mad respect for your work. you have an analytical approach to gardening that is rarely found on youtube. keep up the good work, your videos are some of the few that I instantly click on when you upload.
C. Pepo types generally don't last as long in storage as C. maxima and C. moschata. Orange Hokkaido (Red Kuri) is our favorite for flavor and storage. Our favorite C. pepo is Delicata.
@@REDGardens I've still got a happy delicata on a shelf in our house but the ones in our store that was insulated but not warm enough to be ideal were all rapidly degrading in early Jan.
C. pepo winter squashes tend to have characteristics of both winter and summer squashes. They are usually grown to maturity and have the sweet flesh of a winter squash, but don’t keep as long as other species, due to having a thinner and softer skin, more like a summer squash. Local farmers around me, grow them as a seasonal produce, that’s really only easily available in the fall. Delicata in particular are known for having a relatively short season. Usually they are only available from September through November, where I live.
A small note on the Three Sisters approach; having the beans climb up the corn is great, but keep an eye on them and train them well on where they are climbing. I've had a few beans get tangled in the corn silks and it's a headache to manage if you don't stay on top of their growth in a timely manner.
I cannot tell you how much value you are bringing to this space, it’s an absolute treasure to watch through your various processes and hear your observations, considerations, and pivots. It’s helping me think about gardening better. Regarding your outcrossed squash - have you considered exploring a landrace? Having locally adapted seed and varieties seems like it might serve your larger community food security vision…? Obviously there are downsides, but if you have the space it might be worth considering.
When harvesting winter squash, cut them with a long piece of vine, about 4-5 feet of vine attached. This supports the squash continuing to ripen. Once the vine dries then the vine can be cut at the stem. Give the larger squash more time to cure. This technique not only aids in ripening, but it improves flavor, and storage.
That sounds like a good trial to d, to see if I can see a difference in the ripening of the squash based on the length of the vine I kept attached. So much to explore!
@@REDGardens The squash will continue to feeding until the vine is dry. In marginal climates for squash the extra time to feed gives ripening a boost. I live in the maritime PNW where we have great summers for growing squash and quite variable falls. We sometimes get early frosts or heavy rains that leave us scrambling to get the squash in before the weather harms them, that extra nutrition from the long vine makes up for the abrupt early harvest, and the larger varieties always benefit from it. I look forward for your trials, I can't wait to see the results.
I live in cool climate where squash don't always ripen in time and my favorite squash for flavor and storing are the white baby boos. They are single serving size and you can eat the skin and are sweet like sweet potatoes. I eat them stuffed after cutting the stem off and scooping seeds out from the top. Also if the summer is very cloudy I can cut it off at four or so pumpkins and they ripen in time easily.
I just roasted a blue pumpkin bought as Halloween decoration and I was amazed by the amazing flavour! I wish I had space and enough sun to grow our own.
That is cool. It really amazes me that with all of the diversity of such great tasting squash available to grow, there is such limited variety in available to buy.
I felt so bad for you when the Delicata didn't work out. Its a banger of a squash that ripens earlier than other varieties. I hope once you find a seller that sells true to type seed, you will give them another go.
I hear you about the time and space to do plant breeding. You also need time and space to do seed saving. I decided to do seed saving, so I chose 3 varieties for each squash to save seed from: Honeynut Butternut (Moshata), Candy Roaster (Maxima), and Sugar pumpkin (Pepo).
Yeah, the seed saving for squash can take a lot of space, and quite limiting with only one of each species, unless you wanted to get into taping up the flowers and hand pollinating.
As always you arrive on time for me to make my choices based on real world growth. Storage is top priority us. We lost around a hundred butternuts this year in Storage. The chickens ate well.
I just harvest my first pumpkin it’s a kabocha. I also live in Ireland and it’s quite harsh to grow tropical crops here in this depressing weather. I now have a marina di chioggia and an a bar squash coming up. I grow them in buckets of soil and it’s quite successful comparing to those in ground. I’ll grow more squash as I’ve brought seeds from Australia and Asia. I’ll try taro squash ,Queensland blue , crown Prince mascade de Provinance , Jack O’lantern and maybe spaghetti squash next year
Hi, I'm also in Ireland and just started growing squash last year. I plan to grow more flavourful kinds this year like the Crown Prince and Red Kuri. You got a new subscriber here.
I couldn't figure out the accent until you mentioned Ireland. Then my interest really grew as I live in Co. Mayo. Whilst you are a bit warmer than us more northerly, it is much the same climate. You have done a lot of groundwork which is fantastic as I am only starting to grow pumpkins. This autumn/winter, I will prepare where I am to grow pumpkins on a much bigger scale. I grow a few, different types on a raised bed with mashua and yacon and left it to fight for itself. I didn't take into consideration just how much they scramble. I will have a few decent size pumpkins, but thanks to your detailed research, I will be more informed. Oh and I have just subscribed 🎃
Yeah, I have a Canadian accent, mixed with Irish having lived in Ireland for a few decades. Squash and pumpkins are great, but can be tricky to grow in our climate. And they do like to take up a lot of space, scrambling over everything, especially some varieties. Thanks for subscribing.
Thank you, I'm going to try Crown Prince too this year. Seems like a great option. Our trail was a lot less "scientific" this year. We just planted the seeds from a store bought Butternut squash. They taste great, were productive and store well. I just don't know what to do when I run out of seeds, I have no idea what variety they are or even where I bought the squash.. :-)
Sometimes that approach can be useful, especially if you can buy the squash from people who grow in your region. Around here, there isn't anyone growing squash for sale, and and the ones in the shop are from so far away, I doubt it would grow in our climate.
Crown prince produces and storest the best for me, still have some left that are in perfect condition. I also like Amoro F1 (Uchiki Kuri type), it doesnt store that well (max to Jan.) but it is a semi-bush type so doesnt need that much space and produces pretty good.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will see if I can find it. I found the last of our Crown Prince had started to rot, I think earlier than previous years. I need to change how they are stored I think.
We have a very similar maritime climate here in Victoria. This summer at the farm, Delicate, acorn performed really well. They don't grow larger varieties, mainly due to lack of sales in the past and depending on the summer, ripening is a challenge, especially with everything grown outside. We don't train or even touch the vines. Apparently, squash does best when left alone, easier said than done. I'll be very interested in seeing how yours do I'm the polytunnel 🤞 Cheers
The small ones do seem to be a lot more sellable, and more reliable for ripening. I generally leave the plants to do their thing, apart from pruning the plants that grow into other beds. But I am interested in exploring the option of pruning the plants to focus on developing the squash and not the vines, as apparently that can help, but that is something else to learn.
Thank you Bruce, I also had low yield from butternut squash. This year I try this Musquee Provence and another butternut variety called Liscia. Also patissons will be interesting to try.. I also grew some melons from collected seeds from grocery melons. Galicia had good yield, Piele de Sapo was decent but both were excellent taste. You should also add some melons to your polytunnel grow list.
I saved seeds from my lucky kabocha-butternut cross from last summer to plant this spring. You have inspired me to give it a try. I will keep you posted👍🏼
Thank you for this posting. I have long wondered what a result of some version of the 3 sisters would look like in a temperate climate like the UK. Looking forward to see what your experiment yield.
Dowding talks about two sisters being a better option in the Uk climate I think (outdoors tho). Carol Klein who did the grow your own veg tv show was another fan of the three sisters method
I have no problems with cross polination. If you come up with a new variety, naming it after your local area could be great from a marketing perspective.
