Topic: Can anyone positively ID this squash?

[earlypea]

Another one here who's mixed up their squash labels  8)

Nurtured as a Crookneck (definitely not that), planted out as a Cornell's Delicata (nope).  Now I'm thinking it's either a Black Futsu or a Tromba di Albenga.  If it's a Black Futsu it can live because my other one is lame looking, but I've already got two Trombas doing well and would like the earth for my Cossa which has hatched (Thanks to 1066 for the seed  :)).

So can anyone positively ID it please?

[Jeannine]

Hi Earlypea. it is not possible to identify your plant at this stage.I can help you further along but even then only to a point.

The four families which all squash fall into  have noticeable  differences and it is possible to identify them by that, eg size of leaves, wether hairy or prickly and then when fruit comes along and  often before it is  recognisable, the shape and angles of the stalk .

However,   2 of the squash you mention,  the Cornells and the Crookneck are both Pepo family and the Futsu and Tromba are both  Moschata family, so even though I could tell  you which family they belong to a bit later on  , I would not be able to tell you which was which  individual squash  till the  baby fruit appeared . Even if you discount the Crookneck and Cornells(pepos) it still leaves two which are the same  family(moshcatas)

Sorry,the only help I can give is to tell you to watch the growth pattern, the two Moschata squash will put out long vines as opposed to the bush growth of the other two.

XX Jeannine

[earlypea]

Cheers Jeannine

I'll let it live then, but I'm thinking it's likely I'm going to be giving a lot of Tromba gourds away as Christmas presents,  interesting stocking filler :D

[GrannieAnnie]

I've noticed my tromba squash has those whitish veins like a delicata type but in addition has wider triangular whitish patches along some of the veins like your leaf shows on the right hand side.  But I know nothing about Black Futsu.
It is great having Jeannine for advice on this forum, isn't it?

[Jeannine]

Well if it futtsu they store well and if tromba, you can mail me one for Christmas  :-*

You can use the tromba  as summer squash anyway.

XX Jeannine

[1066]

Earlypea - I'll have a look at my Futsu tomorrow and see if there are any similarities

1066   :)

[earlypea]

A couple of days on and it's really bulked up, the leaves are now quite different to my Trombas, larger and a different shape and it doesn't start to trail in the same way - It's definitely a black futsu and doing nicely  :D  Mystery solved.

....and now it's July I've actually got time to prepare the last and final squash bed.

[GrannieAnnie]

....and now it's July I've actually got time to prepare the last and final squash bed.


?or summer or winter squash?

[earlypea]

?or summer or winter squash?

Don't be alarmed  :)  it's just for 2 or 3 summer ones.  A variegated pattipan 'Pattison Verte et Blanc' which I've been longing to grow mainly for its looks to be honest (2 of them ready to go) and then 1066's (Realseed's) possible Coussa, which has hatched but needs a couple more leaves.

In fact they're going where I originally planned to plant a few but my PSB refused to give up, then I grew very fond of it and couldn't get rid of it even at the seed stage but now the marestail's back around it, they're out I'm going to give it a d**n good fight with the squashes and a heap of manure I've got waiting.

It all works out in the end.

[1066]

- It's definitely a black futsu and doing nicely  :D  Mystery solved.

  ;D - thank goodness my Futsu looks the same  :P  ::)  :D

1066  :)

ps - the Coussa has germinated  :)

[earlypea]

So, I said it definitely 'wasn't' a Crookneck, but when I looked underneath it yesterday I got a lovely surprise.  There will be crooknecks this summer  :)  





Sadly, I just pulled up my other (definitely) Black Futsu last week to give the rest more space, seeing as this one is so vigorous.

It's weird though, because the markings on those early leaves and the shape is not like my other crookneck at all which is what confused me - and last year's wasn't such a squat bush either (but that may have been because it had to climb a bit to get the light.

Does it look the same as other peoples' crooknecks?  I'm wondering if it's an accidental hybrid.

[Digeroo]

Looks good what ever it is.

[Jeannine]

It's a crookneck,, there are several and all have minor differences. One is actually called a starightneck as it has the shape but not the crook, some are more bumpy than others. My avatar is also a crooneck.

You might get a laugh to know all my squash are mixed up now as the birds pulled all the markers out, they even uprooted some transplants, fortunatley in Jiffies so easily put back.

So I am having to bag almost al my flowers on everything if I want to save seeds and I have some very very rae ones in there with only three seeds left :-\

Enjoy them.. XX Jeannine

[GrannieAnnie]

ck.

So I am having to bag almost al my flowers on everything if I want to save seeds and I have some very very rae ones in there with only three seeds left :-\

Enjoy them.. XX Jeannine

Maybe this time we'll have to send Jeannine squash seeds! Wouldn't that be a switch.  Let us know which ones, Jeannine.

[earlypea]

It's a crookneck,, there are several and all have minor differences.

For sure...but not from the same packet of seeds.  I've only used one - from Realseeds and thinking about it, last year's plants were definitely distinctly different because I could see all the crooknecks hanging from the plant from some distance.  The stems between leaves were much longer/higher.  I remember I had another, a poor performer which didn't get shaded and that was the same.

I'm thinking there could well be some hybrid vigour in there considering the shorter time from planting out to cropping compared to last year and in similar weather.  Anyway, interesting...  In the end I hadn't confused my labels at all - just assumed I must have done because this one looked odd.

Sorry to hear about your labels - the crooknecks were lovely, much better in my opinion than the kamo kamo and I was going to get the sack as head gardener for not providing the crooks again this year  :P it's a stressful job.