Allotments 4 All

This thread is to post a photo of your pumpkins or squashes even if you don't feel they're worthy of entering the competition. Let's see everyones efforts so we have a gallery of all different varieties and sizes. :)

Here are the squashes from my allotment. The two Marina Di Chioggia's are still on the vine and growing and one more Padana is still growing so not photographed here.

(http://www.acountrygarden.co.uk/picture_library/2006/170906squashes.jpg)

(http://www.acountrygarden.co.uk/picture_library/2006/170906squashes1.jpg)

The first picture shows my "giant" (hahahaha, it's large but certainly NOT giant!) pumpkin, Hundredweight, together with some marrows and Padana squashes from seeds of italy, apparently they're good for roasting...I'll let you know. :)

I spotted a fellow allotmenteer's pumpkin today, Atalantic Giant, he rekons it's around 70-100kg now, it's HUGE :o I'll post a photo if I can get one, he's been feeding it on liquid tomato food.

What a lovely sight :) Those Padana are very handsome Leonnie, tempted to try them next year ... let us know how they taste!

Quote from: Leonnie on September 17, 2006, 16:24:14

I spotted a fellow allotmenteer's pumpkin today, Atalantic Giant, he rekons it's around 70-100kg now, it's HUGE :o I'll post a photo if I can get one, he's been feeding it on liquid tomato food.

70-100KG, whats that in old money? I 'am still working in the good old imperail measurements ;D

1kg is approx 2.2lb, so that's approx 150lb - 220lb :)

that's 1.5 to 2 hundredweight ... rather impressive I will readily admit, since mine are probably about 30 lb max.

Wow! Leonnie those look really impressive  ;D 

How long after I pick them will my pumpkins start to go bad?

My largest pumpkin weighted 10KG I was quite chuffed.

i had pumpkins that nearly lasted a year

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Mrsava/squash_collections.jpg)

Half of our collection.  I will take some better snaps tomorrow.  I like your Padana squishes Leonnie - nice sturdy looking chaps!  ;D

thanks EJ, they've grown bigger than I expected them to be, the picture on the seed packet gave me the impression they were a smaller variety. What is the name of the squash in the front right of your picture, I like it's shape.

What are those green speckled ones in EJ's photo? Anyone have any info as they look amazing :o :o :o.Are they edible?

That green hooked neck is called a swan guord.  Originally I was told it was ornamental, however, I have since found out from an American that they are edible, HOWEVER, somethings in the US have the same names for different things, but all guords are edible (I believe) it is just some taste horrid.  I won't be eating these as I have already promised them to the urchins for them to decorate.

Thanks for the info I shall be growing some of them next year for my o/h and childrens as they are very impressed.Thanks.

Mine is 33KG
or 72.753lb
or 935.53 oz
or 5.1966 Stones ;D
Will try to get pic soon, have picked it cos trying to clear plot before honeymoon.

Harvest time for mine.... and I can just about benchpress it!

What a stunner belle!  Wotcha gunna do with him??

OK, here's some of mine:

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/tumuli/Pumkins1.jpg)

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/tumuli/Pumpkins2.jpg)

Butternuts still growing.

I think I've had about 3 dozen in total (didn't know it was going to be such a good year - had 4 pumkins in all last year :))

Mine on the garden table - excuse the pic quality, was taken in the dark. 4 or 5 Spaghetti squash on the left, Thelma Sanders sweet potato squash on the left, the blue ones are Crown Prince, Lady Godiva is the large one on the right at the back, the small orange ones are Becky, the very small green stripey ones are ornamental gourds, there are some yellow courgette Orelia and Jemmer, Storrs green and also some long green ridge cucumbers.

love these photos :)
Oo jenny! :o envy@thelma, none of mine fruited >:( :'(
oh for windowsills diana 8)

No.1 son carted the crop home this morning - he was afraid they'd get stolen from the greenhouse ::)
Blue hubbard, jaspee de vendee, yellow crookneck squash, turks turban, marina di chioggia, turks turban, sweet dumpling, uchiki kuri (?), delicata, and the rest done lost their labels ;D

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/IMG_0248.jpg)

Fabulous pictures, winter squash is definitely a 'must do' next year, excluding the lady godiva as I know I won't like them, but everything else could be on my list.

thank you curry :)
I've learned some lessons this year from all the things I didn't do - plant not less than 3 ft apart, nip off the shoots to encourage fruiting sideshoots, plant out earlier, don't leave seedlings festering in modules for months thinking 'oh, those can go in at the weekend ...' :-[ ::)

This years harvest with Number 1 son


(http://www.travman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/DSCF0160.JPG)
(http://www.travman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/DSCF0156.JPG)
(http://www.travman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/DSCF0157.JPG)

Absolutely amazing Travman, but what do you DO with them?

