boy you'll really enjoy those delicata squash. I've just discovered how wonderful they are this past growing season. Autumn Frost hybrid are also really good. They make a better pie than actual pie pumpkins in my humble opinion. Rich creamy texture with a gorgeous orange flesh. Skin goes from dark green to a frosted tan. I will grow both every year from now on. Try slicing the delicata thin and saute with brown sugar. They're equally fantastic just cut in half and roasted.
interestingly, the Waltham Butternut was developed about a mile from me. I've grown it for a couple year,s but admittedly, only two plants each year. That, and Acorn. I am going to try Delicata, and Spaghetti, since we eat Spaghetti Squash most winters.
Thanks for another nice trial report. Don't forget that the larger squash need some time to finish ripening, I usually wait until December to start using them. The small squash like Delicata can be used right away, but even they benefit from a couple of weeks of curing. I think of squash as "sweet potatoes for the north".
Squash Question: I am new to gardening. I am under the impression that when you grow multiple varieties of squash at the same time, you can't save the seeds because of cross-pollination. Has anyone had success saving seed and getting the same variety after growing multiple varieties together? Thanks.
I guess you don't have the squash vine borer moth over there? I can't grow squash at all because of them without permanent cover.
The Delicata squash is, in my opinion, one of the best tasting. The skin is thin enough that you can eat it. There might be some color loss on my computer, but the second set seems to be the closest looking to the correct fruit. Also, I would grow them vertically, using nylons as support for the growing fruit.
Bruce, Wish you had enticed a picky teenager to do a taste test! For us empty nesters, yield is not important but taste is!
This year I grew tomatoes of rainbow colors; yellow, green, pink, red, blue/purple, black, etc. They taste very different. So next year, we will just grow the dark ones for the very reason.
How often do you consider developing your own "landrace" varieties? Your scientific mindset towards selection seems like it would be ideal in helping the plants own natural selection develop towards your climate conditions.
I grew my first squash this year as a bit of an experiment/afterthought. My neighbours had already started giving away surplus courgettes before I'd even planted some ushiki kuri in early June (UK south coast). I got a few but none were properly ripe so I put them under a light indoors and that seems to have done the trick.
I’m sure at least part of the reason the prince yields so we’ll for you is because you know what the variety likes in terms of soil conditions and placement etc.
Your red d'etampes looks like what I've grown here in north Texas.
I think your videos would be more useful if they focused on lessons learned rather than coving all the details of what you did.
The Black Plot is back!
I HIGHLY recommend the Zucchino Rampicante squash (Cucurbita moschata)! Use it like a typical courgette up to 3-4 feet long, or allow it to brown on the vine and store it as you would any winter squash. Amazing productivity and versatility!
Musquee de provence takes months after harvesting to turn umber. They're incredibly beautiful when it happens. Unfortunately, the strain that I have grown separates into strands, kinda like spaghetti squash, when cooked. You'll have to see if yours DJ the same thing, but I find it unpleasant in a sweet winter squash
Exquisite !
If your winter squash is not ripe at harvest time, cut the stem about 3-4 feet from the fruit, and put in storage to let them finish ripening for a few weeks until the long stem is dried. I've done this for years when we get early rains in fall. It really makes a difference, especially since many winter squash need to finish ripening and cure for a few weeks to improve flavor before eating them. The larger varieties are really helped with this late ripening technique. Wiping the fruit with a diluted mix of water with a small amount of bleach before putting into long storage improves the length of storage.
I grow Marina di Chioggia, and find it excellent in curries and as a filling for ravioli.
I would recommend trying Burgess Buttercup, which is a small to medium squash, with excellent creamy flavor.
With the extra large squash, what we do is cut them into more manageable pieces, and freeze, dehydrate, can, and/or share with friends
Isn´t it the ´Gele gentenaar´? It's a pretty populair variaty here in Belgium. ´gele´ is ´yellow´ and ´gentenaar´ is someone living in ´Gent´ (a city in belgium).
I go to the local pick your own pumpkin patch for halloween and grow from their seed so I know they will do well in our climate
Thanks for yet another trial! Here my 50 cents: I usually grow about 250 vintersquash plants/year in my market garden at 59° N, close to Stockholm. Orange Hokkaido or uchiki kuri is excellent for soups or mashed. Green and blue Hokkaido are a bit dry with the texture like cooked potatoes and a bit sweeter than the orange ones. The flavour reminds you of roasted chestnut and is more intense. I usually recommend to roast them in the oven, no oil or spices, just some butter afterwards. Blue ballet is similar to both the green and blue kuri, but definitely the sweetest one and with better shelf life. Average weight around 2-2.5 kg, 2-3 fruits per plant.
