Your top winter squash varieties, and why?

Raiquee · September 27, 2016

Now this year I brought in 25 spag. squash on our pumpkins we got 5 nice big ones and 2 smaller ones. Everything else was a let down.

I want squash with high production, good tasting and not much over 100 days. I think that's my problem with butternut is that they are 110 and it's just too long.

My 2017 list:
Spag Squash (2 mounds)
Butternut
Buttercup (try it again)
Georgia Candy Roaster (I heard good things)
Dutch Crookneck Squash (to see how it produces compared to butternut)
Field pumpkins for the kids

I have 11 mounds within the garden, which I tend to plant with 3 plants. Was also thinking of putting some out in our field as why not?

Raiquee · September 27, 2016

I should note what ones I have tried:
Acorn
Blue Hubbard
Moranga
Honey Boat Delicata

mamaboog · September 27, 2016

Kogiku was great. My kids think they are little pumpkins and play with them. It produced well even though I basically abandoned it this summer. It stores really well, too, and the flavor's decent for it being so tiny/early. (I just looked it up, and the days to maturity are 65! Huh.)

Pastila shampan is SO sweet and SO good. Its meat is light and compared to a grocery store butternut it is sweet, sweet, sweet. Also, it might be longer to maturity - I'm not sure of the days to maturity - BUT... its foliage is gorgeous. I wish I had a picture: every picture online is about the fruit, not the leaves. It's not like the usual, crimped/ruffled foliage of most squash and zucchini, but the leaves are heart shaped and huge and the plant sprawl. It was definitely a winner in my book this year, though I'd recommend trellising it.

kath · September 27, 2016

The only winter squash I still grow is Burpee Butterbush butternut. It tastes great, has shorter vines, is a nice smaller size which is good for me, matures earlier (def. under 100 D), doesn't get taken down by the squash vine borers and keeps until April in my basement.

TC_Manhattan · September 27, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

The only winter squash I still grow is Burpee Butterbush butternut. It tastes great, has shorter vines, is a nice smaller size which is good for me, matures earlier (def. under 100 D), doesn't get taken down by the squash vine borers and keeps until April in my basement.

This one sounds like a winner for me.
Thanks for mentioning it!

brownrexx · September 27, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

The only winter squash I still grow is Burpee Butterbush butternut. It tastes great, has shorter vines, is a nice smaller size which is good for me, matures earlier (def. under 100 D), doesn't get taken down by the squash vine borers and keeps until April in my basement.

I grow the same one for all of the reasons listed.

Raiquee · September 27, 2016

Alright I put Pastila Shampan on the list, as well as Cushaw white pumpkin. I will try growing these in my prairie. My field pumpkins aren't great for pies, just for kids, so the Cushaw has me captivated with being good for pies.

I do get SVB here but by the time it becomes a problem the plants are already on their way to the wayside due to the cooling temps.

I am going to try trellising some of my not so aggressive squashes (read: not spag. or pumpkins!) because I think they are getting "beat up" by the bigger more aggressive vines which may also explain my pitiful yield.

ilex · September 27, 2016

Most "de torrar" maximas from Valencia region. I've never tried anything close to these. I get most over 20 brix, and remember one that topped the scale (32) of my refractometer.

May 10, 2017

I got a free Blue Doll F1 squash at a chili feed. It smelled and tasted awesome.

I haven't grown a lot of winter squash, yet, but I like Cucurbita ficifolia a lot. They say it can keep for years in storage. I tried it for over a year and then ate it. One of them went bad in storage at just under a year, but it wasn't in the best conditions. It's kind of like a rice noodle squash. It has white flesh inside and black seeds. You can use it in soups and it works well without giving you big chunks (they're like little noodles). It grows really fast in cool weather (which is very interesting for a squash, but heat slows it down until it cools again, in my one year of experience growing it). The seedlings grow really, really fast. The leaves are quite edible, and taste like a mix between spinach and green beans. Squash bugs didn't bother mine at all, but I didn't see any squash bugs at all that year. If they're not ripe when you harvest them, they do seem to ripen further in storage (over a long period of time); the seeds also seem to mature further.

I'm hoping I'll like some of the following winter squash, this year: Cushaw White, Black Futsu, and Upper Ground Sweet Potato. C. maxima squash had issues last year; so, I'm trying C. moschata and C. argyrosperma.