Still thinking about that one.......  :)
Storing them untill i decide is my main concern ;D

Very impressed! Do you have a field!

:o wow travman, so you won't be storing those on the stairs then ;) ;D

flippin' 'eck - how many plants produced that lot ?

These were from 7 plants that envoloped the entire allotment.
over the last few months i lost about 5 large pumpkins to rot :'(

Travman I've been like a little kid here running off to find OH to show him your pictures. I LOVE them! Amazing and such fun !   ;D  ;D


Erm...is there a competition category for "small but perfectly formed" ? LMAO!

Curry, why won't you like lady godiva????  I thought she was grown for a naked seeds which are tasty to eat??

Amazing pumpkins Travman!  Really impressive!  Yours also SS.  Love the yellow crooknecks!  ;D

No.1 Daughter with our 1 and only pumkin. First effort this year
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5548/dscf2969tu0.th.jpg) (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf2969tu0.jpg)

Here is a selection of some of my squash.  Have given some away, but didn't feel I did as well as last year.  Lots of foliage but not as many fruit.  I think it was because of the strange weather conditions. Loved growing them again - they always make me smile -  such a cheerful looking veggie!  :D busy_lizzie

Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on October 01, 2006, 23:11:23
Curry, why won't you like lady godiva????  I thought she was grown for a naked seeds which are tasty to eat??

Only just spotted this, since I am not as active on the forum as I used to be.
It appears that the seeds have an almond-like taste, to which I have a serious allergy. I did buy a packet from HDRA, with the intention of sharing the seeds, but in the end, when I found out about the flavour, I just gave the whole packet away. A shame really, since they are named after my home city ...

Quote from: busy_lizzie on October 16, 2006, 14:50:14
they always make me smile -  such a cheerful looking veggie!  :D

great pictures woppa and lizzie ;D
love the orange monsters in lizzie's pic, proper cinderella pumpkins - what variety please? :P

Travman why not give one to a local childrens ward for holloween? Or see if any businesses wants a pumpkin in exchange for ££

Love to see the pictures of them all too -  such brilliant colours, shapes and varieties.  Travman, I too was impressed with the quantity of yours - they must have covered all of your allotment. My OH draws the line at more than one large bed though as we wouldn't have space for anything else.

Hi SS, The big Cinderalla looking one of mine on the left of my pic is a cross breed - half jack o lantern, (I think) and one half Queensland Blue.  The other orange ones are Jack O lantern, and the rest Queensland Blues.  Can save some of the seed from the groovy one and the others, when they are finally cut into, if you are interested.    :D  busy_lizzie 

Does that mean the cinderellas were your own F1? Cor!
Thank you for the offer of seeds katy, may take you up on that next year at Seed Swop Madness time ;)

here are two of mine:
  (http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c220/mcd55/IMG_6788-800px.jpg)

They are not world record breaking ones, but I'm very pleased with myself.  I managed to grow 4 - all big max.  I've given 2 to the local schools that my firm supports - apparently they are very pleased and slightly bemused as to what to do with them.  One is at home for us to enjoy and one is at the lottie - its been slightly damaged (not sure whether by me, or lottie visitors), but I don't think it'll last long.  Not sure that I'll grow them next year as they took up quite a lot of space, but having said that, I did pick up several packets at the Wyevale sale  ::)

This was my biggest:  (http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c220/mcd55/IMG_6785-800px.jpg)

I know its a little late but only just worked out how to get pictures from phone onto computer.

Here I am with my 8 year old son showing our prized pumpkin thats now in the big compost bin in the sky.

trina

Now these aren't pumpkins we grew, but I thought you'd like to see them.

OH designed this Pumpkin Man, which is still on display at Kew Gardens at the moment, even though he was only supposed to be there for their autumn festival.

Apologies for the late upload, but OH has only just handed over his pictures!


(http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p103/triffidspix/27eb7e03-1.jpg)


(http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p103/triffidspix/27eb7e03.jpg)



(http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p103/triffidspix/11276321.jpg)

that deserves some sort of award, outstanding !!

He's seven metres high -- taller than our house   ;D

... a real 'Atlantic Giant'!

oh that's brilliant :D

amazing - deserves a movie to itself, something between the Wicker Man and the Nightmare Before Christmas! :o what a clever OH, what did the tiny triffs think? ::)

The little triffs love him to bits.
In fact the grass in front of him has been entirely worn away by children hopping up and down and adoring him!

