Which one is that?
What's Growing in the Garden
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Hubbard. Medium size, ~ 24" long.
I thought that blue might be a Hubbard
. If you can't move them fast enough, they are fairly high in protein so they make great animal food if they begin to spoil
How do you keep those gray squash beetles off the vines and how do you keep that all weeded? I had one last year and the bugs got it.
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For the weeds, I use a pre plant application of metolachlor (Dual II) and then just before they start to vine, I use buckets to cover the plants and spray glufosinate. Then, lots of hoeing for escapes.
I use a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) at planting. That really helps with squash vine borer, cucumber beetles and other pests for a good part of the summer. Late in the season I'll use bifenthrin. If anything is a problem during bloom, I'll use Spinosad which is safer for bees.
I use a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) at planting. That really helps with squash vine borer, cucumber beetles and other pests for a good part of the summer. Late in the season I'll use bifenthrin. If anything is a problem during bloom, I'll use Spinosad which is safer for bees.
I dug a few potatoes this morning, I've been digging a hill now and then to eat. Many of them are quite large but so far we have not found any hollow ones. Given our drought conditions I'm surprised to find so many large ones. I probably have 2 or 3 more buckets to dig. They usually keep good until the end of April. They are kennabec a old reliable variety. Snow White mealy interior and skins that bake up golden brown.
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Those are nice looking spuds! Kennebec is my main variety also. Do great in heavier soils and store well for me.
Every true Vermonter used to grow green mountains but most of us have found out that kennabec is a better producer with similar qualities. Certified green mountain seed is pretty hard to find now. A friend of mine grows a couple of acres of potatoes and he plants a vieriety called Riba , he has to make a trip to Maine for his seed. They are the best storing potatoes I've ever seen.
Not in my garden - sadly, but was grown in someone's garden. That's a big pumpkin Charlie Brown!
But not the biggest by far - biggest is an additional 312 pounds heavier! Lil Mikey could get rid of his rock and live in one of them!
But not the biggest by far - biggest is an additional 312 pounds heavier! Lil Mikey could get rid of his rock and live in one of them!
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Here are some of mine. Kind of a deceptive pic because of the grass, these are all 18-24" tall and average more than 20# each. Just one of four pumpkin/gourd patches.
pumpkin sales are dramatically down in Las Vegas this year. maybe the tightened economy. pumpkin growers in utah are 50 if not 100's of semi truckloads to vegas behind last years numbers. pumpkins are about $4.25 each wholesale shipped to vegas (1 ton box approx 130 pumpkins $650 delivered) pumpkins are not selling at smiths grocery, rotting in the boxes at home depot and Whole foods. Walmart gets theirs out of Manteca CA just lowered their price in las vegas stores to $3.78 each
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I don't sell, just give them away, so really don't follow the market too much. I've seen ones this size listed for ~$15 at stores, but I'm not in town enough to see any turnover.
Friends/family, and friends of friends and family are welcome to come and get them. I only move 15 or so up to the house.
Seed, fertilizer and a little time is all they cost me, and I'd grow this amount even if nobody showed up to get some. In another week or so, I'll start cutting up some of the ugly ones to get seeds to roast.
Friends/family, and friends of friends and family are welcome to come and get them. I only move 15 or so up to the house.
Seed, fertilizer and a little time is all they cost me, and I'd grow this amount even if nobody showed up to get some. In another week or so, I'll start cutting up some of the ugly ones to get seeds to roast.
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Niece and her friend came out for pumpkins, so got rid of a few. Pumpkins in the back and squash, gourds and apples in the back seat.
I always preferred the taller, oval shaped ones... I think they made better starting blocks for carving.
i like the red and dark green one, on the right
Are the pancake ones pumpkins or colored cheese squash?
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Those are called "Early Giant" and have been a good producer for me. They've got big thick stems that you can carry them with, and are also somewhat resistant to powdery mildew which is a big problem. They also average 25# or more.
Those are an old French variety that in the US is called "Cinderella's Carriage". Around 20#, they are also supposed to be good eating. They are unique in that they will stay green (or yellow) if part of the fruit is shaded. Get some interesting color combinations if you have lots of weeds or heavy foliage. These can be surface carved, but are solid meat with the exception of the seeds in the middle. Sometimes sold as a heritage variety with the name "Rouge Vif d'Etampes".
Great info. Will have to remember to get some of the solid meat variety. Always like the most bang for the vine. These 14 inchers at the local market are only an inch and a half of meat. 2 fifty a piece can help offset that but it's twice the work for the meat.
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Those are squash. Don't know the relationship to cheese squash, but I'd be surprised if they didn't share a lot of genes. My guess is they have the same ancestral parentage that probably changed as different regions selected different fruits/seeds from year to year.
There are a lot of ornamental "pumpkins" sold that are in reality heirloom squash varieties from Europe. I've got to try and find time to cook up some of these and compare flavor to Hubbard and the acorn squash I have.