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Old May 10, 2017   #10
Zeedman
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 313
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I would agree that C. ficifolia is an interesting squash. In addition to the traits mentioned above, it seems to be highly resistant (perhaps immune) to PM. The young vine tips are also good as a vegetable... and you'll get a lot of them, because unless pruned, the vines will overrun everything in their vicinity! They will climb a tree if you let them. Fun to grow, provided you have the space, and an extended Fall (the vines generally bloom around the equinox). Blooming that close to my first frost, the squash did not have time to mature for me.

My favorite winter squash is grown from seed of the market squash "Australian Blue". It is a buttercup-like maxima, similar - but not identical - to Queensland Blue (I've grown both). Ribbed blue-gray rind, thick deep orange flesh with a fine texture. Takes most of my summer to ripen, but the table quality is outstanding.

My other favorite - and the most reliable - is bush acorn. They mature very quickly; I've planted as late as July 4th, and still had mature squash before frost. Planting that late, by the way, bypasses the SVB egg laying period in my area... so no losses. Each bush will produce 4-6 squash that IMO are just right for an individual serving, and the flavor is outstanding. I wouldn't really call it a "winter" squash though; best eaten shortly after picking, and eat the longer-storing squashes after the acorns are gone.
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