In daylight he's really very amiable, you know...
and no one's seen him at night since those first pictures were taken of him 'coming to life'...
(Kew is really, really dark at night, so who knows where he gets to then  :o ;) )

big friendly  giant pumpkin  :)

Wow!! Fantastic Triffid.

Ted He is one good looking youngster!!

One day I figure out how to post a picture. In the meantime all my squash grown this year are in my user icon.

I noticed Kea and wondered if they were all yours! :o :D
SSx

They'd look better in full size but I'm rubbish at posting photo's just can't work it out! :-[

i should add that the 'marrow' is the courgette that grew while i was on holiday!

tee hee ;) what varieties are the others? ::)

(http://www.vrombaut.co.uk/GARDEN-PICS/pumpkins.jpg)

Better late than never...

The flat-ish bright orange ones are Vif Rouge d'Etampes
The upright orange one is Quintale
The 2 yellow ones are spaghetti squash
The dark green round ones are Marina di choggia
The long green one and the speckled round one are overgrown courgettes
The narrow yellow one is an Unidentified Italian Squash
The curly haired one is my daughter.

Great crop there Dandelion... even the red-haired one!
8)

she looks like she's going to start drumming at any minute  :)

Better late than never! Visitors to other sections of A4A but have seen my first attempts at posting pics - but I'm still trying to get it right.
(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5469/pumpkinboyspm7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
This pumpkin was my first ever effort (2005) and weighed exactly 70 lb. This years one only made 62lb. I didn't take a pic but it looked much the same as this one!
Really enjoyed looking at all your growing successes, wonderful! Thank you.

Great fun, Grandma!

This year's pumpkin may have looked much the same as the one in your picture,
but I bet the boys have grown out of all recognition!

 ;D just lovely to see kiddies thrilled by giant vegetables ;)
are those your complete credentials for grandmahood grandma (the sprogs not the punkin), or are there more? ::)

Hi Supersprout.
The answer to your question is they are all grown from kaboucha squash bought at the supermarket. Some are quite obviously a cross between Crown prince and Kaboucha. Which particular varieties of kaboucha squash they are i don't know, there is a bit of variation. The biggest weighed just over 3Kg....and I think I've mentioned that one a few times! Most are between 1.5- 2Kg....I know it doesn't seem big to all you people with orange monsters but I grew them to eat and these are the best to eat!!
I used the two damaged by Glyphosate (another story mentioned elsewhere)  as additional halloween lanterns. They were affected by the spray and were deformed and brown inside and had a horrible smell, they looked fine on the outside.

I have one more grandson - another lovely lad - and yes they've grown a lot in a year! Not surprising when you see the amount of fresh fruit and veg they can put away!  Although they're not really 'useful' in the garden yet, they do enjoy watching things grow and helping with the picking. On one 'picking' day the other little boy asked what was growing in a big tub. "Potatoes", I told him. I found him a bit later gently parting the top leaves. "You're not going to have many potatoes this year, are you?" he asked. Needless to say, although the spuds were far from ready, I just had to up-end the tub to show him how potatoes grew! He was tickled pink and, I'm told, enjoyed eating the poor little babies!

((Grandma)) that is such a sweet anecdote! 'Gently parting the top leaves' indeed...

How old is this angel of yours?

(My big boy is seven, which is why I'm starting to get all nostalgic for these sort of 'little boy moments'...  :'(  )

Yes, precious moments! Enjoy them! The two lads pictured are aged six and seven, the 'spud kid' is eight now - but I think he was about 5 at the time.

Still lovely at those ages. No stubble and hormones for a few years to come  ;D

Apart from Small Triffid (the seven-year-old) I'm also lucky enough to have Tiny Triffid, my gorgeous golden-haired daughter, who's three-and-a-half.

Despite being half the age and size of her big bro, she's in many ways more grown up and independent than he is!  ::)

You may well find Tiny Triff will be more useful in the garden too. My daughter was always ready and willing to wield a spade or lug a watering can, my strapping son....as much use in the garden as a clump of ground elder!!

 :o Wow. All the inspiration I need to really go for it next season. Have grown butternut and summer squash this year plus usual marrows, cucumbers and such. Will be going for the crown prince and a few crook necks now!

Choco

I finally got around to eating my 3Kg squash last weekend as I've been working my way through some of the smaller ones. It was a great disappointment as they say 'biggest is not always best', most of the smaller ones have had great flavour and texture, the big one has lots of flesh but very average flavour and a watery texture which is a bit slimey. Some of the others have been a lot worse but many more modest sized ones have been so much better. I haven't kept it's seeds for growing this year.

Wrongness found on internet ;D

(http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2006/11/halloweengallery16.jpg)