Topic: Squash. Ballistic and big. When to pick. What next year

[strawberry1]

Red Kuri, several on each plant, some are bright orange. All are large and leaders cut now, growing up obelisks. Munchkin are turning orange. Butternut getting larger, I know when to harvest butternut but not the other two

I don`t know when to harvest red kuri, do I just wait even though some are bright red? Will they keep ok on the plants if I leave until later? I wan to store red kuri in a cool, even temperature well insulated shed

The squash have surprised me btw, they are huge and rampant. I have grown butternut for a few years but the other two are something else.

This year I have 2 x red kuri plants, 2 x munchkin, 1 x butternut

Next year I want to grow 1 tombocino instead of my courgettes (poor this year) and 2 squash, all up obelisks, ideas very welcome

[RenishawPhil]

Ours have done well to, our pumpkins not so

Our boston squash have gone massive, big as a pumpkin

[strawberry1]

when will you be harvesting your squash for winter keeping?

[antipodes]

I find the red kuri tend to get a corky stem when they are ready. I generally harvest the squash for winter when the vine starts to die off and before the frosts. October usually.

[sparrow]

Thelma Sanders is gorgeous and climbs well. Queensland Blue does too, though I am supporting the fruit as it is getting HEAVY! I think Black Futsu would climb and has smaller fruit - mine is going rampant in the dwarf sweetcorn...

[antipodes]

Black Futsu is excellent and a good yield! I think you could make them climb too.
Qld Blue is one of the best flavours for me. Not many fruit but they are so big that it doesn't matter much! Excellent storage.
I had a Pink Banana two years ago and I loved that but have not managed to grow it again.

[strawberry1]

Thanks for the helpful replies, I have the potential of lots of storing squash this year and stopped most a couple of weeks ago. Just have to sit on my hands now to end of sept to october

[squeezyjohn]

Definitely don't get the £8 arches from Wilkos if you're planning on something as big as a tromba d'abegena ... I thought what a bargain and constructed them for the squash to climb up ... three weeks later the squashes loved them and had climbed to the top ... and then the weight of the fruits caused the very thin metal they're made from to literally bend in half at the joints and collapse the whole structure.

If their obelisks are this flimsy I wouldn't get those either!  Useless!

[tricia]

I bought two obelisks from Wilkinson's a couple of years ago and have successfully grown squashes on them. As soon as a squash has developed I encase it in an old net, saved after buying oranges at the supermarket, and tie it to the frame to support the weight as it grows. This year I have 8 Crown Prince fruit, some of them bigger than I have ever grown before! I also have three Tromboncino on an older, rather rusty obelisk - two are hanging and trailing over membrane along the ground, the other one is ginormous and rests on the lid of one of my water butts. The Wilko obelisks are fine, but the rusty one has had to be stabilized and will go to the tip at the end of the season.

Tricia

[strawberry1]

Checked wind damage this morning. 3 of my cheap obelisks are inside open hooped cages with cane supports along the long sides of the cage. One obelisk has tipped a bit but is leaning on the cane so is fine and the other 2 are good. One munchkin on a cheap obelisk in the open was tipped over but we have staked it properly and I have cut shading leaves and all runners, so it is much lighter now. The red kuri on an open obelisk was fine as the squash weight is towards the bottom and the leaves are starting to fade away. Anyway I decided that I have enough ripening so have cut off all runners  and shading leaves. I got what I paid for re the obelisks but they will do 2-3 years, the joints are the weak points on mine

Tricia, I have tromboncino seeds and was thinking about growing one next year. Does it have strong supporting tendrils, like my red kuri and munchkin and does it spread massively?

In have q blue seeds, so will try that one next year

[GrannieAnnie]

Several years ago we grew trombocino squash and it climbed up shrubs, azaleas and up  a fence. I added some long strings just for fun to see how far it would go between trees and it was game for it! They're fun to grow just to see what they'll attempt   I think our butternut squash crossed with the trombocino because we now have huge monsters climbing the veg. fence, doubt they'll be good eating but will use them for fall decorations on the front porch.

[Digeroo]

It has been said of Trombocino that if you stand still too long it will climb up your legs. 

[strawberry1]

Now what!!  Arghh, frost forecast tonight. I expect it will be just a touch but my squashes are dripping with ripening fruit. Will a fleece top be enough?  I am thinking of cutting some, those with tan stems and a tough skin

[tricia]

I don't think you need to worry unless you are high up in the countryside. My local forecast is for 8C here in Torbay though up on the moors they might get a touch of frost. My squashes stay on the vines till the foliage has died back. The foliage is looking a bit tatty but it's still mostly green so harvesting is a few weeks away yet.

Tricia

[strawberry1]

Thank you Tricia. I did leave them alone, I`ll just go with the flow