[angelavdavis]

As this is the season for winter squash and pumpkins, I am keen to find out whether people have recommndations for any particular varieties.

This year, I grew Winter Festival, Turks Turban and Butternut Waltham.  These all seem to have been a bit slow to pick up although I started harvesting Winter festival at the weekend and they were delicious roasted.  Waltham have produced a couple of fruits which seem to split easily so don't store.

I also planted Sweet Dumpling, Hunter Butternut, Veg spaghetti squash and Pumpkin Mars but these either didn't germinate or produced poor plants which didn't thrive.

Last year, I sowed seed from a shop bought butternut squash which was really successful so it encouraged me to buy some seed this year but we haven't had much luck.  Our family do find the butternut varieties a bit too sweet, so anything that is more of the "nutty" flavour would be appreciated.  I want to grow more winter squash as they keep so easily and apart from feeding don't need huge amounts of nurturing.

Any recommendations or advice for next year would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

[stompy]

I asked this question a few months back and the one squash that kept getting mentioned was Crown Prince.

I'll be growing Winter Waltham again next year too but i will also be growing Crown Prince and i'll decide for myself.

[mumofstig]

Thelma Sanders is my all time favourite, with Uchiki Kuri a close second neither of them wander too far, but still produce well for me.

This was a terrible year for squash, so it may be worth trying again with the seeds you have, though.

Yes, everyone recommends Crown Prince, but they are  on the large size

[stompy]

As far as i am aware Crown Prince is very similar in texture and taste to the butternuts.

Someone please correct me if im wrong as i've never grown it.

[compostqueen]

Crown Prince is a good one and I always grow it.   I like Thelma Sanders, uchiki kuri, Pottimarron, Sweet Mama, Festivals, Harlequins, butternuts, Musquee de Provence.  I think Turks Turban and veg spagetti are poor taste wise. If I only grew one it would be Crown Prince. I cut one yesterday and it was juicy and smelled of melon   

[New shoot]

Crown Prince is a very dense fleshed squash and is very similar in flavour to Butternut, but the fruits grow a lot larger.  It also has a steely blue/grey skin that hardens well and so is easy to store.

As MoS says, the plants are large and trail a long way so it needs plenty of room.  I used to grow it but I think I get more yield off a smaller fruited plant for the ground they take up.  Crown Prince will only yield 2-3 big fruits per plant.  I'm still experimenting to find my fave small squash but Festivals and Potimarron always get good reviews on here 

[madcat]

I really like Uchiki Kuri.  They fruit well, aren't too big for two of us and have a good distinct flavour roasted or steamed.  Good colour too.  Otherwise i grow acorn squash for a change.  I did grow 2 butternut plants this year, but it was too cold for them I think, they never really got going and produced one small fruit each.

[sarajane]

I grow festival and potimarron.  Love the chestnutty  and they do not grow too large .  (although like others my crop has not been as good as last year

[angelavdavis]

Some good suggestions, thanks everyone. 

I went up the plot today to discover that all my squash plants have now been hit by frost so other than 4 fist sized winter festival squashes, 1 small but split butternut and a semi-eaten turks turban, the others a golfball sized so won't do any more now. 

Such a disappointment when you wait so long for a crop. 

Anyone else have problems with woodlice?  They have burrowed into the squashes, aubergines, tomatoes, turnips and beetroots.  I have never had issues with them in my garden - just the allotment.

[mumofstig]

I think they invade where the slugs started, I don't think they're very good at doing the initial biting 

[strangerachael]

I'm going to try a new one (for me) called 'Squashkin Autumn Crown F1' It's a cross between butternut and crown prince. I believe they are quite big and I'm not sure what the advantages are but what has attracted me is it says they produce very early fruit.
Potimarrons are good, quite small and nutty and don't take up much space. Uchiki Kuri looks similar but I've not tried it yet.

[Nikkithefoot]

I would recommend Jumbo Pink Banana, grew it for the first time this year and got 5 enormous fruits from 2 plants. My other squashes were pants, Baby bear grew to the size of a large cabbage and the Atlantic Giants weren't  . If this is what they do in a poor year (judging by the others which were grown in the same ground and treated the same) I'm looking forward to trying them again next year.