It can be fun and interesting, but apparently a lot end up not as good as the original, and the second generation often isn't the same. This is why plant breeders are useful, to get something betters and to get some level of consistency. One of the cross pollinated plants we grew was actually inedible, and another one was bland, and uninteresting.
I love your videos so much. Your humble considerate and really honest about your garden experiences. After watching your video I thought of a few things you shared. I know these cross pollinated seeds really bothered you because you mentioned it in at least a few videos now. I want to offer this thought- accidents happen and it’s ok when they do. Your Delicata squash looks very true to what it is- except for the one plant. Also Delicata squash is known for a short shelf life. I too still have some waiting to be eaten from last summer but for the most part I can really only count on it’s fantastic flavor 3-5 months after harvest --after that, they are compost. It’s redemption is that it tastes lovely and for me a fantastic producer. I have had as much as 9 squash on one stem. The bugs don’t seem to hurt them as badly as some others. -it’s fun to have one space that’s not all about production but experimentation. Play with cross pollinated seeds. You know you’ll be gardening your whole life, so why not? 3) please forgive cross pollinated seeds. It can happen even in the best of conditions.
Thanks for the info about the Delicata not storing for very long. That is good to know, as I was concerned that the green/orange cross was not lasting long. Buying sed from a professional seed company, and finding that they are cross pollinated is a serious issue for me. These people should know what they are doing, and based on comments by others who seem to know what they are talking about, there could have been multiple crosses in the pack from different other squash varieties, which means that the seed saver did not know what they were doing, or didn't care. Because there are so few seed savers in the system, and it is rarely publicised who actually did the seed saving (usually because it is some place far away) it is hard to know how far the contaminated seed has spread. Did I get the only packet with contaminated seed, or are all of the seeds for this variety in North Western Europe cross pollinated? I do like the 'accidents happen' approach, as they can be a really interesting path for learning, but when you are trying to grow professionally for selling vegetables, it can cost you a lot of potential income. For me it is frustrating as it sets me back a year. I was planning to grow the squash, and save seeds from it for the future, now I need to get other seeds, and don't know if I can trust them, which is frustrating. And if I have only grown one plant of this variety, as I did with the other varieties, and I ended up with one of the other crosses, I might have dismissed this variety entirely and not grown it again.
In your video when you talk about the delicata squash and there's one on the end that looks extremely different, I really think that is a Long Pie Pumpkin squash. It also isn't ready to eat until it turns orange. I've just picked mine after growing it this first year and I'm waiting for it to fully turn orange so I can't comment on the flavor. Thanks for the video.
Great information thanks. I grew some to eat and store last season. I'm not very advantageous so I just made soup. But I will try other ways to prepare them.
Waltham butternut gives me huge yields, no rotting, and stores past 6 months. I still have 20 beauties that look perfect. I also grow in grow bags vertically so they take up very little space. Plant 6 plant, two per 20 gal bags with a yield of 50 squash.
Great video as usual! I have been experimenting with growing different varieties of squash over last few years in West Waterford (although not to your standard or rigour!). Interestingly Marinna di Chioggia has come out on top for me every year so far with consistent cropping, good taste and great storage (up to 9 months). My one attempt with Crown Prince was very poor but will have to try again with different seed. I too have had mixed results with the small Japanese/Hokkaido types with both yield and storability a bit mediocre. Of the Moschata types Longue de Nice has been consistently good for me and like your Muscat de provence it seems to ripen well in storage and stores well into late spring. In fact I have noticed that in general squash taken into curing/storage a little bit immature seem to end up storing very well. This is particularly noticeable for the Maxima types some of which can mature a month or so before final harvest and I think the Irish conditions are problematic at this point encouraging soft/decaying stems and skin blemishes/cracking which impacts storability. So, somewhat counter to the accepted wisdom of squash harvesting, I have started taking some of the more mature looking maxima squash into storage during September some time before leaf die back etc. This may have an impact on taste but not that I have been able to discern so far. Anyway looking forward to your new videos🙏
They are just such fun to grow. I grew in the tunnel last year but because it was so hot I had problems with pollination. But that temp was pretty out of the ordinary! I grew Goosebump and Baby boo, I only got 2 goosebump, but the Baby boo was good eventually. I did do a lot of hand pollination though.
I am hoping that the bumblebees return to the polytunnel to help with the pollination, and that we don't get too hot this summer, though that is not very likely here in Ireland.
Moschata are the only type of squash I can grow well, because I can't keep up with the vine borers in my climate. New england cheese pumpkin is my new favorite.
That is interesting. I didn't know the one species was less affected by that pest. I am so glad we don't have the vine borers here in Ireland, but then there are so few vines like that being grown.
Rouge Vif D’Etamps is one of my ‘old reliables’, I grow every year, does well even in wet cloudy Summers. I’ve been growing it in the U.K. but I’m originally from the West of Ireland. (Sligo) and would be surprised it wouldn’t do well there as last frosts are much earlier there so it’s a slightly longer season than what I’ve got here. I put hay or straw under it to lift it off the ground though, and keep an eye for slugs, because any bug damage will cause it to rot early. It’s a pretty decent storer too, but like all squash, I keep an eye and if there’s any signs of degrading then that’s the squash I use up next.
That is interesting, I will definitely try it again, thanks for the suggestion. We are in the midlands, so get significantly later frosts than on the coast, which does shorten the season, but I have been trying to get around that with crops covers and fleece.
@@REDGardens I’ve never had any luck growing butternut though, and I’ve tried many times. This year I’m trying an F1 variety called Autumn Crown, which has been crossbred from Crown Prince (another of my ‘old reliables’) and a butternut, bred specifically for U.K. climates including northern ones… they’re calling it a ‘squashkin’…. so am really hoping this will be the year I get a butternut that looks like a crown Prince 😁
Great video, really handy. I've always grown crown prince, but find it to be a bit large for my family, smaller squash like kuri are the perfect meal size
We can't get enough new England pie pumpkins and delicata squash. We are trying the all white mashed potato squash which is a hybrid acorn, and butternut this year
Had a similar and good experience from Muske De Provance (I spelled that wrong I am sure) great plant but not the most productive in the Chicago area which is probably warmer than Ireland. So far for flavor, yield, and storage I have found Waltham Butternut to be my personal favorite but I share your enthusiasm with winter squash. So many to try
Yeah, Chicago is definitely warmer than Ireland, in the summer! I am really looking forward to cutting into the Muscade de Provence, but I need to do it when I have a chance to use it all as the one squash I have left is over 20kg or 22lbs! I have tried for a couple of years to grow any o fit butternut varieties, including the Waltham, but never seems to ripen for me. Yes, so so many to try!
I have also wondered about that. I suspect it would take many years, and would probably depend on how diverse or varied the genetics of the original variety was, but I don't really know.
Since different squash can vary wildly, I would be interested to see the yield _after_ cutting away the skin and seed pulp. This might be a tall task, but I’d wager there would be a fairly consistent ratio of loss for each individual variety.
I only have a relatively small veg garden so stick to 3-4 plants of one squash variety. We like Crown Prince best and have been lucky in that seeds saved front the harvest in 2020 came true (or at least close) when sown in 2021 and again with another generation in 2022. We may now have a strain of Crown Prince well suited to our locality (Yorkshire) despite the original.seeds being F1 hybrid. Might be something you could try, though cross pollination will be a risk if you grow other varieties nearby.
