2015 Grow-Along Challenge: Squash Wars - Roll Call!

Okay, it's time to make your final selections and post what you intend to grow this year if you'd like to participate in our fun challenge.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Any member of DG can enter 1 to 5 varieties of squash (pumpkins, acorn, butternuts, summer, zukes) - preferably some varieties that have been overlooked in PlantFiles, but they can be any variety that interests you.

2. If the same variety is chosen by multiple participants, we'll allow the first three posters to "stake their claim" to it. (It pays to post your choices early.)

3. Start your squash according to your area's last frost date. Take at least three pictures and post them in the appropriate PlantFiles entry:
- seedlings
- plants in bloom (male and female blossoms), and
- mature fruit

4. Also post a comment in PlantFiles, reviewing your experience growing each variety - whether it was good or bad (what you learn will help others!)

All photos and comments must be posted by September 30, 2015. We will draw prizes on October 1. For each variety you grow, add pictures and a comment, you are eligible for a drawing.

Melody and I will be participating in the challenge, but we will leave all the prizes for everyone else :-).

Ready? Okay, here goes: one post per person, please. (You can edit your post if you need to.) Good luck, and good growing!

I'm going with:

#1) Pattison Striae
#2) Gaget Pattison
#3) Pattison Golden Marbre
#4) Crookneck Early Golden



This message was edited Mar 5, 2015 3:03 AM

OK what happened here? I had the first post and Gelber Englisher Custard. now it's gone.

Well I was a bit upset I couldn't keep with the cat theme Lol here's my goodies...

Green tiger
Cougar
Vermicelli
Rouge de something pumpkin

May find one more...

Let's give terry a good ol fashioned hiny spankin' :)

Guess my pics arent showing up from my phone ;) oops

Karen, I think you could grow it too.

Hope it's OK for a new guy to play, I went nuts at Baker Creek and bought some I have never heard of, so I am trialing them this summer. Here's my three:

1. Moschata: Geraumon Martinique

2. Mixta: Mexican X-top

3. Pepo: Kamo Kamo

Couple of additions, scrolled through the thread and did not see these 2:

4. Pepo: Mongogo du Guatemala

5. Moschata: Palav Kadu

Will plant some others also, but based on internet research these are the most likely to survive our southern bugs

This message was edited Mar 12, 2015 11:37 AM

Welcome maul!!! :) never heard of them either, Im excited to see how they do :D

By all means, welcome new guy. :)

Here's what I'm planting:

Cucurbita maxima 'Blue Ballet'
Cucurbita maxima Strawberry Crown
Cucurbita pepo 'Tatume'
Cucurbita pepo 'Yellow Finn'

I'm adding Kabocha Squash, Japanese Pumpkin 'Black Forest'
Cucurbita maxima



This message was edited Mar 10, 2015 5:53 PM

And Carol and Julie!!! Woot woot, this will be fun! :D

Welcome everyone!

Yes, there's room for more folks!


My choices are:
Goldy (a gold zucchini)
Cha Ching (zucchini)
Sweet Reba (acorn squash)
Honey Nut (a small butternut)

I'll also be growing the old standby Summer Yellow Crookneck, but I grow those every year as theye are my family's favorite squash.

I have enough seeds of the Sweet Reba and Honey Nut to share with some folks.

I've already sent out 1 envelope of the Sweet Reba, so I only have 1 more offering of those, but I have 2 offerings of the Honey Nut left. Let me know if you'd like either of these and I'll drop them in the mail.

Mine changed slightly:

Tatume
Vermicelli
Golden Zebra

I'm excited to get growing....well, honestly I'm excited for any glimpse of spring (especially considering we're hunkering down for the fourth sleet/ice storm in as many weeks.)

Upped to two trials this year. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/222826/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/222826/

Continuing: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/199852/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/141180/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/204358/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/204219/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/204434/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/189501/ http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/218284/

I'm growing these........


'Cube of Butter'
'One Ball'
'Potimarron'
'Tromboncini'

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 6:14 PM

I thought I'd play around with some seeds. I got a jiffy tray, line it with paper towel, got it good and wet, set it on a heat mat, then laid some pickling cukes, Yellow Crookneck, Ornamental Gourd, Zucchini, and Martin House Gourd seeds to see it they would sprout! LOL I now have a min garden in my craft room. Still a little to cool at night to plant outside yet, so hopefully I can keep them going the room is nice and sunny. Get early morning then late afternoon.

