I've finally harvested my squash. Not a huge harvest by any means, but more than I got last year. I grew Crown Prince which are the two at the back and Queensland Blue, the small one at the front. I'm not sure, but I don't think they've ripened, they don't seem to be the colour that I think they should be. I couldn't have left them on the plants in any case, I'm sure they'd be prone to rotting in the wet weather we're now experiencing. The question is, will they ripen off the plant? Next year, I'd like to get more plants in the ground to get a bigger harvest as squash is a vegetable which we all enjoy, and it's something which can be stored and eaten in the winter months. This year, I had two plants of each variety, but only one of each produced anything.
The green tomatoes which were taken from the plants and left on the conservatory windowsill have just about all ripened now. I've had a few which rotted, but the majority have come good. I've been able to supply my mum and dad with another good batch and I've got plenty left for myself. There's just a few still waiting to fully ripen, but then that will be the last of this year's tomatoes.
Today is the brightest it's been all week. We've had some really dull and dingy days this week with plenty of rain thrown in for good measure. I've heard that storms are heading this way next week so I think it's time to batten down the hatches.
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I would have thought that 2013 would have been a good year for squashes, with all the warm weather we had in the Summer. I hve never had much success with squashes - I think my garden doesn't get enough direct sunlight for them to thrive. Mine ended up like yours (except not quite so good!).
ReplyDeleteI've never done very well with them yet, even the summer patty pan squash which I thought would be quite prolific didn't do so well. Never mind, I'll try again next year.
DeleteI had great success with patty pan squash which I am going to try again next year though I really want to try the yellow one. Mikes pumpkin got nibbled by slugs & the hole grew larger & larger as the pumpkin grew. My single butter nut squash looked under ripe but like you I had to pick it to save it rotting. I like to think that perhaps I have the wrong location for winter squash rather than the lack of green fingers.
ReplyDeleteI had the yellow patty pan this year but I only managed a few squash from it. I've got some seeds for the white variety to try next year. It's a shame that Mike's pumpkin got nibbled, I try to lift any squash on to tiles once they've developed to keep them off the ground and try to avoid any bites being taken out of them.
DeletePut your winter squash on a sunny windowsill and they'll continue to ripen. They'll be perfectly edible now though if you wanted to eat them straight away. Ripening is mainly so the skin hardens so that they store for longer. I think some winter squash are meant to have a better flavour if you eat them later on into the winter. My sweet dumpling squash were good. So I'd recommend them. Like you I want to grow more. I've been looking through the seed catalogues and there are so many tempting ones to choose from. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for that, I wasn't sure if they'd be edible or not as the skins aren't the colour I thought they should be. The squash can replace the tomatoes in the conservatory in that case. There's lots of great looking squash, really interesting skins. I like the Turks Turban ones but I've heard there's ones which taste better.
DeleteI've never grown any pumpkins, so no advice about ripening, but they do look very good in their photo!
ReplyDeleteThere's some great looking squash varieties. I shall see how these taste though before I decide which varieties I'll grow next year.
DeleteI got the morning outside, raining again now. And I come in to read of severe weather warnings and 80 mile an hour winds for some areas of the country on Monday. Battening down the hatches sounds about right Jo.
ReplyDeleteIt's been beautiful here all day up to now, warm too. The forecast doesn't make very good reading at the moment.
DeleteHave you tried growing one of the mini varieties such as Jack be Little?
ReplyDeleteI had the last of my tomatoes earlier in the week.
The weather has been the same here. I think that the stormy weather will be along the south coast on Monday. Flighty xx
I've grown Hooligan in the past, we didn't eat them though, we carved them for Halloween and put little tea lights in them. That's an idea though, I could have a go at some smaller varieties. It's a shame when it comes to the end of the tomato season, I don't buy them from the shops as they're tasteless so I'm pleased I've got some frozen to have a taste through winter. I'm hoping that we miss the storms up here in the north, though the forecast often alters over the course of a few hours, never mind days.
