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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 10, 2014 10:21:08 GMT -5
Is this normal for this plant (Tahiti squash) this time of year? Looks normal to me: Duh!... Well almost normal. Along the bottom edge of the photo is another fig-leaved moschata squash, and I didn't mark the fruit from that vine as fig-leaved... Ooops. Here's hoping that I haven't already picked the fruits from the vine.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 10, 2014 22:57:42 GMT -5
I found the fig-leaved plant. Turns out that it was a maxima that was trying to take over the butternut patch. That's great. I'll take fig-leaved plants from either species.
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Post by steev on Sept 10, 2014 23:25:14 GMT -5
Refresh me; you like them because...?
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 11, 2014 7:06:57 GMT -5
It's a great way to develop material that works well in your climate and soils and suits your gardening habits. Hey Ray, thanks for commenting. You know, I think just propagating seed from varieties grown at your spot is an improvement in itself over seeds saved from a different locale.
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 11, 2014 7:12:39 GMT -5
Looks normal to me: Thanks for commenting Joseph. Actually, I'm beginning to think it's NOT normal, I was checking them out closer yesterday and there are new leaves beginning to form on the vines; went ahead and harvested four fruits that the stems had turned brown.
Are those a cross of butternut and Tahitian there in your picture?
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 11, 2014 7:24:47 GMT -5
Very general rule of thumb for moschata is for earliest harvest at 49-55 days after pollination, followed by a 3-4 week curing period for starch-sugar conversion to improve eating quality. I wish they had Growing Degree Day data instead of "days after pollination", since seed maturation and starch conversion are clearly temperature dependent, but that is a pretty good document from a hotshot public squash breeder. It looks like pretty normal vine die-down from powdery mildew. Thank you for that info and link to the document. Although I didn't observe any powdery mildew I can't rule that out. It's odd that the die down began within days after I 'pinched' the tips of the vines to halt fruit set; but it's also odd that my Dad and his neighbor (both 12 miles away) have experienced the same with their moschatas.
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 11, 2014 7:25:19 GMT -5
Is your place located on the river?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 11, 2014 10:06:58 GMT -5
Are those a cross of butternut and Tahitian there in your picture? The ancestors are unknown. The original planting included things like Long-of-Naples, Butternut, Pennsylvania Dutch, and other long-necked squash of various sizes. Tahitian squash hasn't grown in my garden.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Sept 11, 2014 10:36:11 GMT -5
Refresh me; you like them because...? I am collecting seeds from fig-leaved maximas and moschatas because they are different... A sign that there is a gene in the fig-leaved plants that is different than the genes typically found in those species. If the plant has a gene for different leaf-shape, it might carry other different genes as well, even if I can't see their effects. I also collected "Silverleaf Maxima" and "Mottled-leaf Maxima".
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Post by kyredneck on Oct 23, 2014 8:08:51 GMT -5
OK, I picked the rest of the squash Saturday, there were 53 ripe squash from four vines. I weighed an average sized one at 10 lbs, so I feel confident to say each plant exceeded producing 100 lbs. of fruit.
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Post by flowerweaver on Oct 24, 2014 6:23:15 GMT -5
Wow, that's awesome! I'm lucky to get 4 ripe squash out of 53 vines!
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Post by kyredneck on Oct 24, 2014 10:23:54 GMT -5
I've yet to eat any; I started a dozen plants in pots this spring and gave them all away except four; my neighbor (gave her two vines) was over yesterday evening and commented to me how good and sweet they are and said "they bare plentifully".
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Post by kyredneck on Sept 29, 2015 9:04:55 GMT -5
In the basement, left over from 2014:
.... and there's another stored beneath my computer desk. Incredible the keeping qualities of these things. I've lost two in storage in the basement so far but none stored upstairs at room temp (of course they got ate too). But it seems these store better in the house than in the cellar.
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Post by reed on Nov 25, 2015 8:22:51 GMT -5
I have one of these from last year,2014, sitting in the kitchen window. There were two but I opened one up not long ago. It was a little odd texture sort of dehydrated I guess but still tasted fairly good but we didn't eat it. Some of the seeds had sprouted. I'm just leaving the other one to see how long it takes to actually rot. Or maybe it will eventually dry like an ornamental? who knows?
I'm pretty inexperienced with squash but intend to start a landrace of them next year. These butternut will certainly be included along with acorns, especially the more bushy growing ones. Squash has wonderful potential for a staple crop and I need to diversify in a bad way.
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Post by mskrieger on Nov 25, 2015 9:28:04 GMT -5
I'm pretty inexperienced with squash but intend to start a landrace of them next year. These butternut will certainly be included along with acorns, especially the more bushy growing ones. Acorns are pepos, not moschatas. You could grow 'em together but unlikely to cross into a landrace (though perhaps others here have had success with that...)
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