Topic: Doing a sweep on squash varieties being grown

[Jeannine]

Hi, we all talk about oor various squah and then move on.

Most of you know O have a bit of a thing for them and I am really curious to know how many different varieties are being grown here between us all.

Would you mind posting what you have sown or are going to.

Be it winter squash, summer squash, pumpkins,corguette, zuchhinni etc, they are all the same family,would you share the info please.

Thank you XX Jeannine

[Curryandchips]

Courgette - jemmer and tondo (can't remember full name)

Winter squash - cobnut, marina di chioggia, golden hubbard, turks turban.

Derek :)

[David R]

avalon F1 butternut and marina di chioggia

also growing an unidentified courgette (bush type)

[Paulines7]

I am growing these:

Soleil F1 Yellow
F1 Zucchini
Ortolana di Faenza
Coug de Nice (round)
Yellow Pattipan
Butternut
Yellow crookneck
Mountaineer Winter Squash
Jaspee de Vende

[CityChick]

I'm struggling to narrow down my list... So far I've got it down to:

Summer squash:

De Nice a fruit rond
Jemmer F1
Lebanese White
Rugosa Friulana
Striato De Napoli
Tondo Chiaro Di Nizza
White Custard

Winter Squash:

Anna Swartz Hubbard
Berretina Piacentina
Black Futsu
Butternut
Crown Prince F1
Jaspee de Vendee
Marina De Chioga
Musquee de Provence
Padana Tonda
Potimarron
Red Kuri
Sugar Loaf
Triamble
Uchiki Kuri

But I think I'm going to have to knock a few off the list before I sow... :-\  (Or sneak a few in my Mum's garden when she's not looking ;))

[sweet-pea]

I shall be growing:

Summer Squash:
Jemmer
All green bush (at least I think thats what it's called)
a white patty pan (don't know name if it has one)

Winter squash:
Lady godiva
Potimarron
Waltham Butternut
Burgess Buttercup
Marina Chioggia
Trombolino
Blue Kuri
Crook Necked (not sure if this is summer or winter?)
Delicata

Might be some more but that's all I can think of from memory!

[dandelion]

And me:
Summer Squash:
Courgette All Green Bush
Lebanese white
Pattypan Sunburst F1

Winter Squash
A long Butternut type from Italy (possibly Lungo di Napoli)
Crown Prince F1
Marina di Chioggia
Buttercup Burgess
Pottimarron (may give this one away as the similar Red Kuri is reputedly superior)
Red Kuri
Shishigitani
Sugarloaf Delicata  Thanks Jeannine for the last 3  :)!

[antipodes]

I will take advantage of your pumpkin growing expertise then!
Didn't think about growing pumpkin, but now that I realize that I have more space than I thought, it might be a good idea. I love Butternut pumpkin and those deep orange ones that we call Potimarron: when can I plant those? I haven't seen any at the nursery so it must be too early. Can they be planted later on the summer? And how many plants do you need to plant to cover, hmm let's say 2 square metres? They should be grown on straw, right?
What varieties are good "keepers" for the winter?

[garlicgirl]

My OH is a cucurbit fanatic, but having produced 183 cucumbers, 45 marrows and 16 pumpkins last year, he's toning it down a lot. All our family got pickled cucumber for christmas...

This year it's pumpkins, courgettes, cucumber, butternut squash and melons, as they all seem to need similar growing conditions. Can't remember what varieties, I'm afraid. :-[

[Jeannine]

Plant them now, I plant twice, early and get them out when it is a gamble and plant a second tome for security,if I get both that is a bonus.

If you are talking winter squash for space they should be 4 feet apart at least,all round,you can do less but you may not get the yield.

Most of the winter squashes are excellent keepers and will keep right through ti,, May.I still have several. Spaghetti squash keep less on the whole, reliable to 8 weeks then if you are lucky a bit longer. I don't grow on straw, although you can, I do sometimes grow on black plastic if it is a cool start to the season but usuall neither.

