Most productive and disease/borer resistant

[Alan]

Looking for suggestions on the most productive, resistant, and good tasting C. Moschatas of good size and readily available. I have decided after the disease, and drought, as well as pest issues this year to settle on C. Moschata types (as opposed to Maxima or mixta) for market gardening. I prefer cheese types because of their unique look, but don't have to necesarily have that "look". The only thing I will rule out is butternut, thouh neck pumpkins (a good strain) are a possibility.

Any suggestions?

[johno]

Well, my C. moschata project was a bust, for the most part, but I did find a new Ozarks-resistant variety LOL. (Ozarks = bugs, heat, drought, lean soil, etc...) Tahitian squash is a neck type which has huge vines, and it fared much better than the others. It produced a nice squash early on, which has since begun to rot... but after the heat wave it started producing again. I believe that given proper care in decent soil it would be a real winner.

Last year the winner was Magdalena Big Cheese, which came from Native Seeds/SEARCH. I planted it a bit late for a long season type, but if frost had held off for a few more weeks it would have finished off some really nice 'cheese wheels'. I ate the immature squash like summer squash, and the flavor was fantastic.

My all-time favorite C. moschata is Seminole Pumpkin, but this year it didn't do so well. This was the first time it ever failed me.

While it hasn't produced any viable fruits, the Musquee du Provence from lavandulagirl is a healthy plant. I think it just got too much shade. Then again, it's possible from hybrid seed as she saved seed from a squash that may or may not have been cross-pollinated.

In other words, my squash weren't grown in the best of conditions, but the long season types do best in my locale. That in mind, those above are my suggestions. I also suggest plowing deep where you'll be planting squash (Alan.) In the past, I've noticed that well-aerated soil produces much more squash. For those without tractors, double or triple digging will produce amazing results.

[canadamike]

Lav's Musquée has been hybridized, johno, it is giving me true types and butternuts. They are producing big time here, And the pepos winter squash, apart from my monster cross, and even him is not throwing tons of fruits, it really is dead on the pepo front this year, I am still waiting for the first fruit on many plants..


Funny, Alan, I posted yesterday I wanted to go big on moschatas next year ( ultra butternut II f-2 post). Exactly for these reasons.