Hard to Find Squash Varieties

[greenthumbomaha]

Please add your hard to find squash seed varieties. I hope they are somewhere and will be grown for preservation.

Scarchucks Supreme
Knife River

[imp]

Don't recall any variety names, but would love to find a yellow warty crookneck summer squash that was vining instead of a bush type. It's hard to even find a zucchini that is not a bush anymore.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by imp

Don't recall any variety names, but would love to find a yellow warty crookneck summer squash that was vining instead of a bush type. It's hard to even find a zucchini that is not a bush anymore.

I've been keeping my ears out for about 15 years, for a vining summer squash, with no luck. I once had one, but didn't save seeds, thinking the other seeds in the same pack would produce the same thing. What that one seed produced was 14 foot vines and dozens upon dozens upon dozens of squash. My memory was that it produced straightneck squash along the ground, and crooknecks up in the air. Gravity at work?

[rxkeith]

my yellow warty crook neck that i saved seeds from gave me a vining plant.
the squash though was smooth skinned, a yellowish green streaked color. taste was
typical of a summer squash.
i saved seeds, no telling what the next generation will produce.



keith

[Tormato]

When you say "vining" do you mean "VINING"? I've seen bush varieties flop over and get to about 7 feet, but its just rampant growth for that good year.

[rxkeith]

the plant i saved seeds from had a late season surge and started growing across the
entrance to the garden. mighta been 8 to 10 ft in length. the other plants that were
yellow crook neck or hybrids there of were large, but maintained bush habit.



keith

[upcountrygirl]

Greek Sweet Red...2 years now Baker Creek isn't offering this variety.

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Please add your hard to find squash seed varieties. I hope they are somewhere and will be grown for preservation.

Scarchucks Supreme
Knife River

Those two are hard to find for me, too.



Because they are either at the bottom of a 1 gallon container, near the top, somewhere in between, or I no longer have them. And if I still do have them, they are getting old.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by Tormato

Those two are hard to find for me, too.



Because they are either at the bottom of a 1 gallon container, near the top, somewhere in between, or I no longer have them. And if I still do have them, they are getting old.

Knife River I got from one of your MMMM swaps, Tormato. The seed was very old so I started all of them. I had an abundance of riches with germination, but a hail storm destroyed that "problem" One lone survivor grew back weakly from the damaged stem, but did not survive well after transplant.

Starchucks Supreme we had a discussion about in one of rx's threads, gone but not forgotten.

Now there is a third squash gone amis from Baker Creeks selections. The list of obscure varieties will probably grow if there is a place to keep it active.

- Lisa

[BettyC-5]

I have 17 seeds of Greek Sweet Red from MMMM trade, year 2016. I can share most of them if someone (several people) wants to commit to saving seed from them. I also have 3 seeds of Knife River that I would share 2 of them. They were also from MMMM trade and are 2011, getting old. Anyone interested in Hopi Black? Have 7 seeds, very little information on them. I grew them 2 years ago and I don't think they matured before a freeze. Were watery, but I may have watered too much as I had read somewhere they like to grow rather dry.

[Tormato]

That Hopi Black may, or may not, be the same as Musquee de Provence. The background isn't clear.

[greenthumbomaha]

A very generous offer, Betty.
I hope someone living in a warmer climate and with the expertise to isolate will respond.
I will give it a whirl if no other growers step forward, but I really hope they do!!

- Lisa

[BettyC-5]

Mine did look somewhat like the Musquee de Provence, not quite as ridged. I may have seeds of MdP so may have to grow both. Lisa, I may try also, but will have to start them early in pots and really baby them.

[greenthumbomaha]

Betty, I don't have consistently good results when starting melons and squash in situ, so I only attempt when seeds are plentiful and cheap. The majority of the time I start in the largest round Jiffy peat pots to gain a little heads up as my season is somewhat short.
My transplants were virtually obliterated by a freak hail storm in the middle of the night last May. I had just planted out tomatoes in the backyard the day prior to losing all of them. Some still in the pot grew back if there was at least one truss. Without a growing tip it stayed a stub. Cucumber and squash were particularly fragile.
I hope upcountrygirl returns to the post and sees this with the pm system shut off.

- Lisa

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

Betty, I don't have consistently good results when starting melons and squash in situ, so I only attempt when seeds are plentiful and cheap. The majority of the time I start in the largest round Jiffy peat pots to gain a little heads up as my season is somewhat short.
My transplants were virtually obliterated by a freak hail storm in the middle of the night last May. I had just planted out tomatoes in the backyard the day prior to losing all of them. Some still in the pot grew back if there was at least one truss. Without a growing tip it stayed a stub. Cucumber and squash were particularly fragile.
I hope upcountrygirl returns to the post and sees this with the pm system shut off.

- Lisa

Is 6" round and 5" deep the largest Jiffy peat pot?


I use plastic pots about 12" round and 9" deep. They are filled with a mix (about 50/50) of soil and compost. I start seeds 3 weeks (up to no more than 4 weeks) before transplanting time. If the weather is good and growth is fast, they get transplanted at three weeks. If the growth is slow, then up to 4 weeks. Beyond 4 weeks the plants may start to get root bound, and can easily be damaged when transplanting.



Rather than dig a hole, I dig a furrow. I slide an almost sideways tilted pot off the plant. The pot is almost dragged across the furrow so the plant is as close to the soil as possible. It's all about zero to minimum root disturbance with squash and melons. I've never had a problem with transplants. 130-150 dtm squash (like Tahitian Melon Squash) have easily reached maturity in my garden.