Summer Squash in the Fall

[GoDawgs]

Generally, I get loads of all male blossoms to begin with, then much fewer female blossoms.

If the same occurs this year, I read about a tip to cut off more than half of the male blossoms to increase germination rates. It possibly makes sense, if bees are mostly visiting all of the male blossoms. With the pruning, bees would likely visit both male and female more equally. But, low germination, for me, usually happens much more with winter squash rather than with summer squash.

Beautiful squash! Waaahhhh! I want some! Not even in the ground yet.

Now that seems to make sense, karsto! Let me know how it goes and I might try it too. You're right about all the guys showing up in numbers before the gals do. Wow. That triggered a memory of a scene in a long ago movie where a bunch of construction workers were ganged up along the chain link fence, whistling and getting a good look at two pretty girls walking down the sidewalk outside the construction fence. LOL!

[karstopography]

Planted summer squash today. 8’x10’ bed, East to west, Dixie Yellow hybrid, Pic-N-Pic yellow hybrid, Sunny Supersett yellow hybrid, and Gelber Englischer Custard (scalloped type) Summer Squash.

Dixie, 41 DTM, Pic-n-Pic 50, Sunny Supersett, 40, Gelber 60.

[karstopography]

Today, I direct seeded Benning’s Green Tint and the Patisson Golden Scalloped squash along with more Pic-N-Pic yellow and Sunny Supersett yellow summer squash.

Benning’s is listed at 50 dtm. Patisson is 60dtm.

[GoDawgs]

OK, I've got three squash plants growing for fall, two straightneck and one Early White Bush Scallop. The two straightnecks are setting fruit.

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The scallop is just now starting to bloom. All were seeded on Aug 12. Hoping all the SVBs have done their things and are gone for the season!

[karstopography]

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Yellow squash getting close.

[karstopography]

The squash harvest has been pretty strong, but with challenges.

First challenge is some sort of Caterpillar. Those came on strong and fast and wrecked a number of new leaves and more than a few young fruit. I smashed a whole bunch of the nasty larvae, but felt compelled to finish the rest off with Spinosad.

Some unidentified vertebrate has also been taking bites out of a few squash.

Thankfully, I planted extra squash so with the challenges and reduced yield or losses, there’s still been enough for us. Nothing much to share, hopefully that improves. Weather has been about squash perfect.

[GoDawgs]

After reading your posts about fall squash I decided to try some and planted two hills of straightneck and one of that early white bush scallop. The straightneck produced well and are still setting fruit but now with the shorter days the squash are a lot smaller when ready. They're getting that darker yellow color. These are in the 4-5" range.

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The bush scallop produced one nice 4" wide one and has set more but they're about the size of a silver dollar and don't seem to want to get any bigger.

Hmmm, I think I spy a pickleworm hole in that second one from the left....

[JRinPA]

I tried in the fall for a couple years, some nice healthy zuchini, but small to very small.

[MissS]

I planted some Patty Pan squash in August. They produced nicely for me. The top leaves are gone due to frost but there are still squash and blossoms coming along the main stem. I like this. Not a squash bug in sight.

[karstopography]

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4 summer squash started today.
Two Dixie Yellow H.
Tempest
Rugosa F. (Italian type C.Pepo) a warty type.

[karstopography]

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My Dixie Yellow Hybrid and Tempest have bloomed, but only female blooms. Not a bachelor in sight.

[GoDawgs]

That seems strange. Usually it's a plethora of males impatiently waiting for those first female blooms to appear.

[karstopography]

That seems strange. Usually it's a plethora of males impatiently waiting for those first female blooms to appear.

Last two squash growing efforts, last fall and now this spring, this has been the script, all females at first, eventually (hopefully this spring) the males come along. But, in the seasons more in the past, it was the males first, then the females.

I can’t explain it, just an observation.

[pepperhead212]

That is unusual - normally the male blossoms appear, on just about all squash, but last year I had one butternut vine which had only females early on. Fortunately, there were males on all the other vines, and just about every female flower got pollinated.

This happens all the time, with those bottle gourds I grow. I keep trying new types, hoping to find one which gets the male blossoms first.

[karstopography]

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I read about this female only blossom deal. Evidently, this happens in a minority of cases. Nothing to worry about.

Looks like some very young male flowers on Dixie Yellow. I can’t tell what is going on with Rugosa F.

[karstopography]

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Finally getting my first squash of spring. Rugosa F. and Tempest.

[karstopography]

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The Rugosa Fruliani is a beast of a yellow squash. Sprawling plant, biggest yellow squash I have grown by a wide margin, but it is productive. The one plant I have has at least two main stems that both produce. Not a type for containers.

The flavor is more nutty than typical yellow squash and less watery. I really like it.

[MissS]

@karstopography Thanks for posting about this one. I bought seeds for it but don't have much space. I wonder if it could be grown vertically.

[karstopography]

@karstopography Thanks for posting about this one. I bought seeds for it but don't have much space. I wonder if it could be grown vertically.

The weird thing about Rugosa F. Is that it makes several leaders or multiple vines. There is the main one that is now super long and then other sort of secondary productive vines. The leaves, the stems, everything is sort of plus sized.

It probably could be trellised, but would take some doing. The vines do have a few tendrils. Maybe they are actually functional and could help carry the load. I’ll have to take a better look.

There is conflicting information about Rugosa Fruliani as some sites have it a moschata, but most have it pepo.

[karstopography]

@MissS I took some photos of the Rugosa.

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There’s at least the two secondary fruiting stems and then the main one that if stretched out would be no lessthan six feet, but probably more like seven feet. I have it trained in a curve to contain it within the bed.

Note the tendrils that are functional.

I probably need to feed it, there was a big flush of squash and it now seems to be a little out of gas.

My mom likes the Tempest yellow squash over the rugosa flavor and texture wise. She likes both, but gives the slight nod to Tempest. My Dixie Yellow Squash is long gone due to SVB. Not sure why these two others are still with us.