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

Last of this years squash crop, Styrian Hulless.

My Hilo is getting hammered by squash bugs right now. No fruit on anything yet, just flowers but I haven't been able to get rid of the bugs. I've tried a couple different things with no luck. Trying to avoid Sevin but if I want squash may not have a choice. Vine is already looking bad in a few places thanks to them. At least I can say I tried growing them. lol

Sorry to hear that about the squash bugs Pepper. This bug problem only affected my community garden but didn't my container garden this year.

Hi all! Everyone's pictures of their squash look great. Farmer Dill, the Styrian (Syrian?) Hulless is gorgeous.
Pepper, I have been using dilute soapy water (dish soap) on my zucchini to kill squash bug nymphs and it seems to knock them out right away. I have to do it everyday, though. I have been scraping the eggs off of the leaves with my finger nail, too. I waited too long to start this process, though, so my zucchini's are on their way out. I think it would have made a difference if I would have started it sooner.

In other news, Candy Roasters are doing pretty well. One of my fruits was injured and succumbed to it. There is 1 that is darn near mature, 1 that is about midway through, and 1 that is just started post-pollination.

The first pic is my mature C.Roaster, the second is my "middle-aged" one, and the third is the newest baby. One of my plants is producing much more elongated fruity than my first one. I wonder.....maybe there's just that much variation, or maybe those are going to grow long then fatten up. I would love at least a 30 pounder! My most mature fruit is probably only 4 to 6 pounds.

I started with the soapy water and they laughed. lol. So I switched to Natria Insect, Mite and Disease which helped my tomatoes (too little too late but I know for next year) but the squash bugs laughed at that too. lol

Candy Roaster looks good!!

Yes, Candy Roaster looks really nice!

It appears that the growing season is tapering down. My "squash" make only male flowers as of late.

These photos are those vines that I re sew in June. My 'Casper' flower being attacked by cucumber beetle. The smooth Luffa vine is making flowers, but male only, no female flowers yet.

Also, if you've noticed. The pumpkin's flower's color is a vibrant yellow, whereas the Luffa's is a lighter pale yellow.

Dill, that's a beautiful squash. Were you trialing it this year or have you grown it before?

I am way behind with posting but my squash are pretty much done for the year. We had a huge amount of Black Beauty zucchini from five plants with three behemoth ones left. I've not been happy with this variety in the past but it outdid itself this year. No vine borer, stink bugs or worms and mildew held off 'til late. See pic #1. I use them for zucchini pasta, fritters and other savory dishes so no problem that they tip the scales Big is beautiful for my purposes. The next three are the tromboncino. I'm growing the last one out for seed but plan to harvest the other two for eating. A fourth fruit was harvested several weeks ago We have yet to try it. If nothing else it is a conversation piece. :) The last photo is long pie pumpkin. I was very disappointed in its vertical performance and won't do it again. Perhaps it's because it is at the rear of the garden which gets less sun later but I expected better production with our long, hot summer days. Spaghetti squash did just okay. I have three of six fruits from three plants left.

Candy Roaster has been on my bucket list for years. I'd like to grow a small version. So many vegetables and so little space/time. Thank you Dill for that post. I'd have otherwise gone in blind.

No it was trial this year. Not worth repeating for me. Not very productive and only really useful for roasted pumpkin seeds.

Whoa! Those are eye's candies. They look great!

I love Mexican pepitas and use them in foods I cook but would like an easy way to hull the seeds. As for eating roasted pumpkin seeds with the hulls, that is for the birds and I'd not grow a squash for that reason.

I posted about the tromboncino on another forum and the response was that people had grown it to two plus feet. So I decided to get an accurate measurement of the one being grown out for seed. It is just under four feet. I decided to pick the smallest one so we can taste the more mature one and a very young one. Still not cookd either yet. The spaghetti squash are in Atlanta so I've not got a photo to share yet.

Maypop, you may like the Styrian Hulless. The seeds actually do not have hulls only a thin oily skin. Was not very productive for me, and flesh quality is not very good but if you want grow pumpkins for eating seeds it is agood choice. Years a go I trialed the similar Lady Godiva was not impressed.But the oil seed pumpkins are good for roasted pumpkin seed.

Emcars, it is Styrian and not Syrian.

Dill, that's an idea. I don't know much about squashes having stuck to the tried and true species all these years. Unfortunately space is always an issue and in more recent years I've been pursuing an interest in southern peas and beans especially now that the old reliable companies are getting less reliable.

