Earlier Maturing Winter Squash Varieties?

[Zeedman]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

For those of you who have listed varieties in this thread, are there any that you would describe as being more dry and/or having a "nutty" taste? Thanks!

Personally, I too prefer dry squash with rich flavor, as opposed to very sweet squash. The flavor of a squash is only partially determined by its variety. The degree of ripeness when harvested, and how soon it is eaten after harvest, are also factors.

I like squash best when it is fully ripe, and eaten fresh from the vine. At that stage, the cooked texture of many squashes is dry & starchy (like potato) and the sweetness is less pronounced. It has been my observation that the conversion of starch to sugar begins after separation from the vine (or when the vine dies) and the sweetness intensifies as the storage period lengthens. The squash also becomes more watery as it sweetens.

Acorn squash is good when fresh picked, and it bridges the gap between summer squash & the later winter squashes. I like kabocha squash because it stays dry & firm longer than the butternuts. Buttercup is very similar, as is Queensland Blue... but the kabochas are smoother & without the pronounced button, which makes them easier to prepare.

[Alfredo]

I'm going to have to re-read this entire thread a few times to absorb all the helpful info and recommendations. Thanks!

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by raindrops27

What is the secret to growing winter squash? All these years of trying and I've yet to have much success last year out of 5 plants I got one small acorn squash

Hey raindrops27,

Just caught your post/question in this thread, not sure if there is really any "secret" to growing winter squash. What I do is I add a generous amount of compost before, during and after the growing season in the areas I garden in. I also add some slow release granular organic fertilizer (I use Garden-Tone) a few times throughout the season...that's about it really. And of course, make sure the plants get enough water each week (whether that's rainfall or manually watering them)...and that there is sufficient spacing between the squash plants as they do need some room to grow. My most productive squash has been the west indian pumpkin I grew a few years back. There's a thread with pics about it under "Pics of West Indian Pumpkin grown in NJ."

[jwr6404]

The only Squash I grow is the Adapazari Squash from seeds I got from Bob Beer in Turkey several years ago. I can send anyone who may be interested in trying a few seeds now from last years crop. This years crop has been harvested,stored in a Dark dry room until Feb when it will be opened. I will have plenty of seeds at that time. You can read about this Squash on the GardenWeb vegetable Forum. This Squash is very sweet and quite large,averaging 20-30 lbs. My largest was 54 lbs.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by jwr6404

The only Squash I grow is the Adapazari Squash from seeds I got from Bob Beer in Turkey several years ago. I can send anyone who may be interested in trying a few seeds now from last years crop. This years crop has been harvested,stored in a Dark dry room until Feb when it will be opened. I will have plenty of seeds at that time. You can read about this Squash on the GardenWeb vegetable Forum. This Squash is very sweet and quite large,averaging 20-30 lbs. My largest was 54 lbs.

Hey Jim,
Saw the pic you posted of the Adapazari squash on another thread...beautiful squash! How large does the plant grow?

[jwr6404]

Alfredo,
The picture you referred to on another thread was not mine. I did comment that it was not very large for an Adapazari. It is a favorite of ours. The Plant is quite large reaching 25-35 ft in length with leaves that exceed 2 ft in diameter. It's a beautiful plant which we use as landscaping by weaving it in and aroung our small bushes ,trees etc.