Pumpkins recommendations?

[johnty greentoes]

My total favourite pumpkin - or is it merely a squash? - in INVINCIBLE. A purplish grey skin with rock hard orange flesh and cooks better and sweeter than a butternut squash.

[pigletwillie]

PS I've got a Crown Prince to try at the weekend. It's supposed to be a potato-substitute with a taste that is more like swede. Will let you know whether it's worth saving seed from

I grow a variety of pumpkins in my "orchard plot" but always always always grow crown prince amongst them as they produce fabulous tasking fruits, several to a plant and are not overly rampaging.

One word of caution though, they are an F1 plant so saved seed will not come true. This will be compounded if other pumpkins are grown nearby as they are are so very promiscuous. Some combinations of hybridised squash seed produce horrid tasting fruit and that is something I can speak from experience about.

[womble]

Has anyone any recommendations for Northern gardens? I live in North Yorkshire and for the last two wet summers have tried a number of different varieties with zilch success. The plants grow OK but no fruit. The only success I have had is little gem -tasty and prolific

Have you had flowers? Because I know myself sometimes I have problems with fruit setting and have to hand pollinate.

[realfood]

I am in Glasgow and all the following Winter Squash produced and ripened fruits in what has been a dull, wet and cool Summer. I would suggest these ones for the North of the UK.

Suggested varieties of Winter Squash

Festival F1. This is a very quick maturing variety that carries several, sweet tasting, small, pretty squashes. Each one is the right size for a family meal, some 1 kg, and could also be readily stuffed and then micro-waved. It is very good for storing and will regularly store into the next Summer.

Red Kuri or Uchiki Kuri. There is some dispute in the seed catalogues as to whether these are different names for the same variety or two different varieties. This year I trialled seed claimed to be from both varieties. Red Kuri seems be a redder cultivar. In any event, they are quick maturing with a good flavour, weighing about 1.3 kg each. Should store till late Winter.

Crown Prince. It is reputed to be very tasty, having large blue/grey fruits each about 4 kg, and should store into spring.

Bonbon F1. It came top in a recent independent taste test with a dry, nutty taste. Each fruit weighed about 2 kg and should store into the Spring.

[Comfreyfan]

Grew my squash (butternut and Turks Turban) with my sweetcorn and french beans. Didn't get anything from the butternut - which was disappointing because I love them. Got 4 really nice sized Turks Turban from 2 plants - but the place looked like a jungle. Everything grew so well, but it was difficult to manage, I couldn't get in there to do anything.
I've used the first TT, chopped it up and roasted it - which was really nice, then used the rest with some roasted sweet potato for a very nice soup. I thought it tasted good!

[Alison]

Had my first Harlequin last night. Cut it in half, scopped out the middle (loads of seeds for toasting later!), but a bit of butter and garlic in and roasted for about an hour. Then scooped out the cooked flesh, mixed it with some bacon, chestnuts and blue cheese and put it back in for another 15 minutes. Absolutley gorgeous, really tasty and the nicest of the ones I've grown so will definitley be growing some more next year.