I've grown Red kuri squash in Brittany, (damp like Ireland) because I love the taste and can cook it without having to peel it. Some years they will rot in a cool dry garage within a few months of harvesting and other years I can keep them for just as long in a warm kitchen cupboard without any spoilage. If I could only grow one squash potimarron would be it.
It is so frustrating that they can be so temperamental with storage, especially as they are so useful in the kitchen tight into the spring, if they last. The potimarron looks interesting.
While most of the squashes I grow that do well here in Florida probably won't do well in your climate, however one that does well in many different situations is "Honeynut" in the butternut family. It was developed in the US Northeast and is a small squash that should ripen quick enough and a friend in the pacific Northwest grows them profusely for several years. Suggest you give it a look.
An allotment neighbour had exactly the same problem with their Delicata squash, grown using seeds from P.S. , so I've got some from T&M to grow this year, hoping the x pollination issue was limited to 1 (or more) suppliers from the contaminated source, and hoping the ones I've bought are from elsewhere.
I assume P.S. is Premier Seeds? That is interesting, and worrying, as I bought my seeds from a small supplier here in Ireland that likely repackaged seeds from elsewhere. I would not be surprised if a lot of what is available out there was from the same cross pollinated batch, as I don't imagine there are too many seed suppliers that grow and supply Delicata seeds wholesale in the UK/Ireland. Hopefully I am wrong and the next batch is better.
@@REDGardens And the trouble is that I'm going to have to grow a few plants to make sure I haven't got a dodgy batch as if I tried just one or two I might have selected the only OK ones in the packet.
I have 2 shark fin melons sitting in my living room that are now 2 years 4 months old, and look as good (or, well, bad) as they did when harvested. I'm now just interested to see when they will eventually rot. On the other hand, my normal winter squash, which have often stored into April, this year have been subject to moulding around the button and are not keeping at all well.
More than 2 years! That is amazing! Strange that the squash didn't store well for you, was there something different about the storage conditions this year?
Great. Info. My favorite to grow finishes in 100 days. I'm high altitude with set July and august. If that helps. Sweet meat which I think is a great roasting and pie squash. Carol feels homestead version grows best for me. I also grow sugar loaf hessel delicata. Both are op. They are U.S. Seed but maybe available in ire. I have not been able to find crown Prince here in us. Great work beautiful squash
I have heard that Sweet Meat is a good one to try, though doesn't seem to be available over here in Europe. Which seems to be the same with most of the varieties people in North America recommend!
I only grow delicata, spaghetti and butternut (for pies- as they’re actually sweeter than pie pumpkin). These three varieties store the longest for me- I wash them all with either a bleach solution or baking soda- and spray the stem with rubbing alcohol, and leaving a stem on. Stored in a cool dark, dry storage room. Often about 55-65 degrees. We’re a maritime zone 8b (western Washington). I’ve had success storing the spaghetti 12 months. The rest at least 6 months. Spaghetti squash is not my favorite but I grow cause it’s so easy and stores so we’ll- how can I not? It grows like a weed and stores like a king. I’m trying to stick to seed I can save. Wish some of the prettier weirder looking ones stored as well and tasted as good! The Waltham is my favorite butternut- it may not produce AS well- but it’s taste and storability makes me willing to just plant more.
Did I remember correctly that you always have a maturing compost pile in the garden? If so, why not try growing some squash on it? They do well in unripe compost and it's a low-maintenance growing space.
A lot of people have had success with that. Our compost piles are behind a line of trees, so wouldn't get enough sun. But I do use a sheet composting method for the squash in the Simple garden.
Getting a stable variety takes quite a long time with a big process (if you don't skip it through some tricks in the lab) the genetic diversity (heterozygoty) in the F2 is 100%, that is reduced by half every new generation. So you would have to select the good ones out of like 7-8 generations to get the genetic variability almost to 0% (homozygous) Some lab work is also fun to try in that context lol Maybe look up embryo rescue for some interesting concept, i know it is not feasable for most situations but interesting nontheless Thank you for your videos!
So many squash are well over 100 dtm, I find where I live I need to stay with varieties maturing quicker than 100 days. What do you aim for in dtm? I will be trying Delicata this year also. Crown Prince looks like a baby blue hubbard to me. We love spaghetti squash as it really produces for me and seems to store very well. Butternuts are a big fail here and I've tried the quicker varieties. My chickens love eating all the squash that didn't store long enough. Do you have techniques to prevent cross pollination?
The dtm (days to maturity) is an interesting one. It doesn't seem to exist as a measure here in Europe, or it isn't something listed on any of the suppliers I buy from. And in Ireland, our summers are quite cool, so the warm loving plants take extra long to grow, and the dtm ends up being not a good metric. I haven't been saving any seeds from squashes yet, mainly because I wanted to find good varieties first, but when I get into it, I plan to use the method of taping up the male and female flowers the night before they open and then hand pollinating and taping them shut again, to keep out the bees.
You should try Burgess Buttercup, early and best flavored squash there is in my opinion. The burgess strain is rated as superior to standard buttercup. Theres a whole chapter on delicata breeding in Carol Deppes Tao of gardening that is well worth a read. summary is common delicata is very poorly maintained and not worth growing. Try cornells or carol deppe bred a new strain with extra vigour, detailed in Tao of Gardening. "Candystick Dessert Delicata". Brown envelope seeds stock it. Thanks for the trials! Squash is the best vegetable!
Would also be interesting to do a comparison of F1 Crown Prince, Non-F1 Crown Prince/Sweet Meat and Sweet meat oregon homestead (carole deppe strain). Growing the seed from the weird delicata you had this year waste of time in my opinion. I was told once you need to self pollenate/ back cross squash for 8 years to get a new stable variety and you need to grow a lot of plants in the first few years to select what you want. plus the right genes for a good result may just not be there with whatever went wrong with those.
The butternut squash flavor is my favorite here in costa rica the climate is appropriated for this variety. do you have any particular variety that is your favorite flavor?
I like the Crown Prince, and the Harlequin. With so many of the others, we don't get the ripe enough squash to really know how good they can taste. The butternut squash that we grew were ok, but kind of bland. I am hoping that the plants I grow in the polytunnel will actually ripen.
I love Cushaw Cucurbita argyrosperma but not sure it would do well in your climate. They are great because you can eat the immature fruits like Summer squash or let them mature as a Winter squash. They produce great yields but unfortunately they have a rather thin skin so should be eaten within three or four months, or processed.
It occurred to me that the North American 3 sister gardening system varies from region to region as far as the varieties of beans, corn and squash are concerned . One example is the Seminal Indians who left a legacy of squash . The genetics within this variety is staggering .
No doubt there was huge variation in what was grown. For me I am using it as a chance to grow three crops that do well in the polytunnel, and don't need a lot of attention, but I still need to figure out how to lay everything out.
@@REDGardens Ah. Looks like it was the Tuffy. I'll give the seeds to the birds so. (I found the flavour improved after the roasted squash had been in the fridge for a few days.)
I think there it is generally recommended to isolate them by hundreds of meters, or more. But, it is apparently easier at a small scale to simply tape up the flowers and hand pollinate just one fruit that you want to save seeds from.
