Tasty Squash List??

[Plot70]

We had butternut last night and enjoyed it.
I got a much smaller crop. They are worth doing again.

[ameno]

A guy i know, in fact, a neighbour... mentioned Cricket Ball squash as a good option. Obviously, they are apparently cricket ball-sized and dark green. Single servings...has anyone grown these, know what are really called, and are they tasty enough to bother with?

In a word, no. They're not that tasty.
The tiny ones are all acorn squash and similar, and all taste like a halfway point between a proper winter squash and a courgette (which, seeing as they are the same species as courgettes, unlike proper winter squash, makes sense). They're rather bland and disappointing.
The yield is also comparatively poor. You'll get quite a few per plant, but 8-10 300g squash doesn't actually add up to much in the end.

[annie8]

Was just looking at squash as something I might grow next year. Haven"™t grown them before. Would the ones you are discussing be ok as far north as I am with the shorter growing season ?

[ameno]

Was just looking at squash as something I might grow next year. Haven"™t grown them before. Would the ones you are discussing be ok as far north as I am with the shorter growing season ?

I wouldn't bother with any type of butternut, as they need a warmer, longer summer than other squash varieties. Even in the South they will fail to ripen if we get a poor summer, and in the North I imagine you'd need a really good summer to get them to ripen outdoors.

Any other winter squash variety should be worth a go, though. Just be sure to give them a good head start by starting them off in pots, and plant them somewhere with maximum sun.
If you're particularly worried, you may want to consider growing the variety Pink Banana. I grew them this year, and all four of the plants were particularly precocious, producing female flowers a good 3-4 weeks before any of the other varieties I was growing, despite having been planted at the same time in the same place. It's good and tasty, although the yield (for me, at least) was only so-so.

[Plot70]

I got two good butternuts per plant in the east midlands by planting on an out door hot bed.
The hot bed kept off that late frost and was angled like a solar panel to get strong sun for ripening later in the season.

[Jungle Jane]

My butternuts ripen indoors most the time. I"™d give them a go,I plant mine out quite late because we have some cold Spring weather & I don"™t have a greenhouse so I can"™t start them too early because of housing them.

[ameno]

My butternuts ripen indoors most the time. I"™d give them a go,I plant mine out quite late because we have some cold Spring weather & I don"™t have a greenhouse so I can"™t start them too early because of housing them.

They often will ripen off the plant, but ones ripened off the plant never taste quite as good nor keep quite as long, so it's always better to ripen on the plant if possible.

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk with butternuts that far north. Other winter squashes are just as tasty, usually heavier cropping, and keep better, so there's really no benefit to growing butternuts instead of them, so if not ripening in time is a real possibility then it's far better to go with the safer bet.

[annie8]

I agree Ameno. Learned my lesson after trying to grow sweet potatoes. Think I"™m best to go with squash that are more suited to the climate here.

[Bhilltop]

How about a few good species for relatively small areas in raised beds. Maybe a compact variety that tastes good and has a respectable yield? Any tried and succeeded with a variety like this

[ameno]

How about a few good species for relatively small areas in raised beds. Maybe a compact variety that tastes good and has a respectable yield? Any tried and succeeded with a variety like this

There are sadly no bush-type winter squash worth growing. A small few exist, but they scarcely taste any better than summer squash.
There are some semi-bush types of winter squash, mainly butternuts, which ought to taste better, but even they may be too big for you.

Although you should bear in mind that squash don't actually need a huge amount of soil/root space, they just need lots of space for the vines to grow. So you could plant them at the edge of a raised bed then let them trail all over the path and any nearby shrubs.

[B Porcupine]

I grow mine up three 8"™ tree stakes, made into a tripod. I grow smaller squashes because of this - Uchiki Kuri this year (fab); Black Futsu next. Larger squash give you fewer fruits than smaller.

[ameno]

I grow mine up three 8"™ tree stakes, made into a tripod. I grow smaller squashes because of this - Uchiki Kuri this year (fab); Black Futsu next. Larger squash give you fewer fruits than smaller.

Large squash do give fewer fruits, but generally speaking they will give a much larger overall crop in terms of weight.
A plant which gives 7kg fruits may only give you two fruits, but that's still 14kg of squash. A plant which gives 1kg fruits would need to produce fourteen of them to match it, and that's almost never possible.
Of course, bigger squash do have the problem of you using them up, as once a squash is cut open it will only keep about 10-14 days in the fridge. If there's only one or two of you then smaller fruits would be best, even if it means a smaller crop, as you don't have to worry about using it all up or freezing it.

[Lumpy]

Have a go at Harlquin. It’s a compact patio variety that can grow in a pot with yellow and green stripes. Brilliant roasted.

[Sweet savory]

I grew burpees butternut this year and they are almost too sweet. Need a lot of spice to take the edge off the sweetness. Also even the small ones ripened well inside. I will just grow Uchiki Kuri next year as more savoury and to our taste.

[.commander]

I've only successfully grown MUSQUEE DE PROVENCE. They were delicious though. I think I only got 2 fruits but they were enormous. I also planted them, then neglected them all summer due to a back injury!