Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

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karstopography
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Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#1

Post: # 32106Unread post karstopography
Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:17 am

These types seem to thrive in warmer weather, check mark for that, I’ve got that here in spades. They also apparently need longer growing seasons, good for me.

So far, I’ve only grown South Anna Butternut and the Thai Rai Kaw Tok Pumpkin. I love their sprawling nature and big and bold yellow blooms. Still waiting on getting any actual production, but one butternut is close.

So I know there are many other of these moschata types. I want to add one or two additional moschata squashes next year. What are your favorites?
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

zendog
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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#2

Post: # 32111Unread post zendog
Fri Oct 09, 2020 10:44 am

I grew a bunch of types this year. A major appeal for me is that they are pretty much immune to the squash vine borers that usually take out any C. Maxima varieties I've planted.

I grew two types that are known as Korean zucchini that are actually for eating immature. These were okay, but not really a flavor replacement to zucchini as far as I'm concerned. I grew both a long zucchini shaped one (less productive) and one of the "Avocado squash" types that was more productive.

Like you, I'm growing South Anna and have been harvesting them for a little over a month now. Perhaps I should be letting them stay longer on the vine, but I've waited until they've turned tan for a few weeks and the stem is starting to brown. I'll be curious what you think of them since I liked it for production and plant health, but they weren't as rich or sweet as I expect from a butternut type. I know it is part Seminole, but I thought those were supposed to be sweet, so not sure why the flavor is a little less than I expected. I understand these aren't fully stable yet and each of the three vines I'm growing seems a bit different, so perhaps one of the other vines will have better-tasting squash. I doubt I'll grow these again unless they get a lot sweeter after long storage.

I'm also growing Tahitian Melon, which are big, although mine aren't the 30 lbs monsters I've seen people mention. Mine have a bit thinner necks than some I've seen pictures of and one of the three I'm growing is off type and putting out jumbo butternut squash, instead of long-necked squash. My seed source was Southern Exposure. I expect the one plant that isn't true is a fluke since I gave seedlings to several other people who are getting large crook necked squash. I have harvested a few, but haven't eaten any yet although I'm looking forward to trying it. I'm getting at least 6-8 squash per vine and I've given a half dozen to the food bank and another half dozen to friends and family.

A surprise runaway success for me has been Autumn Frost F1 (seeds from High Mowing), a butternut type, which has been putting out over a dozen 2-5 pound squash per vine, maybe more. It is hard to know for sure since it is along the fence at the community garden and at least half have been harvested (stolen) by people walking along the bike path next to the gardens. It is productive enough that I'm still getting plenty for myself so I'm less annoyed with that than some of the other theft. These squash have a really rich, sweet flavor and are not stringy at all. If I had any complaint it would be that the shape is very variable with only about 20% turning out like the chubby little butternut shapes in the seed listings. Most of mine are round or like a blocky ribbed pumpkin. As long as the produce like rabbits and taste great, that is a small gripe.

Finally, I'm growing Honeynut butternuts. These are wonderful little squash with fabulous rich/sweet flavor. I only have 2 squash eaters in my family, so these are just the right size for a single meal. They are shorter/smaller vines as well, which is nice for keeping them under control, but I have noticed they succumb to the various mildews, etc. faster than other squash.

I would love to hear what you think of the South Anna when you get one to taste, as well as the Thai Rai Kaw Tok Pumpkin which sounds really interesting as well.

I'm looking at some of the smaller crook-neck strains to try next year as well. I like the idea of all that dense edible flesh in the neck to cut rounds from and put on the grill or roasting. I'd be curious to hear if people have any other crook neck suggestions. I'm also tempted to try butterbush, which I have heard very good things about in terms of taste, but I've also heard they get more mildews, etc. like the honeynut.

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#3

Post: # 32118Unread post pepperhead212
Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:38 pm

[mention]zendog[/mention] That Autumn Frost sounds promising! I'll be curious to see how well they store. The Honeynuts, the time I tried them, only lasted about 3 months, and they started softening.

I can only grow moschata squash, due to SVB, and I have tried a number of them, through the years. The best butternut that I have found is Polaris - a hybrid I get from Pinetree, which produces 7 or 8 good sized (3 to 6 lbs, sometimes more, occasionally smaller) squash per plant, earlier than most, while many produce 2 per plant, and that's it! And a main advantage with these is that they store well. I've had some that start softening after 3 months, while these last a year or longer, in most cases.

I tried two new moschata varieties this year - I also grew South Anna butternut, as well as Yuxi Jiang Bing Gua (this was supposed to be harvestable as a summer squash, but that didn't work out). Both of these seem to be the 2 per plant type, and fairly late, but the butternut might have more, but not mature - I'll find out when I figure out if the butternuts are on very long vines, not the polaris, which produced some much earlier.

I posted this earlier on my thread:

I got some of the larger winter squash a few days ago, along with a small one, on the early variety. The largest yuxi is 10 lbs, 6 oz, while the largest butternut is 8½ lbs.
ImageA few more winter squash, 10-07 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Woodbury, NJ zone 7a/7b

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#4

Post: # 32229Unread post Tormato
Sun Oct 11, 2020 4:33 pm

Hands down, Tahitian Melon Squash. I average 3 squash at 14 lbs each per vine. Unblemished ones can last until next May. It's the sweetest moschata that I've trialed.

That said, I like the taste of maximas and a few pepos, better.

And, of course, the maxima / moschata cross, Tetsukabuto.