I'm in Co Cavan, and year after year I also keep defaulting back on crown prince... I have been growing for 6 years, never ever not a single time could I have any success with anything of the cucurbita moschata family. Cucurbita pepo and cucurbita maxima they all grow fine but not the moschata family. This year I'm gonna try another 3 varieties of butternut squash, I got some seeds from Easter European friends, so Im gonna give it a very last try in the greenhouse, but if no success again, I will just give up on the cucurbita moschata. 🤷 Good ole crown price never disappoints me.
It does seem to be one of the best varieties for this climate! The C. moschata doesn't seem to like the climate, though I was impressed with the Muscade de Provence, especially now that it has ripened. But I still don't know what it tastes like.
I have a question regarding Crown Prince winter squash. Is it similar to a Kabocha squash? What I enjoy about Kabocha is the sweetness and dry flaky texture. I’ve tried many varieties but their production are similar. Two to three fruit per plant. Also do you have a company that sells Crown Prince seeds to the U.S.?
Hi, i grow Kabocha F1 and Crown Prince F1 every year. Crown Prince is definitely much sweeter than many other squash varieties but not as sweet as Kabocha. The flesh is firmer, like Butternut squash. In short, it's a very tasty squash but you wouldn't mistake it as Kabocha. Plant World Seeds can ship to the US, but please check their delivery info page as you'd need to provide some kind of certificate.
I've always felt that acorn squash were among the poorest storing winter squash, rivaling delicata for that distinction. Any time I've lost a squash and found it again months later it has always been an unhappy surprise, while with the asian pumpkins or butternuts or spaghetti squash or hubbards they always seem to be fine.
I've ordered some Crown Prince this year as well after seeing them on your channel. So far I've only grown Hokkaidos. Do you know if the Crown Prince is able to support its own weight to grow on a vine or do they have to be on the ground?
I grew some Crown Prince in a polytunnel a few years ago, and tied a support twine around the stem of each squash to support it. I didn’t leave any to see if they could support their own weight, as some of them can get to 5kg or more.
Hi, im a crown prince breeder and would love to hear how you're getting on. They can get fairly large but are surprisingly strong and can mostly support their own weight.
Do not feel pressure to isolate a variety, planting cross polinated seeds its its own pleasure, and can let you know what is really possible with that particular species that you might not find in any variety or hybrid
For a lot of the explorations I do, and the comparisons between the gardens, I really need consistency, or else it is a lot harder to compare anything (which is the main aim of the project). But if I was growing just for myself, and had the space, it would be lovely to just explore like that.
For a few years I grew a very impressive accidental hybrid squash that came from seeds of a Buttercup pollinated by Uchiki Kuri. The fruits were square and blocky like Buttercup but orange-skinned, kept well, and were delicious. Unfortunately with a shared growing space with other people growing their own squash varieties that is just a few too many miles away for early morning visits to hand-pollinate, I wasn't in a position to try to stabilize with backcrossing. But I should try the F1 cross again to see whether I was just lucky, or whether this is a cross that often produces something special.
I tried a variety called Strawberry Crown this last season, which is as similar as I've been able to find. The flavor is down right superb, and they're storing beautifully, so far. Zone 5b, Central New York.
I am so surprised you didn't include Buttercup in your trial. From others who have done extensive trialing this comes out as a favorite. I purchased Crown Prince seeds to try this yr from your recommendation.
Yikes. Plant breeding. You need lots of space to keep varieties separate & very deliberate placement of trial plots. One of my uncles breed sweet corn as a hobby & had to time it with his own corn/soy bean rotation & that of close by neighbors to prevent coss pollination. He bribed their cooperation with a free bushel of sweet corn.
Three sisters is not worth the time. Corn is really inefficient. Plus needs a lot to support itself, recommend tying up if having a small amount outside, also found that it can be planted real close together, just gotta feed it real good
@@REDGardens you mentioned you got some that weren't true to type. I just thought if you needed something specific I might could try and help. I realize you're in Ireland and you know what types do better for you. If I can help here and there ease let me know.
Landrace gardening by Joseph lofthouse. Let them all cross pollinate save the seeds and develop your own line of squash. It will develop in your growing conditions and under your management style. Because the parents are grown in your climate they will adapt to your climate and pest pressure and the ones who can’t stand up to it will succumb and not pass along it genetics. Plus you’ll get to taste some extremely unique squash.
That is a fascinating poses and process. It is the “taste some extremely unique squash” part of it, and the number of years involved, that has me concerned, especially with how much space squash take up. If I had a lot of space and time to explore, that would be a cool thing to experiment with. But with trying to feed people in a relatively small area, and needing to ensure that I can get a useable crop, finding something that is reliable and easy, probably makes more sense.
Does Ireland have a locally grown marketing campaign, like Ontario's Foodland Ontario. seem that you could cut a lot of corners in seeing what grows well in Ireland by what the farmers have been growing. I usually take seeds from supermarket squash since a squash is cheaper than the seeds.
mad respect for your work. you have an analytical approach to gardening that is rarely found on youtube. keep up the good work, your videos are some of the few that I instantly click on when you upload.
C. Pepo types generally don't last as long in storage as C. maxima and C. moschata. Orange Hokkaido (Red Kuri) is our favorite for flavor and storage. Our favorite C. pepo is Delicata.
I liked both of this as well. How long do you find the Delicata will store for?
@@REDGardens I've still got a happy delicata on a shelf in our house but the ones in our store that was insulated but not warm enough to be ideal were all rapidly degrading in early Jan.
Kabocha or green kuri /hokaido taste better
C. pepo winter squashes tend to have characteristics of both winter and summer squashes. They are usually grown to maturity and have the sweet flesh of a winter squash, but don’t keep as long as other species, due to having a thinner and softer skin, more like a summer squash. Local farmers around me, grow them as a seasonal produce, that’s really only easily available in the fall.
Delicata in particular are known for having a relatively short season. Usually they are only available from September through November, where I live.
I really love potato squash! Think it’s the perfect squash! 😅 we like a long season squash
A small note on the Three Sisters approach; having the beans climb up the corn is great, but keep an eye on them and train them well on where they are climbing. I've had a few beans get tangled in the corn silks and it's a headache to manage if you don't stay on top of their growth in a timely manner.
Thanks for the advice.
I cannot tell you how much value you are bringing to this space, it’s an absolute treasure to watch through your various processes and hear your observations, considerations, and pivots. It’s helping me think about gardening better. Regarding your outcrossed squash - have you considered exploring a landrace? Having locally adapted seed and varieties seems like it might serve your larger community food security vision…? Obviously there are downsides, but if you have the space it might be worth considering.
When harvesting winter squash, cut them with a long piece of vine, about 4-5 feet of vine attached. This supports the squash continuing to ripen. Once the vine dries then the vine can be cut at the stem. Give the larger squash more time to cure. This technique not only aids in ripening, but it improves flavor, and storage.
That is interesting. I have heard about keeping a few inches of vine, but not a few feet.
That sounds like a good trial to d, to see if I can see a difference in the ripening of the squash based on the length of the vine I kept attached. So much to explore!
@@REDGardens The squash will continue to feeding until the vine is dry. In marginal climates for squash the extra time to feed gives ripening a boost. I live in the maritime PNW where we have great summers for growing squash and quite variable falls. We sometimes get early frosts or heavy rains that leave us scrambling to get the squash in before the weather harms them, that extra nutrition from the long vine makes up for the abrupt early harvest, and the larger varieties always benefit from it. I look forward for your trials, I can't wait to see the results.
