[richy]

Can anyone recommend a good squash to grow in somerset? this is my second year on the plot and i am so exited about what this year will bring on the plot,(sad as it may seem).

[mumofstig]

How much room have you got? - some are bigger plants than others.

[shokkyy]

And how big do you want the fruit to be, smaller or really big ones?

[richy]

Good point, im going to use my 4ft square compost bin for space( its full of horse manuar), the size im looking for i would say is about the size of a sandwhich plate.

[mumofstig]

A couple of Uchiki Kuri would suit I think, planted in opposite corners 

[Trillium]

Definitely uchiki kuri - nice, sweet small pumpkin sized ones. Yummm.

[TheSpartacat]

Would also recommend Uchiki kuri... or maybe Crown Prince, if you wanted two different kinds?

[Yorkie]

Festival is quite prolific too

[Nikkithefoot]

Jumbo Pink Banana, very like butternut squash but much easier to grow IMHO.

[Swing Swang]

I'd reccommend Gem Squash (Jamie calls them 'cricket ball squash' in his book which gives you an idea about their size).

Reasons:

They taste good (although there are other squash with better flavour) and can be eaten young as spherical courgettes or allowed to mature when the flesh goes dark yellow and the skin very hard (how I harvest them). Like this they will store until mid-winter (never grown enough to go further) - I expect at least 10 mature squash per plant, and plant enough to be able to harvest 100-150 in about 15sqm.

Technically they are a summer squash (in the same group as marrows/courgettes etc), not a winter squash. This means that they ripen and mature earlier on in the season so they are easy to grow, with no worries about them developing a decent flavour before the first frosts (eg compare this with butternut).

They are very 'rambling' in habit. I plant my broad beans in treble rows with a 3" of clear ground between. The squash then get 'island planted' along these paths. They remain small enough to step over whilst cropping early sown/over wintered beans. Then when I cut down the spent beans (without digging them in) I spread a good thick organic mulch over the whole area and just let the gems take over. Have been doing this for the last 4 years and usually get 15 squash per plant.

I'd strongly suggest that you don't plant them amongst summer maturing crops (eg sweet corn/three sisters planting regimens) as they will go down with powdery mildew, whereas this doesn't seem a problem if they are left in the open until late September/October most years. Having said this if there is an adjacent sweetcorn bed I do let them ramble through, but accept that these plants may have early-season disease issues.

SS

[sunshineband]

Now I do grow squashes amonst my sweetcorn and they have done well -- horses for courses I guess 

Like the idea of adding a few in amongst the broad bean rows.. never tried this and will be giving it a go.

Thanks for the tip 

[richy]

Thanks, i will try uchiki kuri and gems i think, my mouth is watering already

[shokkyy]

Last year I grew Uchiki Kuri. Before then the only winter squash I'd ever tasted was butternut. I didn't get a very good crop because the conditions were so bad, but I was amazed how good they tasted in comparison to the butternuts I'd bought. They are lush

[TheSpartacat]

Now I do grow squashes amonst my sweetcorn and they have done well -- horses for courses I guess 

Ditto... but i space my sweetcorn according to the Joy Larkcom book - 18 inches apart each way, whereas ALL of my plot neighbours seem to space them half this distance, not sure why... 18 inch spacing seems to leave lots of room for squash with no problems, and they can trail around the path around it too if needed.

Gem sounds really nice Swing Swang... might look into that one too. (oh no, not another variety... where am i gonna fit everything?)
Table Queen Acorn Squash is another i would recommend too, for anyone else maybe deciding to do something similar on their heap.

[Chrysalis]

A couple of Uchiki Kuri would suit I think, planted in opposite corners 

sounds like some sort of Japanese torture!  Bet they taste good though
How about lemon and lime squash?

I'm trying pattypans and poss butternuts this year, if I can find room....