General information and discussion about cultivating melons, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and gourds.
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October 30, 2018 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Idaho
Posts: 81
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Tetsukabuto F1 X buttercup
Tormato, did you or anyone plant any of the Tetsukabuto F1 X buttercup I sent. If you did, how were they? I put out two plants and a gopher ate both of them.
Have some more seed so will try again next year. |
November 1, 2018 | #2 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Quote:
I didn't get to planting any, as I ran out of room, here. Then I ran out of time, by busting up ~500 square feet of sod (by hand) at a neighbors, to start her a garden. By the time I finished that, there was room, but it was then too late to plant. I think I only gave out a few seeds, as they were not completely dry. Those and the (was it a blue?) pumpkin seeds started to get moldy while I was making up participants packages. So, I held off sending them out. |
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November 17, 2019 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Idaho
Posts: 81
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I put in two plants of the Tetsukabuto F1 x buttercup. One plant had green squash-bottom right in the photo. The other plant grew the orange/green squash on the left. They were OK, but I think I will plant squash that I really like. Like Mooregold and Butternut.
I also had a plant of Blue Doll (F2 ?). It looks more like a Triamble type so think the seed must be crossed. For as big as they are, the meat is not very thick and just tastes OK. 1st photo-orange squash in center is a Moranga, Butternut upper right, Candy Roaster underneath. 2nd photo- Blue Dolls, small orange Gold Nuggets, Butternut. |
November 18, 2019 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Are you saving seeds of them all?
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November 18, 2019 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Idaho
Posts: 81
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No, I didn't bag any blossoms and there were too many kinds that may have crossed.
I do have commercial seeds of Moranga and Candy Roaster- I think I may have sent a few to you last MMMM. If there are some you think might be wanted I can bag flowers next summer. And I will be purchasing seeds for Mooregold. |
November 18, 2019 | #6 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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Quote:
I grew MMMM seeds, but I don't remember them labeled as a buttercup cross. They were dark and gold flecked like the pictures on Pinetree Seeds. The vines were huge, but over half of the 10 fruits had holes on the bottom which I presume were animal borings. They also had rotten spots where they were sitting on the ground while buttercup had no rot. I gave the first few clean ones away and have two curing in an unused 61 degree bedroom. I think they will be on the menu next week - Lisa |
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November 19, 2019 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Would you know if I sent you Tetsukabuto F1 seed? I would label it as such.
And, if I sent Tetsukabuto F1 X Lofthouse buttercup (F1), well, the label would be something like that. |
December 4, 2019 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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Tormato, I used all the seeds, and I don't have any other swaps for squash. Sometimes I save the empty packet for labeling as I abbreviate a lot during the mad seed starting rush, sometimes I save one seed in a packet for future comparisons. Quite a task to find an empty packet, and no luck so far. I am sure this wasn't a Lofthouse cross. Sometimes I wander over to his other posting site and see what he has come up with. Wild stuff!
I finished the other half of my single fruit last night. I would give ++ preference to grow it again based on taste if it were not so attractive to getting eaten by critters or rotting. Neither problems happened to the adjoining Butternut pollinator. I'll look for a few pics that show the inside. - Lisa ' |
December 10, 2019 | #9 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Quote:
I prevent rotting by placing the immature squash on top of a piece of pine board or other suitable object. Anything to keep the squash from sitting in wet soil. |
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December 11, 2019 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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This one actually rotted in storage. It is on the bottom stem of the ladder. Of you look closely you can see that strange cone shaped hole that extended to the outside. Of course I missed seeing it before bringing it indoors, but they were at least an inch in diameter on the other squash that I discarded. They holes were almost perfectly round.
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December 12, 2019 | #11 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Quote:
It wasn't me. I'd leave much larger holes. Sounds like mice/voles. |
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December 12, 2019 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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Umm, soo the holes I am referring to are the tubular cavities about one inch in diameter extending from the skin to the seed cavity, not the spreading round circle.
On another note, duh, I meant bottom step, not stem. Mice/voles sure preferred this over butternut, which was undamaged. Either they preferred squash to tomatoes or they didn't like the garlic that was growing up next to the Tetsukabuto F1. The butternuts were the largest I have ever grown by a longshot. I ve never gotten more than two or three per season, and smaller too. They were started in a new square of my garden. There was no way to walk in and hand feed with all the vines sprawling, so I blasted them with fertilizer from afar at every visit. |
December 16, 2019 | #13 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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Quote:
Fertilizer from afar. That's the key! Vining squash set new roots at the nodes (where the leaves are). They don't just root and feed from the main stem. |
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December 17, 2019 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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And your fertilizer of choice is ..? The vines were happier when they grew off the plastic area but it was later in the season. Do you grow on mulch?
Haven't figured a weed control that allows the rooting too. |
December 19, 2019 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: MA
Posts: 4,971
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My only choice is a 10/10/10 granulated fertilizer. I use it on squash, corn, and beans, not tomatoes. It's the only thing that I can pinpoint cast at the nodes from not too far away, and where I still can't get close enough to work it in around the vine. Then I spray a bit of water from a hose onto the plants so they don't get fertilizer burn.
The vines grow out into the lawn. A couple of times I've had SVB attack and kill the main stem growing out from the garden bed. But the roots at the nodes kept the rest of the plant alive. Visually, you'd think I planted the squash in the middle of the lawn. It would be nice to have the space where the entire plant is growing upon rich garden soil. |
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