I live in cool climate where squash don't always ripen in time and my favorite squash for flavor and storing are the white baby boos. They are single serving size and you can eat the skin and are sweet like sweet potatoes. I eat them stuffed after cutting the stem off and scooping seeds out from the top. Also if the summer is very cloudy I can cut it off at four or so pumpkins and they ripen in time easily.
Sounds like a variety I should try!
I just roasted a blue pumpkin bought as Halloween decoration and I was amazed by the amazing flavour! I wish I had space and enough sun to grow our own.
That is cool. It really amazes me that with all of the diversity of such great tasting squash available to grow, there is such limited variety in available to buy.
I felt so bad for you when the Delicata didn't work out. Its a banger of a squash that ripens earlier than other varieties. I hope once you find a seller that sells true to type seed, you will give them another go.
Definitely looking to get some more seed for that one.
I hear you about the time and space to do plant breeding. You also need time and space to do seed saving. I decided to do seed saving, so I chose 3 varieties for each squash to save seed from: Honeynut Butternut (Moshata), Candy Roaster (Maxima), and Sugar pumpkin (Pepo).
Yeah, the seed saving for squash can take a lot of space, and quite limiting with only one of each species, unless you wanted to get into taping up the flowers and hand pollinating.
As always you arrive on time for me to make my choices based on real world growth.
Storage is top priority us. We lost around a hundred butternuts this year in Storage. The chickens ate well.
Oh, that is tough to lose so many!
@RED Gardens Thanks. As newbies it's a learning curve for us too.
I just harvest my first pumpkin it’s a kabocha. I also live in Ireland and it’s quite harsh to grow tropical crops here in this depressing weather. I now have a marina di chioggia and an a bar squash coming up. I grow them in buckets of soil and it’s quite successful comparing to those in ground. I’ll grow more squash as I’ve brought seeds from Australia and Asia. I’ll try taro squash ,Queensland blue , crown Prince mascade de Provinance , Jack O’lantern and maybe spaghetti squash next year
Hi, I'm also in Ireland and just started growing squash last year. I plan to grow more flavourful kinds this year like the Crown Prince and Red Kuri. You got a new subscriber here.
Glad you got something useful out of it. Good luck with the growing this year.
I couldn't figure out the accent until you mentioned Ireland. Then my interest really grew as I live in Co. Mayo. Whilst you are a bit warmer than us more northerly, it is much the same climate. You have done a lot of groundwork which is fantastic as I am only starting to grow pumpkins. This autumn/winter, I will prepare where I am to grow pumpkins on a much bigger scale. I grow a few, different types on a raised bed with mashua and yacon and left it to fight for itself. I didn't take into consideration just how much they scramble. I will have a few decent size pumpkins, but thanks to your detailed research, I will be more informed. Oh and I have just subscribed 🎃
Yeah, I have a Canadian accent, mixed with Irish having lived in Ireland for a few decades.
Squash and pumpkins are great, but can be tricky to grow in our climate. And they do like to take up a lot of space, scrambling over everything, especially some varieties.
Thanks for subscribing.
Thank you, I'm going to try Crown Prince too this year. Seems like a great option. Our trail was a lot less "scientific" this year. We just planted the seeds from a store bought Butternut squash. They taste great, were productive and store well. I just don't know what to do when I run out of seeds, I have no idea what variety they are or even where I bought the squash.. :-)
Sometimes that approach can be useful, especially if you can buy the squash from people who grow in your region. Around here, there isn't anyone growing squash for sale, and and the ones in the shop are from so far away, I doubt it would grow in our climate.
@@REDGardens Right I think I was just lucky TBH
Good summary. Your delicata looks just like what I've always gotten.
Thanks.
Sounds cool! Do remember that you'll have to hand-pollinate the corn if it's in a polytunnel...
Good point. Thanks.
Crown prince produces and storest the best for me, still have some left that are in perfect condition. I also like Amoro F1 (Uchiki Kuri type), it doesnt store that well (max to Jan.) but it is a semi-bush type so doesnt need that much space and produces pretty good.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will see if I can find it. I found the last of our Crown Prince had started to rot, I think earlier than previous years. I need to change how they are stored I think.
We have a very similar maritime climate here in Victoria. This summer at the farm, Delicate, acorn performed really well. They don't grow larger varieties, mainly due to lack of sales in the past and depending on the summer, ripening is a challenge, especially with everything grown outside.
We don't train or even touch the vines. Apparently, squash does best when left alone, easier said than done.
I'll be very interested in seeing how yours do I'm the polytunnel 🤞
Cheers
The small ones do seem to be a lot more sellable, and more reliable for ripening. I generally leave the plants to do their thing, apart from pruning the plants that grow into other beds. But I am interested in exploring the option of pruning the plants to focus on developing the squash and not the vines, as apparently that can help, but that is something else to learn.
Thank you Bruce, I also had low yield from butternut squash. This year I try this Musquee Provence and another butternut variety called Liscia. Also patissons will be interesting to try.. I also grew some melons from collected seeds from grocery melons. Galicia had good yield, Piele de Sapo was decent but both were excellent taste. You should also add some melons to your polytunnel grow list.
I grew a few melon varieties last year, and was really pleased with them, until the plants died off early for some reason.
I saved seeds from my lucky kabocha-butternut cross from last summer to plant this spring. You have inspired me to give it a try. I will keep you posted👍🏼
Sounds like an interesting cross, hope it works for you.
You're the man Bruce!
🙂
Thank you for this posting. I have long wondered what a result of some version of the 3 sisters would look like in a temperate climate like the UK. Looking forward to see what your experiment yield.
It is going to be interesting to see how it works out. I think pollinating the corn will be an issue.
Dowding talks about two sisters being a better option in the Uk climate I think (outdoors tho). Carol Klein who did the grow your own veg tv show was another fan of the three sisters method
My favourite pumpkin is the Kent pumpkin. Great to see so many trials you are doing and the outcomes of each.
I haven't heard of the Kent variety, but will keep an eye out for it.
@@REDGardens aka Jap Pumpkin
I have no problems with cross polination. If you come up with a new variety, naming it after your local area could be great from a marketing perspective.
It can be fun and interesting, but apparently a lot end up not as good as the original, and the second generation often isn't the same. This is why plant breeders are useful, to get something betters and to get some level of consistency. One of the cross pollinated plants we grew was actually inedible, and another one was bland, and uninteresting.
I love your videos so much. Your humble considerate and really honest about your garden experiences. After watching your video I thought of a few things you shared. I know these cross pollinated seeds really bothered you because you mentioned it in at least a few videos now. I want to offer this thought- accidents happen and it’s ok when they do. Your Delicata squash looks very true to what it is- except for the one plant. Also Delicata squash is known for a short shelf life. I too still have some waiting to be eaten from last summer but for the most part I can really only count on it’s fantastic flavor 3-5 months after harvest --after that, they are compost. It’s redemption is that it tastes lovely and for me a fantastic producer. I have had as much as 9 squash on one stem. The bugs don’t seem to hurt them as badly as some others. -it’s fun to have one space that’s not all about production but experimentation. Play with cross pollinated seeds. You know you’ll be gardening your whole life, so why not?
3) please forgive cross pollinated seeds. It can happen even in the best of conditions.
cross pollination does happen but if you are running trials it invalidates the test
Thanks for the info about the Delicata not storing for very long. That is good to know, as I was concerned that the green/orange cross was not lasting long.
