This is the first Crown Prince squash to be spotted beneath the rather impressive squash leaf canopy which is currently threatening a good third of the allotment. I love growing squash and pumpkins; they can easily fight with even the most persistent weeds, have long roots to break up the soil and give you something of a surprise when the leaves die back to reveal, hopefully, a dozen or so squash.
This year I have at least 4 Crown Prince plants, they are a nightmare to cut open but the taste makes it all worthwhile. I also grow Baby Bear which looks like a mini pumpkin but is apparently a squash, anyone know where the difference comes in?
Finally I am having a go at some butternut squash for the first time, I am fairly sure this plant is meant to be a butternut squash Hunter but somehow I think I am in for a pumpkin...
3 comments:
I too love growing pumpkins and squash and this year went so mad with buying seeds that I had to rein myself in when it came to sowing and save some of the packets unopened for next year. This in addition to 4 or 5 opened packets......... I think I had 3 or 4 plants of 5 or 6 varieties and my pumpkin patch is a tangle of leaves asnd stems. I don't know if I will be able to work out what's what! (Apart from the butternuts, baby bears, and crown princes - I am sure I won't recognise hooligan, winter festival and whatever I planted there many moons ago....)
I think I can help you - they are all, actually, squashes (from the family cucurbitae) but a squash is eaten green while a pumpkin is not ready until it reaches a golden/orange or bronze colour.
I'm ashamed to say we don't grow them at all - we always get given so many by allotment neighbours that we swap with them; our celariac for their squashes!
Chickenlover - I love that, I think next year I will try to grow fewer plants but from a much wider variety.
The Allotment Blogger - aha I see thanks very much for sharing. I think I might be the other way around, the celariac are dreadful this year so I might have to swap some of the squash. Allotments are wonderful places aren't they? :D
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