Hello everyone....newbie here....my dh and I are in North Pole, AK, where growing much of anything is a challenge, haha!
We are going to try and grow the following varieties of squash this year:
Blue Hubbard Winter
Marina Di Chioggia Winter
Red Kuri Winter
Golden Egg Summer
and just because we need to have some production
Zucchini :)

Last frost date for us is June 1, so my start date will be a little later than most.

Happy Growing everyone!

Hilo Laotian- Not Sure, maybe Winter.
Ambar Squash-Winter
Black Futsu Squash-Winter

Gonna be interesting!! LOL

Ok I am growing;
Pumpkin- Cucurbita pepo_'Knucklehead'
Pumpkin-Cucurbita pepo- 'White Ghost'
Zuchinni- Dark Green
Summer Squash- Yellow Crook Neck
Here is my updated list :)


This message was edited Mar 5, 2015 11:39 AM

I am growing Hopi Orange Squash, and the straight neck squash.

Hello all! New here, intermediate gardener. This year I will be growing Yellow Squash and Zucchini of unnamed varieties as well as Butternut Squash from a store bought squash. But for my entry I will be growing:

Cucurbita moschata 'Tahitian' (Tahitian Butternut Squash)

My Grandfather grew these when I was a child, and it took some hunting to find seed! They are real monsters, and are said to have the highest sugar content of all squashes. They keep very well in storage. Looking forward to the adventure!

Seeds started 3/2/2015

Welcome, swordofthebreeze. It sounds like you've got a good start on this. The 'Tahitian' squash are interesting. I'll be direct-sowing but can't do that until the soil warms enough.

Tatume

Well, it will be awhile before I can start my seeds...I'm in south west KY and should be getting my first lawn mowing right bout now, instead, I woke up to 15" of snow this morning....biggest snow we've had since 2004. Our last frost date is in a month and I direct seed my squash in the garden. I sure hope conditions change for the better!

Melody, your door looks like my back door, lol

Ugh! Same here only not quite so much new snow.

Old snow melted...every flake of this is new snow.

All new snow here, but nowhere near 15 inches. Enough to cover the ground and keep everyone indoors for the day.

Mother Nature seems to be having the last laugh here. All the snow melted yesterday with the rain, just before it all turned to ice and snow. And still snowing....

Oh boy!! So sorry for you peeps on the East coast.....We are in the low 70's, with possible rain come Monday.....We are begging for SNOW and rain we are in our 4th year of drought and it VERY severe this year :(

Cindy, I was in the Santa Barbara this past June and it was so dry I was shocked. I had no idea that the Sacramento area was like that as well.

It looks like we have a wide range of climates, soil types and elevations for this fun challenge. We ought to have a fun time with this!

Awww, I just found you and saw where
Tatuma is taken - so am I outta luck ?

It would be ideal to have 3 growers growing the same squash. (variations in climate and location gives a great cross section of how it performs) so if there haven't been 3 to claim a variety, jump right in!

purpbutfly, we would gladly send you some of this if we could. We are on the opposite end of the spectrum. we have too much water right now. That's usually the way it works isn't it? Parts of the country that really need it ,can't get it. And parts that don't need it, keep getting it. Wish we could find some sort of balance.

If the 4 feet of snow currently covering my garden ever melts, I'm planning on growing:

Zucchini - "Astia Hybrid"
Pumpkin - "Long Island Cheese"
Pumpkin - "Kikuza"
Winter Squash - "Bush Delicata"

Terrys just in for the "vermicelli" war hehehe Im ready mama!!! ;) Think shes saying "so many" can grow the same type :)

I realiked the summer squash was still available

1. Livingston pie pumpkin
2. cocozelle
3. Sweet reba acorn squash
4. Rugosa friulana
5. Butternut rugosa violina

Found some seed I've been hearing about so I changed my list. Fyi early crookneck has a spot I gave up. I got some Italian warts crookneck to try. Still growing my old stand by but ill see what this is like.
I'm also growing Amish pie for fall. Did a little research so I'm looking for some candy roaster, Sibley, and Boston marrow to grow too
TChioggia6 age was edited Mar 11, 2015 2:58 AM

This message was edited Mar 25, 2015 11:07 AM

howconnie, I've grown the Red Kuri a few years ago and you're going to love it. It is very productive and the squash keep well for a long time. I recommend it highly.

I'm starting some of my seeds tomorrow indoors. Still have enough seed to start outside after frost danger. And we have such a long growing season, I can start more in mid-summer to harvest before frost! Keeping a journal of everything!