Summer/winter squashes

[Marymary]

I bought a packet of mixed winter squash & another of mixed summer squash from The Real Seed Company & naturally they got mixed up so now I have loads of plants all doing well but I don't know which are which.  Does anyone know a way of telling them apart?  Some are obvious like courgettes or pumpkins but the others I'm not sure whether they should be eaten small or left to ripen.  Help please.

[Marymary]

[supersprout]

Fascinating! Those seeds sound great fun, I might try the mystery approach next year too :)

Thinking about the differences that may be apparent early on:

Winter squash tend to have flowers MUCH bigger than the embryo fruit.  If the flower is smaller, or looks in proportion, it's likely to be a summer squash. Summer squash tend to fruit up more substantially before they flower.

Winter squash tend to have slimmer, longer stalks before the fruit, summer squash tend to have stubby stems. Not always, but often :-\

Shape might be a clue too. Obvious summer squash shapes: patty pan, trombone, courgette, round courgette. The skin will tend to be smooth. Winter squash shapes - pointy ended (Hubbard type), pear (butternut), ribbed, 'dumpling' or oval shape, or double-bottomed like Turks Turban. And there are some smooth-skinned winter varieties, or smooth skinned varieties that only develop wartiness later on.

Depending on varieties, habit may be another clue. Bush will almost certainly be summer squash, trailing may be winter - but not always.

Sorry that's a bit hit and miss! ::) :P But if you pick winter squash young by mistake, it's delicious anyway ;D

[Marymary]

Thanks very much ss - that was what I was looking for some sort of general rules about the differences.  I really enjoy growing squashes maybe cos they grow so quickly though I have a bit of a glut at the moment.  I will try & take some pics over the weekend [if I can work out how to post them] & see if anyone can help identify them. 

[supersprout]

I'm sure we'd all enjoy that! Look forward to pix shortly then ;)
PS I have just 'opened' the last stored squash from last summer. Haven't a clue what it was - apart from a good keeper!

Added half an hour later
It tasted horrible and had the texture of balsa wood