All the varieties of butternuts are popular,I think because they have been around the longest in the UK and they are good for commercial growers but they are not the best flavoured.

My alltime favourite is Delicata Sugar Loaf followed closely by Red Kuri but I like most (except butternut). There are hundreds to choose from as you can see from the posters and everyone has a favourite and we all grow them differently.

They have been my passion and hobby for many years so I am a bit biased!!

Go for it,you will enjoy it,and the tastes are far superior to any store bought ones.

If you are stuck for seeds Pm me  XX Jeannine

[Barnowl]

Not really into pumpkins yet. Trying courgettes for the first time and have gone for:

Courgette Romanesco
Courgette Rugosa Friulana
Courgette Striato di Napoli
Courgette Tondon Di Piacenza                               

 -all Italian because our summers are getting hotter!

[antipodes]

Oh it's nice to offer seeds but I will probably just buy a couple of plants from the nursery, I don't seem to have that much luck with seeds. If they need 4 feet of space then I will probably only grow one or two next to the courgettes.
Maybe I have misunderstood butternut, to me that is a sort of yellowish beige colour with a long body and a rounder squatty end to it. I like teh flavour but maybe you have tasted much zanier varieties ;)
Here in France they often try to sell you some kind of big orange pumpkin that they cut in slices but it is completely tasteless. Beurk and eurk. I prefer the smaller varieties.

[Chris Graham]

I'm on:

Butternut - Cobnut
Courgette - All Green Bush
Courgette - Parador

Kinda basic, i know  ;)

[tim]

Summer 'Squash'.

White Bush Lebanese
White Volunteer
Both Real Seeds seeds - & both excellent last year. Very solid. Both very similar - see pic - bottom ones.

Most years - Genovese - swear by it.

And, stupidly, fell for Tristar this am - 3 colours. Stupid because, if I'm only sowing 4 of them, they could all be the same!!

Jeannine - a sudden thought - DON'T let all this give you IDEAS?! Or is your next estate larger?

Or are you writing a book??

[Doris_Pinks]

Bit of a squash fanatic too.......never sure where they are all going to go, but have planted:-

Winter Squash
Buttercup
Waltham Butternut
Chieftan Butternut
Shop seed butternut
Serpente di Sicilia
Mariana di Chioggia
Harlequin
Crown Prince
Uchiki Kuri
Delicata- Cornell Strain
Amish Pie
Trombolino
Turks Turban
Queensland Blue
Bosnian
Table Gold
Kushimi ???(writing rubbed off packet!)
Atlantic Giant
Shop Seed Pumpkins

Summer Squash
Sunburst
Custard White

Courgettes
Bambino
Genovese (On Tims recommendations over the years :-*!)
Parador (yellow)

Now where to put them all! Thank goodness for upward climbers and frameworks ;)

[BAK]

Courgette .. f1 Defender

Winter butternut squashes ..f1 Avalon and f1 Harrier (both from T&M).

How many acres do some of you have?!? .. unless you are only growing 1 of each.

[tim]

Acres? We get by with 8 plants a year.

[Jeannine]

Tim, when I came back here in 2000 I rarely met anyone who did squash, the seed people had no choices, over the last few years it seems to have caught on and is getting so poplular, everybody buys from everywhere all over the world and  I find it so exciting.

Judging by what I am reading I am certainly not alone with my passion, there are lots of squash nuts around.

Whatever do you mean by giving me ideas. mmmmmmmm

However I did get several new ones today and ............mmm still not to late to plant.

I am seeing quite a few I don't have and some I have never heard of and that is the fun of squash.

 XX Jeannine

[saddad]

BiG Max and Hundred weight Pumpkins,
Crown Prince and Vif Rouge D'Etampes,
Veg Spagetti... ( which usually keeps til Xmas?)
Courgettes various... Tondo/Rondo Gold Rush All Green Bush...
Probably some others I can't recall yet as we haven't started sowing... we tend to get caught not being as close to sea level!
 ::)

[CityChick]

Jeannine - did I miss it, or where is your list of what you're growing!! :D