DeleteOur Crown Prince are a greyish colour and are never the green that yours are, I posted some photos of ours a short while ago. The start greyish - I wonder if you are suffering from a mix up when packaging or some cross pollination. Have you any other green squash on your plot?
ReplyDeleteI know, that's what I was thinking. I've only grown Crown Prince and Queensland Blue other than the patty pans. I think I'll try them and see what they're like, but I'll start with fresh seed again next year.
DeleteAs far as I know Jo they carrying on ripening after being picked. I have a 'Black Futsu' squash sitting on my kitchen windowsill but have still to see any change in the colour of its skin which should go from dark green to brown as it ripens. I live in hope :) Michelle over at Veg Plotting has posted a photo of her bumper haul of 'Jack Be Little' which look most attractive. A glorious day here but I think that you are right about battening down the hatches.
ReplyDeleteI shall give them a try whether they change colour or not, there doesn't seem to be much change in them at the moment. We had a gorgeous day yesterday but it's pouring down today.
DeleteThese are two varieties that I'd like to try next year. I'd love to have some to store for the winter. I did have some ukichi kuri which did pretty well, and they should store nicely.
ReplyDeleteI tried Uchiki Kuri last year but didn't manage one single squash. They actually sell that variety, as well as another, in Morrisons now. I'd like to have squash to store over winter too, they're a versatile veg to have in the store cupboard.
DeleteYour squash look so interesting!. I haven't see that variety here. My first little pumpkin variety is ready to be harvested this week ( maybe). I haven't know yet about the stage of its maturity. This is the first time I planted pumpkin from imported seed. I usually planted local variety.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to grow different things which you haven't grown before, even if it's just a new variety. I don't think my Crown Prince are actually the right seeds as they don't look like Crown Prince should. I shall have to start with new seeds again next year.
DeleteOur daughter is a vegetarian so the squash is another useful vegetable to grow. We had a better crop last year. We still have to pick a pumpkin and a few squash especially as the wet weather has really set in after a couple of lovely days. Glad your tomatoes have ripened and hope your interesting squashes do the same indoors.
ReplyDeleteI could hardly get any squash seeds to germinate last year, and when I did, they came to nothing. I'm hoping to have more plants and more squash next year. I shall give the squash a go whether they ripen or not, I'm sure they'll be ok.
DeleteYes I agree with Sue commenting above I think there is some problem with the seed as the one at the front looks more like 'Crown Prince'. I've grown that this year and its a bluey grey colour, mine hasn't been as good as in previous years either, only got a couple of squash and not as big. I also grew 'Blue Hubbard' which just produced one huge squash and no more. I did do well with the 'Patty Pan' though but everyone has different conditions.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot more choice in seed catalogues now so I'm going to try some new varieties next year.
I shall definitely use new seed next year, though I did this year too. It looks as though the seed may have been mixed up in the packet. I've just picked up the seed catalogue from the allotment shed so I'm going to have a sit down over the next week and choose which varieties I'll grow next year.
DeleteI wish I had more space to grow squashes although I had success with spaghetti squash last year. A couple were stored on a high shelf in the kitchen and continued to ripen. I ate one of them last week, a year after harvesting and it was still delicious! The local City Farm has a very impressive pumpkin patch but they plant straight into the compost heap of well-rotted horse manure - and it's in the open so a very bright spot! Good for you for trying again next year, it's bound to come right soon!
ReplyDeleteThey do take up a lot of room. I shall have to work out where I can fit in more plants next year. It's great to have vegetables which last so long. I've heard about squash being planted straight in to compost heaps before, they're very hungry plants so they'll love those sort of conditions. I definitely won't give up, I'll get there in the end.
DeleteAll my squash ripened well this year...i just have a few butter-nut to harvest and then they will be done. I do hope they have stayed healthy in my absence!!
ReplyDeleteI'm now thinking that my squash are probably ripe, just not the variety they're meant to be. I've never tried growing butternut squash, though I do like them.
DeleteI think yours look great, better than mine....I didn't get a one! Sighs....xxxx
ReplyDeleteLike me last year then. I'm hoping that I do better next year, time will tell.
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