Zeedman · May 10, 2017

I would agree that C. ficifolia is an interesting squash. In addition to the traits mentioned above, it seems to be highly resistant (perhaps immune) to PM. The young vine tips are also good as a vegetable... and you'll get a lot of them, because unless pruned, the vines will overrun everything in their vicinity! They will climb a tree if you let them. Fun to grow, provided you have the space, and an extended Fall (the vines generally bloom around the equinox). Blooming that close to my first frost, the squash did not have time to mature for me.

My favorite winter squash is grown from seed of the market squash "Australian Blue". It is a buttercup-like maxima, similar - but not identical - to Queensland Blue (I've grown both). Ribbed blue-gray rind, thick deep orange flesh with a fine texture. Takes most of my summer to ripen, but the table quality is outstanding.

My other favorite - and the most reliable - is bush acorn. They mature very quickly; I've planted as late as July 4th, and still had mature squash before frost. Planting that late, by the way, bypasses the SVB egg laying period in my area... so no losses. Each bush will produce 4-6 squash that IMO are just right for an individual serving, and the flavor is outstanding. I wouldn't really call it a "winter" squash though; best eaten shortly after picking, and eat the longer-storing squashes after the acorns are gone.

NewWestGardener · May 10, 2017

I grew Bon Bon F1 last year, 85 days, 4 ibs every weight. They were fantastic in terms of taste, much better than red kuri both in production as well. Most importantly they are early. They'd finish producing before mildew hits.

So I'm planting more this year, along with Sunshine F1, and Fustu, along with some other varieties that I got from last year's trade to try. I have a big area to try.

coYote · August 7, 2017

I'm a big fan of Kabocha and Black Futsu myself, both have excellent flavor and dense flesh

zeuspaul · August 7, 2017

Buttercup because my better half will cook it because it is soft enough for her to cut in half. Also has a good flavor.

Wi-sunflower · August 9, 2017

Festival -- it's a sweet dumpling type. Productive and early. We ate 1 last week already for this year.

Carol

Dak · August 12, 2017

The first year I ever grew squash I grew butternut Rugosa, it was amazing, but rather an undertaking to peel and process, so the next year I grew a more conventional sized butternut. It looked like a butternut squash, but it had none of the flavor that the rugosa had, smaller size, but essentially soulless.

So this year, I am again growing the monster butternut, Rugosa.

September 27, 2016	#1
Raiquee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 307	Your top winter squash varieties, and why? Now this year I brought in 25 spag. squash on our pumpkins we got 5 nice big ones and 2 smaller ones. Everything else was a let down. I want squash with high production, good tasting and not much over 100 days. I think that's my problem with butternut is that they are 110 and it's just too long. My 2017 list: Spag Squash (2 mounds) Butternut Buttercup (try it again) Georgia Candy Roaster (I heard good things) Dutch Crookneck Squash (to see how it produces compared to butternut) Field pumpkins for the kids I have 11 mounds within the garden, which I tend to plant with 3 plants. Was also thinking of putting some out in our field as why not? __________________ Desire' Mother of 3, homesteader, canner, gardener, dwarf tomato participant.

September 27, 2016	#2
Raiquee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 307	I should note what ones I have tried: Acorn Blue Hubbard Moranga Honey Boat Delicata __________________ Desire' Mother of 3, homesteader, canner, gardener, dwarf tomato participant.

September 27, 2016	#7
Raiquee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 307	Alright I put Pastila Shampan on the list, as well as Cushaw white pumpkin. I will try growing these in my prairie. My field pumpkins aren't great for pies, just for kids, so the Cushaw has me captivated with being good for pies. I do get SVB here but by the time it becomes a problem the plants are already on their way to the wayside due to the cooling temps. I am going to try trellising some of my not so aggressive squashes (read: not spag. or pumpkins!) because I think they are getting "beat up" by the bigger more aggressive vines which may also explain my pitiful yield. __________________ Desire' Mother of 3, homesteader, canner, gardener, dwarf tomato participant.