Buying sed from a professional seed company, and finding that they are cross pollinated is a serious issue for me. These people should know what they are doing, and based on comments by others who seem to know what they are talking about, there could have been multiple crosses in the pack from different other squash varieties, which means that the seed saver did not know what they were doing, or didn't care. Because there are so few seed savers in the system, and it is rarely publicised who actually did the seed saving (usually because it is some place far away) it is hard to know how far the contaminated seed has spread. Did I get the only packet with contaminated seed, or are all of the seeds for this variety in North Western Europe cross pollinated? I do like the 'accidents happen' approach, as they can be a really interesting path for learning, but when you are trying to grow professionally for selling vegetables, it can cost you a lot of potential income. For me it is frustrating as it sets me back a year. I was planning to grow the squash, and save seeds from it for the future, now I need to get other seeds, and don't know if I can trust them, which is frustrating. And if I have only grown one plant of this variety, as I did with the other varieties, and I ended up with one of the other crosses, I might have dismissed this variety entirely and not grown it again.
In your video when you talk about the delicata squash and there's one on the end that looks extremely different, I really think that is a Long Pie Pumpkin squash. It also isn't ready to eat until it turns orange. I've just picked mine after growing it this first year and I'm waiting for it to fully turn orange so I can't comment on the flavor. Thanks for the video.
That is interesting. It may look similar, but I doubt it is that variety. I don't think it is even available in Europe.
Great information thanks. I grew some to eat and store last season. I'm not very advantageous so I just made soup. But I will try other ways to prepare them.
Soup is a great way to use squash, especially with the big ones like Crown Prince.
Waltham butternut gives me huge yields, no rotting, and stores past 6 months. I still have 20 beauties that look perfect. I also grow in grow bags vertically so they take up very little space. Plant 6 plant, two per 20 gal bags with a yield of 50 squash.
I wish we could grow that here.
Great video as usual! I have been experimenting with growing different varieties of squash over last few years in West Waterford (although not to your standard or rigour!). Interestingly Marinna di Chioggia has come out on top for me every year so far with consistent cropping, good taste and great storage (up to 9 months). My one attempt with Crown Prince was very poor but will have to try again with different seed. I too have had mixed results with the small Japanese/Hokkaido types with both yield and storability a bit mediocre. Of the Moschata types Longue de Nice has been consistently good for me and like your Muscat de provence it seems to ripen well in storage and stores well into late spring. In fact I have noticed that in general squash taken into curing/storage a little bit immature seem to end up storing very well. This is particularly noticeable for the Maxima types some of which can mature a month or so before final harvest and I think the Irish conditions are problematic at this point encouraging soft/decaying stems and skin blemishes/cracking which impacts storability. So, somewhat counter to the accepted wisdom of squash harvesting, I have started taking some of the more mature looking maxima squash into storage during September some time before leaf die back etc. This may have an impact on taste but not that I have been able to discern so far. Anyway looking forward to your new videos🙏
Good show, cheers
🙂
They are just such fun to grow. I grew in the tunnel last year but because it was so hot I had problems with pollination. But that temp was pretty out of the ordinary! I grew Goosebump and Baby boo, I only got 2 goosebump, but the Baby boo was good eventually. I did do a lot of hand pollination though.
I am hoping that the bumblebees return to the polytunnel to help with the pollination, and that we don't get too hot this summer, though that is not very likely here in Ireland.
Moschata are the only type of squash I can grow well, because I can't keep up with the vine borers in my climate. New england cheese pumpkin is my new favorite.
That is interesting. I didn't know the one species was less affected by that pest. I am so glad we don't have the vine borers here in Ireland, but then there are so few vines like that being grown.
Rouge Vif D’Etamps is one of my ‘old reliables’, I grow every year, does well even in wet cloudy Summers. I’ve been growing it in the U.K. but I’m originally from the West of Ireland. (Sligo) and would be surprised it wouldn’t do well there as last frosts are much earlier there so it’s a slightly longer season than what I’ve got here. I put hay or straw under it to lift it off the ground though, and keep an eye for slugs, because any bug damage will cause it to rot early. It’s a pretty decent storer too, but like all squash, I keep an eye and if there’s any signs of degrading then that’s the squash I use up next.
That is interesting, I will definitely try it again, thanks for the suggestion. We are in the midlands, so get significantly later frosts than on the coast, which does shorten the season, but I have been trying to get around that with crops covers and fleece.
@@REDGardens I’ve never had any luck growing butternut though, and I’ve tried many times. This year I’m trying an F1 variety called Autumn Crown, which has been crossbred from Crown Prince (another of my ‘old reliables’) and a butternut, bred specifically for U.K. climates including northern ones… they’re calling it a ‘squashkin’…. so am really hoping this will be the year I get a butternut that looks like a crown Prince 😁
Great video, really handy. I've always grown crown prince, but find it to be a bit large for my family, smaller squash like kuri are the perfect meal size
I have the same thoughts. I like it, but it is too big a lot of the time, especially now that I am not feeding loads of people regularly.
We can't get enough new England pie pumpkins and delicata squash. We are trying the all white mashed potato squash which is a hybrid acorn, and butternut this year
I haven't tried the New England Pie variety, but have heard it is great. The mashed potato squash sounds interesting.
Had a similar and good experience from Muske De Provance (I spelled that wrong I am sure) great plant but not the most productive in the Chicago area which is probably warmer than Ireland. So far for flavor, yield, and storage I have found Waltham Butternut to be my personal favorite but I share your enthusiasm with winter squash. So many to try
Yeah, Chicago is definitely warmer than Ireland, in the summer! I am really looking forward to cutting into the Muscade de Provence, but I need to do it when I have a chance to use it all as the one squash I have left is over 20kg or 22lbs! I have tried for a couple of years to grow any o fit butternut varieties, including the Waltham, but never seems to ripen for me. Yes, so so many to try!
I have heard that repeatedly using saved seeds can help certain squash varieties acclimatize to certain regions, curious how effective that would be
I have also wondered about that. I suspect it would take many years, and would probably depend on how diverse or varied the genetics of the original variety was, but I don't really know.
Since different squash can vary wildly, I would be interested to see the yield _after_ cutting away the skin and seed pulp. This might be a tall task, but I’d wager there would be a fairly consistent ratio of loss for each individual variety.
That would be interesting to measure.
Excellent video, Lot to learns
🙂
I only have a relatively small veg garden so stick to 3-4 plants of one squash variety. We like Crown Prince best and have been lucky in that seeds saved front the harvest in 2020 came true (or at least close) when sown in 2021 and again with another generation in 2022. We may now have a strain of Crown Prince well suited to our locality (Yorkshire) despite the original.seeds being F1 hybrid. Might be something you could try, though cross pollination will be a risk if you grow other varieties nearby.
That is interesting that it came true.
I've grown Red kuri squash in Brittany, (damp like Ireland) because I love the taste and can cook it without having to peel it. Some years they will rot in a cool dry garage within a few months of harvesting and other years I can keep them for just as long in a warm kitchen cupboard without any spoilage. If I could only grow one squash potimarron would be it.
It is so frustrating that they can be so temperamental with storage, especially as they are so useful in the kitchen tight into the spring, if they last. The potimarron looks interesting.
greetings from Croatia
best variety of pumpkin in terms of ripening fast, cold hardy, god storage is
butternut ragusa
I wonder how it owed grow in the cool summers of Ireland? All the other butternut types I grow really struggle to produce anything.