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#5

Post: # 37709Unread post pepperhead212
Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:30 pm

This is my first year with South Anna, but I've had two go bad already - the largest and the smallest. I still got 38 oz of diced squash from the large one, but all of the seed end and about 1 1/2" of the neck were gone, and it didn't look that bad on the outside. Usually I find butternuts with small bad spots, and I can save most of them.
Last edited by pepperhead212 on Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#6

Post: # 37710Unread post karstopography
Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:45 pm

I haven’t eaten my South Anna yet. They look good still.

Futtsu Black Winter Squash, these seeds I ordered. They look pretty.
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#7

Post: # 39349Unread post karstopography
Mon Jan 25, 2021 7:40 am

I got 2 South Anna squash 2.5 pounds and 3 plus pounds off my one vine. Planted them way late, though. But anyway, we’ve now eaten both as both started to soften up. I gave one to my folks and they loved it. We both cubed it, tossed in a little olive oil, minced garlic and salt and pepper, then roasted in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Great flavor and texture so it is a winner on those metrics.

Stored them out in garage for a week or two, then in the house for a few weeks, then in fridge veggie hydrator. Might not have been the ideal way to store them. I will grow them again as they fended off the nematodes pretty well that have invaded my soil or at least well enough to make a crop. Vine was sprawling and climbed my trellis well and looks pretty so there’s something ornamental with all the big leaves and blossoms.
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#8

Post: # 97917Unread post habitat-gardener
Fri May 19, 2023 8:31 pm

I just roasted a Tahitian squash I got from a friend who grew 3 vines last year and shared one (she still has 100 lbs. left!). The first taste was WOW! And then, Is this TOO sweet? In any case, we won't have any problem finishing the whole 20 lb. squash.

I saved seeds, and now I have to figure out if I have space for this one as well as Tetsukabuto.

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#9

Post: # 97920Unread post Tormato
Sat May 20, 2023 12:15 am

habitat-gardener wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 8:31 pm I just roasted a Tahitian squash I got from a friend who grew 3 vines last year and shared one (she still has 100 lbs. left!). The first taste was WOW! And then, Is this TOO sweet? In any case, we won't have any problem finishing the whole 20 lb. squash.

I saved seeds, and now I have to figure out if I have space for this one as well as Tetsukabuto.
You can attempt to cut the sweetness (good luck) with various herbs and spices. Oregano, basil, marjoram, chives, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, garlic, etc...

Tetsukabuto by itself will not be fertile. So, you have to make room for either a moschata or a maxima for pollination. Or, more difficult, gather pollen from either, from a vine located somewhere else, and then hand pollinate.

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#10

Post: # 118835Unread post karstopography
Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:29 am

IMG_3630.jpeg
yuxijiangbinggua Squash is growing.

Supposed to be a flat pumpkin shaped C. Moschata from China.
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Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#11

Post: # 118882Unread post Tormato
Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:11 pm

karstopography wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:29 am IMG_3630.jpegyuxijiangbinggua Squash is growing.

Supposed to be a flat pumpkin shaped C. Moschata from China.
Ya really think that brick wall will contain it? ;)

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#12

Post: # 118886Unread post karstopography
Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:51 am

Tormato wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:11 pm
karstopography wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:29 am IMG_3630.jpegyuxijiangbinggua Squash is growing.

Supposed to be a flat pumpkin shaped C. Moschata from China.
Ya really think that brick wall will contain it? ;)
Probably not, but I do have a lot of bricks. My wife insisted on building a wall to hide the bricks. She’d rather look at a wooden wall than a couple of cubic yards of more or less stacked bricks. I likely could have built a wall out of the bricks, but other interested parties, namely my dad, wish the bricks remained in their stack, so no wall of bricks. I find the bricks to be helpful keeping freeze cloth in place.
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

#13

Post: # 118893Unread post Tormato
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:33 am

karstopography wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:51 am
Tormato wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:11 pm
karstopography wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:29 am IMG_3630.jpegyuxijiangbinggua Squash is growing.

Supposed to be a flat pumpkin shaped C. Moschata from China.
Ya really think that brick wall will contain it? ;)
Probably not, but I do have a lot of bricks. My wife insisted on building a wall to hide the bricks. She’d rather look at a wooden wall than a couple of cubic yards of more or less stacked bricks. I likely could have built a wall out of the bricks, but other interested parties, namely my dad, wish the bricks remained in their stack, so no wall of bricks. I find the bricks to be helpful keeping freeze cloth in place.
If the vines start runnin' where they're not supposed to go, they can be trained.

Get some pointed on one end sticks, a bit thicker than a pencil. Gently move the last 6 inches, or so, of the vine to the direction you want it to grow, and push a stick into the ground, next to the vine, so that the vine doesn't return to its original place. As the vine continues to grow, and if it needs more training, pull the stick and move it further up the vine.

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Re: Favorite Cucurbita moschata varieties

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Post: # 119081Unread post Shule
Thu Mar 21, 2024 1:02 am

I haven't grown the following, but someone I knew grew a bunch of squash which they put on tables at a chili feed; we were allowed to take the squash home. A Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (C. moschata) was among them, and it was great. I preferred Blue Doll F1 (which is actually C. maxima), but they're both sweet types with kind of similar tastes (Blue Doll F1 is pretty much as sweet as pumpkin pie and has a melon type smell; Long Island Cheese Pumpkin isn't that sweet by comparison, but I recommend it). The other squash on our table was a Porcelain Doll F1; I don't know what species that was, but it was good, too (Blue Doll was definitely my favorite for flavor, though).

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin tastes a lot different than a Butternut squash. We've grown Butternut squash before.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
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