Curing the vintersquash at 25+ C for a few days will make the store quite a bit longer.
I'm going to try Crown Prince next year, thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for another interesting video. The Uchiki Kuri is my favourite. Delicious flavour and we can eat the skin. (Probably this also applies to all equivalent red kuri squash you had there). From experience (Lancashire -UK) they grow well and our season is enough for them to mature but yield can be variable . This season one plant that grew from a compost heap produced about 12 squashes but other 3 plants growing in soil with less fertility only gave me about 2-3 squashes each. Also these plants continue to try to produce fruit late though season and those don’t have enough time to ripen. (Option is to sacrifice those late growing fruit).
Butternut squash has been over the years a big failure me. Difficult to germinate and producing small yields if any. It’s a shame because they store extremely well and have good and dense flesh.
Delicata is the best of the Pepo types. Easy to grow and extremely tasty.
I've always had mixed luck with various pumpkin until I tried the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin. it's one of the Moschata variety, and so delightful in flavor, appearance, storage. We got up to 6 months out of them.
I like uchiki kuri despite their lower yield. They’re just the right size to use for me and the skin is edible so they are easy to prepare. Gorgeous bright orange soup…..
If you like the taste and it ripens within a reasonable time safe the seeds and maybe, just maybe the following year you will get a better squash.
Just to clarify the different varieties do not cross pollinate correct?
As a cool climate gardener I love watching these trial videos and seeing what works for you. If you're interested in growing C. moschata again I'd recommend looking into
Canada Crookneck squash as it's known to be prolific and do well in cooler climates.
u are amazing
Don't give up on the Muscat de Provence – it will ripen indoors. I've grown it for the last few seasons, and even with this year's hot summer (central Germany), I didn't get a fully ripe squash. However, my experience from the last two years is that they will ripen at room temperature over several months. The last two years, I've harvested either mostly or entirely green squash in late September, put them on the sideboard, and by late march they were ripe and fully orange. Incidentally, they make the best purée for pumpkin pie that I have yet found.
It's interesting that Tuffy was successful for you – I'm planning an acorn squash trial next year, and that one's on the list. I've had the best success so far with Table Queen, but my climate is warmer in the summer. Table queen acorn squash, like the vining delicata variety, also climbs well, so finding space in a tunnel is at least theoretically possible. I grow mine on a vertical trellis.
We are a commercial market garden in a similar climate to yours, near Seattle. Over several years we have developed the opinion that C. moschata do not perform well at all in our climate. C. pepo are generally reliable, and C. maxima are better than C.moschata for our larger, long-storing squash. In a cool year, however, C. maxima can under-perform. Our usual C. pepo types are Delicata and Thelma Sanders Acorn, and we have settled on Red Kuri and Rouge vif d'Etamps for our Maxima types. We occasionally grow a few others, but always C. pepo or C. maxima. Too many failed Butternut and Musque de Provence crops!
Im looking forward to trying crown prince next year, acorns are my go to here, I cand plant them behind garlic and get a respctable crop before freeze in zone 5 a in the US. I am also going to try a couple dutch crookneck plants next year.
Interesting results from a preliminary trial there! In nearby Laois had a great season for squash. Tiana F1 butternut squash gave a bumper crop in the tunnel, about 12 or more fruit between 1.5-3 kg on a single vine. Uchiki Kuri did ok outside and in again but only 2-3 per plant. Also tried Festival from Moles Seeds this year but I think it was either a cross-pollinated or mislabeled seed as the fruit came out more like a typical dark green acorn squash with orange patches. 5 or 6 average sized fruit. Knucklehead very prolific again, cool carving pumpkin. Disappointed with Baby Bear, poor pollination and only 4 increasingly smaller fruit. Must try Crown Prince again!
I had trouble with Crown Prince this year, I put it down to lack of moisture and not enough time set aside to care for them.
Very interesting! I wonder if you also noted down the full plant size? Squash plants can vary in size quite a lot, and if a smaller plant doesn't quite compete on the whole yield but can on kg/sqm it might be worth a look after all.