@@REDGardens I usually grow a second round before autumn and if there is no frost, it succeeds for 80 days
greetings
While most of the squashes I grow that do well here in Florida probably won't do well in your climate, however one that does well in many different situations is "Honeynut" in the butternut family. It was developed in the US Northeast and is a small squash that should ripen quick enough and a friend in the pacific Northwest grows them profusely for several years. Suggest you give it a look.
An allotment neighbour had exactly the same problem with their Delicata squash, grown using seeds from P.S. , so I've got some from T&M to grow this year, hoping the x pollination issue was limited to 1 (or more) suppliers from the contaminated source, and hoping the ones I've bought are from elsewhere.
I assume P.S. is Premier Seeds? That is interesting, and worrying, as I bought my seeds from a small supplier here in Ireland that likely repackaged seeds from elsewhere. I would not be surprised if a lot of what is available out there was from the same cross pollinated batch, as I don't imagine there are too many seed suppliers that grow and supply Delicata seeds wholesale in the UK/Ireland. Hopefully I am wrong and the next batch is better.
@@REDGardens And the trouble is that I'm going to have to grow a few plants to make sure I haven't got a dodgy batch as if I tried just one or two I might have selected the only OK ones in the packet.
I have 2 shark fin melons sitting in my living room that are now 2 years 4 months old, and look as good (or, well, bad) as they did when harvested. I'm now just interested to see when they will eventually rot. On the other hand, my normal winter squash, which have often stored into April, this year have been subject to moulding around the button and are not keeping at all well.
More than 2 years! That is amazing! Strange that the squash didn't store well for you, was there something different about the storage conditions this year?
Great. Info. My favorite to grow finishes in 100 days. I'm high altitude with set July and august. If that helps. Sweet meat which I think is a great roasting and pie squash. Carol feels homestead version grows best for me. I also grow sugar loaf hessel delicata. Both are op. They are U.S. Seed but maybe available in ire. I have not been able to find crown Prince here in us. Great work beautiful squash
That is wet July August not set....😃😃
I have heard that Sweet Meat is a good one to try, though doesn't seem to be available over here in Europe. Which seems to be the same with most of the varieties people in North America recommend!
I only grow delicata, spaghetti and butternut (for pies- as they’re actually sweeter than pie pumpkin). These three varieties store the longest for me- I wash them all with either a bleach solution or baking soda- and spray the stem with rubbing alcohol, and leaving a stem on. Stored in a cool dark, dry storage room. Often about 55-65 degrees. We’re a maritime zone 8b (western Washington). I’ve had success storing the spaghetti 12 months. The rest at least 6 months. Spaghetti squash is not my favorite but I grow cause it’s so easy and stores so we’ll- how can I not? It grows like a weed and stores like a king. I’m trying to stick to seed I can save. Wish some of the prettier weirder looking ones stored as well and tasted as good! The Waltham is my favorite butternut- it may not produce AS well- but it’s taste and storability makes me willing to just plant more.
Did I remember correctly that you always have a maturing compost pile in the garden? If so, why not try growing some squash on it? They do well in unripe compost and it's a low-maintenance growing space.
A lot of people have had success with that. Our compost piles are behind a line of trees, so wouldn't get enough sun. But I do use a sheet composting method for the squash in the Simple garden.
Getting a stable variety takes quite a long time with a big process (if you don't skip it through some tricks in the lab) the genetic diversity (heterozygoty) in the F2 is 100%, that is reduced by half every new generation. So you would have to select the good ones out of like 7-8 generations to get the genetic variability almost to 0% (homozygous)
Some lab work is also fun to try in that context lol
Maybe look up embryo rescue for some interesting concept, i know it is not feasable for most situations but interesting nontheless
Thank you for your videos!
I figured it was something like that! Thanks for the suggestion.
So many squash are well over 100 dtm, I find where I live I need to stay with varieties maturing quicker than 100 days. What do you aim for in dtm? I will be trying Delicata this year also. Crown Prince looks like a baby blue hubbard to me. We love spaghetti squash as it really produces for me and seems to store very well. Butternuts are a big fail here and I've tried the quicker varieties. My chickens love eating all the squash that didn't store long enough. Do you have techniques to prevent cross pollination?
The dtm (days to maturity) is an interesting one. It doesn't seem to exist as a measure here in Europe, or it isn't something listed on any of the suppliers I buy from. And in Ireland, our summers are quite cool, so the warm loving plants take extra long to grow, and the dtm ends up being not a good metric.
I haven't been saving any seeds from squashes yet, mainly because I wanted to find good varieties first, but when I get into it, I plan to use the method of taping up the male and female flowers the night before they open and then hand pollinating and taping them shut again, to keep out the bees.
You should try Burgess Buttercup, early and best flavored squash there is in my opinion. The burgess strain is rated as superior to standard buttercup. Theres a whole chapter on delicata breeding in Carol Deppes Tao of gardening that is well worth a read. summary is common delicata is very poorly maintained and not worth growing. Try cornells or carol deppe bred a new strain with extra vigour, detailed in Tao of Gardening. "Candystick Dessert Delicata". Brown envelope seeds stock it. Thanks for the trials! Squash is the best vegetable!
Would also be interesting to do a comparison of F1 Crown Prince, Non-F1 Crown Prince/Sweet Meat and Sweet meat oregon homestead (carole deppe strain). Growing the seed from the weird delicata you had this year waste of time in my opinion. I was told once you need to self pollenate/ back cross squash for 8 years to get a new stable variety and you need to grow a lot of plants in the first few years to select what you want. plus the right genes for a good result may just not be there with whatever went wrong with those.
The butternut squash flavor is my favorite here in costa rica the climate is appropriated for this variety. do you have any particular variety that is your favorite flavor?
I like the Crown Prince, and the Harlequin. With so many of the others, we don't get the ripe enough squash to really know how good they can taste. The butternut squash that we grew were ok, but kind of bland. I am hoping that the plants I grow in the polytunnel will actually ripen.
Nice squash
Have you considered Long Island Cheese Pumpkin? It's probably your best choice for a butternut type squash.
I have heard of it, but that variety does not seem to exist over here in Europe.
@@REDGardens Sent you an email on the subject.
I love Cushaw Cucurbita argyrosperma but not sure it would do well in your climate. They are great because you can eat the immature fruits like Summer squash or let them mature as a Winter squash. They produce great yields but unfortunately they have a rather thin skin so should be eaten within three or four months, or processed.
It occurred to me that the North American 3 sister gardening system varies from region to region as far as the varieties of beans, corn and squash are concerned . One example is the Seminal Indians who left a legacy of squash . The genetics within this variety is staggering .
No doubt there was huge variation in what was grown. For me I am using it as a chance to grow three crops that do well in the polytunnel, and don't need a lot of attention, but I still need to figure out how to lay everything out.
Bruce, toward the end of the season there was a green acorn squash in the fridge. Were they Tuffy F1, or were they open pollinated?
If it was small, it would be the Tuffy F1. If it was larger it owed have been the open pollinated Table Queen.
@@REDGardens Ah. Looks like it was the Tuffy. I'll give the seeds to the birds so. (I found the flavour improved after the roasted squash had been in the fridge for a few days.)
i always find the way he speak fascinating
Haha, I hope that is a good thing?
@@REDGardens Got that public radio voice. 😅
he speaks in a very logical and precise way. straight to the point, no BS. i wish more youtubers would do that.
