I planted twelve varieties of pumpkins this year, all of which are doing well. Most of the varieties are similar in appearance but the Secretariat pumpkins have a significantly more pointed appearance than the rest.

The first link shows the normal leaves on the left and the Secretariat leaves on the right.

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...5-f5b5a7ec04c5

This link shows the flowers, again with regular on the left and Secretariat on the right:

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...a-6c1353f30ad5

Paul

Pavel314 wrote:
I planted twelve varieties of pumpkins this year, all of which are doing well. Most of the varieties are similar in appearance but the Secretariat pumpkins have a significantly more pointed appearance than the rest.

The first link shows the normal leaves on the left and the Secretariat leaves on the right.

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...5-f5b5a7ec04c5

This link shows the flowers, again with regular on the left and Secretariat on the right:

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...a-6c1353f30ad5

always interested in hearing about any that are edible,
good and will stand up to squash borers and squash bugs.

good luck!

we have a small number of squash plants growing this
season - it is going to be kinda strange to not have many
this fall.


songbird

On Saturday, July 6, 2019 at 1:40:54 PM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
Pavel314 wrote:
I planted twelve varieties of pumpkins this year, all of which are doing well. Most of the varieties are similar in appearance but the Secretariat pumpkins have a significantly more pointed appearance than the rest.

The first link shows the normal leaves on the left and the Secretariat leaves on the right.

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...5-f5b5a7ec04c5

This link shows the flowers, again with regular on the left and Secretariat on the right:

https://beta.photobucket.com/u/pavel...a-6c1353f30ad5

always interested in hearing about any that are edible,
good and will stand up to squash borers and squash bugs.

good luck!

we have a small number of squash plants growing this
season - it is going to be kinda strange to not have many
this fall.


songbird

I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

Paul

On 7/6/19 10:40 AM, songbird wrote:
squash borers and squash bugs

I would like to know too

T wrote:
On 7/6/19 10:40 AM, songbird wrote:
squash borers and squash bugs

I would like to know too

someone i know has been using ducks to get them.

i don't have any major issues with them at present
but they are around and doing damage to the squash
plant stems and vines.

i am not growing plants which always die when attacked
so i just hope to keep growing these but i would like to
have some other variety in what i grow.

one thing i have heard of is to grow the plants inside
for a while first to let the stems get tough before
planting them out.

i've also heard that wrapping in vet tape (but you have
to keep an eye on things to make sure the tape isn't too
tight) will help.

i still haven't sourced trombonico seeds but i hope
to eventually.


songbird

Pavel314 wrote:
....
I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

i hope not! since we are much further north than Maryland
i'm pretty sure the cold is not the issue.

perhaps nobody else around there grows them?

we have fields of them around in various places
(not close to us, but probably close enough).


songbird

On Sunday, July 7, 2019 at 8:43:44 AM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
Pavel314 wrote:
...
I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

i hope not! since we are much further north than Maryland
i'm pretty sure the cold is not the issue.

Further north? I thought you were in Texas. Must be confusing you with another poster here.


perhaps nobody else around there grows them?

Probably nobody within a few miles. I noticed a big pumpkin field last fall on my way up to the trap range but that's about ten miles north of us. The big fields around here are corn or soybean, with a few cattle pastures.




we have fields of them around in various places
(not close to us, but probably close enough).


songbird

Pavel314 wrote:
songbird wrote:
Pavel314 wrote:
...
I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

i hope not! since we are much further north than Maryland
i'm pretty sure the cold is not the issue.

Further north? I thought you were in Texas. Must be confusing you with another poster here.

in Mid-Michigan.


perhaps nobody else around there grows them?

Probably nobody within a few miles. I noticed a big pumpkin field last fall on my way up to the trap range but that's about ten miles north of us. The big fields around here are corn or soybean, with a few cattle pastures.

most of the fields around us are either corn or soybeans
too. once in a while someone will grow winter wheat or
winter rye and a few others are sugar beet growers. as
for livestock, not too many around here, but we do have
some beefalo down the road a bit, some neighbors downwind
of us have pigs, but we don't smell them too often - it
could be a lot worse...


songbird

In article
Pavel314 writes:

I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for
years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

I don't think that is the case. I certainly had my share of squash
borers in northen Virginia in the late '80s.

It's been years since I planted anything that they target. I'm
pleasantly surprised that they don't go after cucumber vines. I
hope they ignore water melon as well, since I'm trying that this
year.

--
Drew Lawson For it's not the fall, but landing,
That will alter your social standing

On Sunday, July 7, 2019 at 3:49:32 PM UTC-4, Drew Lawson wrote:
In article
Pavel314 writes:

I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for
years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

I don't think that is the case. I certainly had my share of squash
borers in northen Virginia in the late '80s.

It's been years since I planted anything that they target. I'm
pleasantly surprised that they don't go after cucumber vines. I
hope they ignore water melon as well, since I'm trying that this
year.

--
Drew Lawson For it's not the fall, but landing,
That will alter your social standing

This has been a great year for cucumbers for us. We have too many to eat so we give the excess to the sheep. They enjoyed them for a while but now they're getting tired of them, too.

We had a similar situation about 40 years ago when I over-planted cucumbers; my daughter's pony ate the excess for a while but eventually wouldn't touch them.

Paul

Pavel314 wrote:
On Sunday, July 7, 2019 at 3:49:32 PM UTC-4, Drew Lawson wrote:
Pavel314 writes:

I'm probably cursing myself by posting this, but we've been planting both summer and winter squash for
years and had no problem with borers or bugs. Maybe they don't come as far north or east as Maryland.

I don't think that is the case. I certainly had my share of squash
borers in northen Virginia in the late '80s.

It's been years since I planted anything that they target. I'm
pleasantly surprised that they don't go after cucumber vines. I
hope they ignore water melon as well, since I'm trying that this
year.

--
Drew Lawson For it's not the fall, but landing,
That will alter your social standing

This has been a great year for cucumbers for us. We have too many to eat so we give the excess to the sheep. They enjoyed them for a while but now they're getting tired of them, too.

We had a similar situation about 40 years ago when I over-planted cucumbers; my daughter's pony ate the excess for a while but eventually wouldn't touch them.

a few can be bitter.

i just put up another 12 quarts of dill pickles yesterday
so the idea of "too many" doesn't happen until i get to
around 100 quarts.

i will eat them all summer if they keep producing and
we don't pull the plants. i can give quite a few away to
my brother, he'll eat them too. i like them as a low
calorie snack/filler and we make a lot of things with
them (salads, quick pickles, sandwiches, etc.).


songbird