GYO free seeds - Autumn Crown(winter squash)

[John DUnn]

Hello.

Did anyone else plant these? I ended up with six plants. Spread all over the garden.

The best performer has been the one in a *big* planter under a south-facing wall and which has produced 8 fruits. ( I wonder if I should have removed 3 of them to get bigger remaining fruits?)

Next best were the three planted in the polytunnel. Maybe eight fruits in all across these - they're so intertwined I can't see where they begin and end!?

The remaining two are swamped by courgettes and have one large fruit each.

What are others experiences?


Do you grow "Autumn Squash", or are there better varieties?


John.

[rustylady]

Hello John. Welcome to the Vine.

I didn't get those seeds - wish I had. I got Sweet Dumpling squash, germinated two plants (both of which are planted out on the allotment). They were very slow to get going, but I noticed yesterday that I have a fruit on one of them.

[John DUnn]

Thanks.

MIne sulked in the ground till the summer started, since then they've been fine - in terms of leaf. I had to hand pollinate, as for the first two weeks every fruit withered. Despite there being loads of bees about!
I know you've had much more rain than us on the S. coast but have you had enough? Mine are in raised beds and have been drying out rapidly.

I've only ever grown ornamental ones - so it's all a bit new to me, but they seem to be growing like enormous straggly courgettes when they're happy?

Do they die off in the autumn?

PS. Just picked my first fruit @750gms. Seemed on the small side, but I don't really know what to expect?

[rustylady]

Link here for you John Squash 'Autumn Crown' (Winter) - Pumpkin, Squash & Courgette Seeds - Thompson & Morgan

I think you may have harvested yours a bit early.

Yes, they will die off in Autumn (or certainly when we have a frost).

[Two_Sheds]

I had a brilliant crop of Autumn Crown last year.

They're not supposed to be ready BEFORE the autumn: they're a keeper, a winter squash. You need to let them mature on the vine same as any other pumpkin or butternut

[Paulieb]

Yep - TS just nipped in before me.

Winter squashes are to be picked just before the first frost (so keep an eye on the forecasts), but should then last over winter (and onwards in the right conditions). Still have 2 spaghetti squash from last year in my porch.

Your 'summer squashes' and courgettes and generally meant to be picked and eaten immediately as they have softer skins and don't keep.

However, as you're probably aware, both types are grown at the same time - throughout the summer.

[John DUnn]

Thanks for those replies.

The seeds were just forming and still very soft. It was definitely under-ripe, but still made a hell of a chickpea and squash stew.

I've never before had the room to grow squashes and courgettes, and last year I mistakenly bought a packet of ornamental ones. The packets writing was in Italian! ><
So, no, I'm new to squashes and didn't know about the diff. varieties.

Mine are incredibly sprawling, one now ranging over my ornamental lavender bed - it already has eight fruits, surely the plant can't mature more to a decent size!?
I feed them a tomato feed twice a week (three for the potted ones.) Is it like courgettes where it's easy to overfeed them. I've got vague recollections of my granddad telling "what greedy buggers they are" so I was worried about the opposite initially.

Would you cut back on the green growth? Or is it need to grow the fruit?

John

[Florence Fennel]

I think you can "stop" them at the end of the vine when you have enough fruit, or you want fewer bigger ones (you can do that with pumpkins, so I guess it's the same). I too got Sweet Dumpling. I sowed 4 seeds, but they didn't germinate Will try harder next year. Well done with yours.