@@BlackJesus8463 yes. That what.I was trying to say lol
@@notforwantoftrying1 Amen
Could you explain planting distances to avoid cross-pollination?
I think there it is generally recommended to isolate them by hundreds of meters, or more. But, it is apparently easier at a small scale to simply tape up the flowers and hand pollinate just one fruit that you want to save seeds from.
@@REDGardens thank you. I’ve learned a lot from your videos.
I'm in Co Cavan, and year after year I also keep defaulting back on crown prince... I have been growing for 6 years, never ever not a single time could I have any success with anything of the cucurbita moschata family. Cucurbita pepo and cucurbita maxima they all grow fine but not the moschata family. This year I'm gonna try another 3 varieties of butternut squash, I got some seeds from Easter European friends, so Im gonna give it a very last try in the greenhouse, but if no success again, I will just give up on the cucurbita moschata. 🤷 Good ole crown price never disappoints me.
It does seem to be one of the best varieties for this climate! The C. moschata doesn't seem to like the climate, though I was impressed with the Muscade de Provence, especially now that it has ripened. But I still don't know what it tastes like.
I bet the squash will go crazy in the polytunnel. Better sharpen your machete to do some chopping back.
I have a question regarding Crown Prince winter squash. Is it similar to a Kabocha squash? What I enjoy about Kabocha is the sweetness and dry flaky texture. I’ve tried many varieties but their production are similar. Two to three fruit per plant. Also do you have a company that sells Crown Prince seeds to the U.S.?
I don't know what the Kabocha squash tastes like, so can't really answer that. I don't know if Crown Prince is available in the USA, Sorry.
Hi, i grow Kabocha F1 and Crown Prince F1 every year. Crown Prince is definitely much sweeter than many other squash varieties but not as sweet as Kabocha. The flesh is firmer, like Butternut squash. In short, it's a very tasty squash but you wouldn't mistake it as Kabocha.
Plant World Seeds can ship to the US, but please check their delivery info page as you'd need to provide some kind of certificate.
I've always felt that acorn squash were among the poorest storing winter squash, rivaling delicata for that distinction. Any time I've lost a squash and found it again months later it has always been an unhappy surprise, while with the asian pumpkins or butternuts or spaghetti squash or hubbards they always seem to be fine.
That is interesting, as I had heard that they are good for storage. Definitely something to watch out for.
I've ordered some Crown Prince this year as well after seeing them on your channel. So far I've only grown Hokkaidos.
Do you know if the Crown Prince is able to support its own weight to grow on a vine or do they have to be on the ground?
I grew some Crown Prince in a polytunnel a few years ago, and tied a support twine around the stem of each squash to support it. I didn’t leave any to see if they could support their own weight, as some of them can get to 5kg or more.
@@REDGardens Thanks for the reply! I will probably add a support of some sort as my growing space is rather limited.
Hi, im a crown prince breeder and would love to hear how you're getting on. They can get fairly large but are surprisingly strong and can mostly support their own weight.
Do not feel pressure to isolate a variety, planting cross polinated seeds its its own pleasure, and can let you know what is really possible with that particular species that you might not find in any variety or hybrid
For a lot of the explorations I do, and the comparisons between the gardens, I really need consistency, or else it is a lot harder to compare anything (which is the main aim of the project). But if I was growing just for myself, and had the space, it would be lovely to just explore like that.
Hey you!!!! At the end of the times....we all need dudes as you, to start again, all this knowledge must be translated.
Juan
Thanks man! I figure, at the end of times, I will need to start a school, run away and hide, or start a cult! 😉 Hmmmm.
The green delacota squash looks like it was cross pollinated with an acorn squash.
That was what I thought. It tasted really good!
For a few years I grew a very impressive accidental hybrid squash that came from seeds of a Buttercup pollinated by Uchiki Kuri. The fruits were square and blocky like Buttercup but orange-skinned, kept well, and were delicious. Unfortunately with a shared growing space with other people growing their own squash varieties that is just a few too many miles away for early morning visits to hand-pollinate, I wasn't in a position to try to stabilize with backcrossing. But I should try the F1 cross again to see whether I was just lucky, or whether this is a cross that often produces something special.
That sounds like an interesting cross, and it will be interesting to see if you can produce it again.
Does anyone know the equivalent squash to the f1 Crown Prince in the United States? Those seeds are not available over here .
Harvest Moon looks similar. So, maybe?
I tried a variety called Strawberry Crown this last season, which is as similar as I've been able to find. The flavor is down right superb, and they're storing beautifully, so far. Zone 5b, Central New York.
BURGESS BUTTERCUP FOR the W I NNNN!!!
I am so surprised you didn't include Buttercup in your trial. From others who have done extensive trialing this comes out as a favorite.
I purchased Crown Prince seeds to try this yr from your recommendation.
I am also going to grow Candy Roaster as well because the taste is supposed to phenomenal and last up to 2 yrs.
Unfortunately it is not available here in Europe, or at least I have not seen this variety from any of my usual seed suppliers.
@@REDGardens I'll send you some if you send me your address my email is my first and last name at g Mai L
Yikes. Plant breeding. You need lots of space to keep varieties separate & very deliberate placement of trial plots. One of my uncles breed sweet corn as a hobby & had to time it with his own corn/soy bean rotation & that of close by neighbors to prevent coss pollination. He bribed their cooperation with a free bushel of sweet corn.
Three sisters is not worth the time. Corn is really inefficient. Plus needs a lot to support itself, recommend tying up if having a small amount outside, also found that it can be planted real close together, just gotta feed it real good
It will be interesting to e how it works in the polytunnel.
Saving crosspollinated seedes and select will hopefully give you good produce for you climate and taste. Let us know 2033🙂
Yeah, if I am fortunate, I could have something in 10 years!
Are we allowed to send you seeds?
I occasionally get seeds from people. What did you want to send me? 🙂
@@REDGardens you mentioned you got some that weren't true to type. I just thought if you needed something specific I might could try and help. I realize you're in Ireland and you know what types do better for you. If I can help here and there ease let me know.
When they are cross pollinating - how do you make sure the next generation is not toxic?
I don't know.
@@REDGardens I did a bit of reading - if they taste bitter they are toxic. If they taste sweet they are probably fine.
The correct answer is always spaghetti squash. ✌
Message me an address please Bruce, I will send you some seeds to try. 😉
What kind of seeds?
@@REDGardens South Anna Butternut
Landrace gardening by Joseph lofthouse. Let them all cross pollinate save the seeds and develop your own line of squash. It will develop in your growing conditions and under your management style. Because the parents are grown in your climate they will adapt to your climate and pest pressure and the ones who can’t stand up to it will succumb and not pass along it genetics. Plus you’ll get to taste some extremely unique squash.
That is a fascinating poses and process. It is the “taste some extremely unique squash” part of it, and the number of years involved, that has me concerned, especially with how much space squash take up. If I had a lot of space and time to explore, that would be a cool thing to experiment with. But with trying to feed people in a relatively small area, and needing to ensure that I can get a useable crop, finding something that is reliable and easy, probably makes more sense.
Does Ireland have a locally grown marketing campaign, like Ontario's Foodland Ontario. seem that you could cut a lot of corners in seeing what grows well in Ireland by what the farmers have been growing. I usually take seeds from supermarket squash since a squash is cheaper than the seeds.
Nope, not that I am aware of. Not a lot of vegetables are grown in Ireland, and definitely not for squash.