Pumpkins and Butternut

[orchidsarefun]

every year I grow my own and use them over Winter for a cooked vegetable ( no pies for us ! )
This year is strange - firstly because my butternuts are not doing that well and have been decimated by squash bugs, and something else - don't know. But mainly because my black futsu squash/pumpkins are enormous ! These are only supposed to get to 8lbs max, but all of mine are way beyond that, with roughly 2 months growing left. They are already 12 inches in diameter !
I have 3 that are crushing the tomato cages they grew on.
I can only explain it by saying that because I use seeds from the harvested fruit every year, somehow with this generation, there has been a reversion to a much larger ancestor pumpkin. For the past 3 years, they have been regular sized ! Nobody else in my area has a vegetable garden so I can't even say that its a cross-pollination issue. I can be sure once we start eating them as Futsu flesh has a distinctive taste and colour.

[WhiteRabbit]

Sweet!

[orchidsarefun]

harvested my first pumpkin. About 15lb - it should turn a tan colour as it ages. This will last until at least April next year.....and I found out that I have a variety called Musquee de provence. Its apparently a famous French pumpkin. We all remember buying a slice last year around this time and must have kept a few seeds because it was so delicious.

[Daethen]

Awesome. You won't need near as many to keep you fed if they are that large! We have a good sized veggie garden as well. Our cucumbers didn't do as well this year but they are producing some. I never thought about pumpkins as a squash veggie.

[orchidsarefun]

Microwaved or roasted or steamed - then with ground black pepper and butter. The best !

We have literally have had a ton of cucumbers. I have given away at least 50, and still have more to come. That's only from 4 plants ! ( 2 pepino variety and 2 bush type ). I figured out the secret to having so many. Grow as close to the house as possible - south-facing. They love the heat ! Mine are in a raised bed . And mix in your old orchid bark/sphagnum. We had about 4 cucumbers from 2 plants grown in my veggie garden proper which is more exposed to the elements.



all my amaryllis seedlings are in the same bed.

[Daethen]

Awesome!! Do you dig your amaryllis each year?

[orchidsarefun]

yep. Which reminds me - I must update that thread. These were grown from selfed seed. I was amazed that I never lost any over Winter storage as the bulbs were tiny.

[savyk]

Very nice!