Squashes for 2020

Auntie E · January 2020

Happy New Year ! Last season I grew squash Crown Prince, and it was an absolute disaster, the fruits were as big as golf balls, even though the previous year I grew the same variety and had a good harvest. I don't know what went wrong this year as they were planted in rich soil and watered when it was dry. So I think I might try another variety, any suggestions please, and also what seed supplier to chose?

Helix · January 2020

What do you want on a squash - sweetness or nuttiness? And how much space do yiu have? And so you want a bush or a runner or a climber? Choices, choices! I grow about 7 varieties each year as I can never decide...

fidgetbones · January 2020

Rotten weather in 2019. Really hot in 2018. I think it was the weather , not the variety, although when I grew Crown Prince, I limited it to one large fruit per plant, and they took up an awful lot of space for the return.

Auntie E · January 2020

Helix - I like nutty flavour and have no problem with space - so which of your seven varieties would you recommend.

Obelixx · January 2020

I have no problem with space either but still try and train squash plants up an obelisk to maximise the sun on each fruit and also to make watering easier. I stop them after 3 or 4 fruits so they concentrate their energy.

I love the flavour of Crown Prince but it doesn't do well here - heatwaves and drought - but Utchi Kuri does well and so does Butternut. Utchi Kuri also did well in my Belgian garden - less heat and loads more rain - tho Butternut never had much flavour there even in a good year.

BobTheGardener · January 2020

I had a poor crop last year too which I'm putting down to the weather. I grow at least 6 different varieties each year (2-3 of each) and none of them really did any better than the others in 2019 so pretty sure it was down to local climate which was 'unusual' here last year, to say the least! Interestingly, nearly all of the plants only grew one decent sized fruit each instead of the 3 per plant I usually harvest. I'm trying a few new ones from 'real seeds' this year but will still grow Crown Prince, Hawk & Uchiki kuri as my 'standards'. I'm going to try successionally sowing them in 3 batches over a 6 week period this year so that there's less chance of them all being affected by weird weather patterns during the critical stage (whenever that may be within their growing cycle..)

Auntie E · January 2020

Well, it seems the weather was partly the reason for the failure of my Crown Prince. So, this year I will try training some squashes up a pea support that I don't use, perhaps Utchiki KuriandI plus have come across Green Hokkaido which sounds good, I still have some Crown Prince seeds, so will give them another chance, I really like the flavour. Many thanks for helpful advice, cant wait for spring!

jenny794 · January 2020

Have any of you guys tried Spaghetti squash? I fancy a go at this but I have heard it isn't very hardy. Any success stories with this variety?

Auntie E · January 2020

I grew spaghetti squash years ago and like all squashes, it is a tender plant, I didn't think it was especially tasty. This one is fun to grow though, especially for children. According to the Sutton's website, it should keep for about two months.

RedSquirrelAbroad · January 2020

Hi squash fans, has anyone tried growing butternut up a support or are they too heavy?

Obelixx · January 2020

I always grow them up supports because it gets them off the ground (slugs) and into the sun (better ripening) and they take up less space.

In my last garden we erected a boundary fence between us and the field behind using tall posts and sheets of 5m x 2m metal grid that builders use for reinforcing concrete. Plenty strong enough for supporting butternut, Crown Prince and Utchiki Kuri squashes. In this garden I'm using metal obelisks - so far.

Squashes for 2020

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