May 10, 2017	#9
shule1 Guest Posts: n/a	I got a free Blue Doll F1 squash at a chili feed. It smelled and tasted awesome. I haven't grown a lot of winter squash, yet, but I like Cucurbita ficifolia a lot. They say it can keep for years in storage. I tried it for over a year and then ate it. One of them went bad in storage at just under a year, but it wasn't in the best conditions. It's kind of like a rice noodle squash. It has white flesh inside and black seeds. You can use it in soups and it works well without giving you big chunks (they're like little noodles). It grows really fast in cool weather (which is very interesting for a squash, but heat slows it down until it cools again, in my one year of experience growing it). The seedlings grow really, really fast. The leaves are quite edible, and taste like a mix between spinach and green beans. Squash bugs didn't bother mine at all, but I didn't see any squash bugs at all that year. If they're not ripe when you harvest them, they do seem to ripen further in storage (over a long period of time); the seeds also seem to mature further. I'm hoping I'll like some of the following winter squash, this year: Cushaw White, Black Futsu, and Upper Ground Sweet Potato. C. maxima squash had issues last year; so, I'm trying C. moschata and C. argyrosperma. Last edited by shule1; May 10, 2017 at 08:30 AM.

September 27, 2016	#3
mamaboog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Piedmont, NC (7b) Posts: 44	Kogiku was great. My kids think they are little pumpkins and play with them. It produced well even though I basically abandoned it this summer. It stores really well, too, and the flavor's decent for it being so tiny/early. (I just looked it up, and the days to maturity are 65! Huh.) Pastila shampan is SO sweet and SO good. Its meat is light and compared to a grocery store butternut it is sweet, sweet, sweet. Also, it might be longer to maturity - I'm not sure of the days to maturity - BUT... its foliage is gorgeous. I wish I had a picture: every picture online is about the fruit, not the leaves. It's not like the usual, crimped/ruffled foliage of most squash and zucchini, but the leaves are heart shaped and huge and the plant sprawl. It was definitely a winner in my book this year, though I'd recommend trellising it.

September 27, 2016	#4
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	The only winter squash I still grow is Burpee Butterbush butternut. It tastes great, has shorter vines, is a nice smaller size which is good for me, matures earlier (def. under 100 D), doesn't get taken down by the squash vine borers and keeps until April in my basement.

September 27, 2016	#8
ilex Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Spain Posts: 416	Most "de torrar" maximas from Valencia region. I've never tried anything close to these. I get most over 20 brix, and remember one that topped the scale (32) of my refractometer.

May 10, 2017	#10
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	I would agree that C. ficifolia is an interesting squash. In addition to the traits mentioned above, it seems to be highly resistant (perhaps immune) to PM. The young vine tips are also good as a vegetable... and you'll get a lot of them, because unless pruned, the vines will overrun everything in their vicinity! They will climb a tree if you let them. Fun to grow, provided you have the space, and an extended Fall (the vines generally bloom around the equinox). Blooming that close to my first frost, the squash did not have time to mature for me. My favorite winter squash is grown from seed of the market squash "Australian Blue". It is a buttercup-like maxima, similar - but not identical - to Queensland Blue (I've grown both). Ribbed blue-gray rind, thick deep orange flesh with a fine texture. Takes most of my summer to ripen, but the table quality is outstanding. My other favorite - and the most reliable - is bush acorn. They mature very quickly; I've planted as late as July 4th, and still had mature squash before frost. Planting that late, by the way, bypasses the SVB egg laying period in my area... so no losses. Each bush will produce 4-6 squash that IMO are just right for an individual serving, and the flavor is outstanding. I wouldn't really call it a "winter" squash though; best eaten shortly after picking, and eat the longer-storing squashes after the acorns are gone.

May 10, 2017	#11
NewWestGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 564	I grew Bon Bon F1 last year, 85 days, 4 ibs every weight. They were fantastic in terms of taste, much better than red kuri both in production as well. Most importantly they are early. They'd finish producing before mildew hits. So I'm planting more this year, along with Sunshine F1, and Fustu, along with some other varieties that I got from last year's trade to try. I have a big area to try.

August 7, 2017	#12
coYote Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 18	I'm a big fan of Kabocha and Black Futsu myself, both have excellent flavor and dense flesh

August 7, 2017	#13
zeuspaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: North County, San Diego Posts: 419	Buttercup because my better half will cook it because it is soft enough for her to cut in half. Also has a good flavor.

August 9, 2017	#14
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Festival -- it's a sweet dumpling type. Productive and early. We ate 1 last week already for this year. Carol

August 12, 2017	#15
Dak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: CA Posts: 494	The first year I ever grew squash I grew butternut Rugosa, it was amazing, but rather an undertaking to peel and process, so the next year I grew a more conventional sized butternut. It looked like a butternut squash, but it had none of the flavor that the rugosa had, smaller size, but essentially soulless. So this year, I am again growing the monster butternut, Rugosa.