My Hilo Laotian squash in the first two pictures and Black Futsu in the last one. Futsu has it rough there on the fence due to getting mowed over several times. lol. Next year there will be a few edgers around it to protect it. That one hasn't been hit by squash bugs but it's only had one squash that fell off before it got more than an inch or two in size.

Hilo is my bait vine for the bugs this year it seems. If I grow it next year I will have to do a hard hit of Sevin to keep it going because nothing else I used worked on it.

I like your arbor, Pepper. As for bug control I've have had a very successful season alternating spinosad with neem about every week to ten days. Sevin has a good knock down but the residual effect, while good for the bad bugs, does a lot of collateral damage.

Thanks! lol. It's a hog panel with 2 t-posts on either side holding it in place. With all the issues I've had this year with disease in the garden it will get moved next year to the other end of the garden. I've lost all of my tomato plants (12 of em) to disease and so far 3 out of 4 bell pepper plants are done for.

I'm gonna try to remember to get the neem oil before the season is over so I'll have it next year. I've always hated using Sevin just because it's poisonous to everything.

Here are photos of my Amazonka winter squash from harvest to table.
BTW....It was delicious. Firm and not watery. Orange flesh not grainy although I thought it might be. Baked very nicely. Then we added butter and a wee bit of brown sugar. Yum.
They are beautiful and could pass for a pumpkin. I am going to try a winter squash pie next.

Wow, that looks so good.

Pepper23 and beebonnet, great going! Keep up the good work.

Thank you, Lily and lisac. The squash was very good and I am pleased because I thought they might not be and I have so many. I hope they are good keepers, too. I need to take a few more photos of my summer squash before I wrap up the season.

Well, I guess I'm finished for the year. My squash is making a comeback, but I doubt if I have anything to harvest before the season ends. BUT, I will try again next summer, and I will post pics if i do have anything develop by the end of the season! "Sigh"

Well, mine summer squash also over with, the winter squash still linger on with a few flower here and there. I'll post the finale' photo of my total harvest tomorrow. I'll try to complete all the posting with pics. etc. to the PF. It was fun everyone.
Happy gardening, hopefully our trails and errors will help us and others to do better in the near future.

Here it's. The 2 'India Long' calabash fruits, the Ridged skin Luffa, and the 3 'Casper' Pumpkins.

Way to go, Lily! I hate that I didn't get any pumpkins. I really wanted my grandchildren to pick them here! :(

Julie, the children will absolutely love it. My grandson did. :)

Lily---That is a great display of your squash. I love those India Long ones. And the Caspers are really cute. Do you let the luffa dry now to get it to be a bath sponge?
I can't believe it's mid Sept. already. My garden is still going, even though it is beginning to look a little rough around the edges. It has been hot and dry and now colder nights are here, but rain is forecast starting today. That may bring new life to some of it.
Julie...I am happy that you will grow squash again next year. Looking forward to your photos.

Here's something to shoot for. Biggest pumpkin at MN State Fair was 1473 lbs.

Wow! Did they use a D8 to move it? LOL

I got one squash off the big plant and it was immediately covered by squash bugs. Needless to say I left it out there and I'm not touching the squash or vine until frost so I know they are dead. The other one I had growing got run over by the mower so it never got to do anything. That one I may try again next year.

@beebonnet, lol with ya, @pepper23, I'm with you. We'll give it another try next year. Happy gardening everyone.

Happy gardening! Will surely see y'all next year! ♥

Has anyone heard from Admin about prizes?

I was wondering who won. Is it posted somewhere?

Me don't know. :)

Haven't a clue?

I didn't participate but I've been watching. I didn't realize winners were supposed to be announced on Oct 1st. That is strange.

This message was edited Oct 19, 2015 6:46 PM

Hummm, so the announcement has came and gone, and no one is aware? Thanks 1lisac. I myself, perhaps was disqualified for I haven't met all the criterion for prize, e.g. post all my photos on pf and a short entries regarding my experience growing these veggies. I'll stand by and roots for those that have complete theirs.

I wonder if others were disqualified? To my knowledge there hasnt been any announcement. Im surprised that admin hasn't posted anything, just to keep us up to date. Admin hasn't posted anything in months.

I emailed them over a week ago and haven't heard anything! I spent a lot of time paying pics, writing comments, and spending money on seeds. It's just not right!