I tried this squash this year, I got the seeds from Seeds of Italy I planted them quite late, so I didn't get many, but they seem nice. I haven't eaten any yet. I crossed pollinated one of these with an acorn squash just to see what I'd get, I though it might be a bit smaller then these two. Anyone else ever tried these?

Beautiful squash! I've never grown this one but it looks like a good one for the table. I bet it stores well, too.

They should store ok, They look more like a pumpkin. I am saving them for Thanksgiving dinner. I have just one more that's not quite ripe yet. Next year I will have to plant them earlier. Also will plant the ones I crossed to see what I get. Should be fun.

Well, I made the squash, and boy was it good! Think I have a new favorite. Very creamy smooth texture, and great with brown sugar and butter. Also made some pies from it, and they were great too.

Baked another one of these last night, and they are still really good, so they seem to keep really well.

Well, I told you last year that I crossed pollen from an Acorn squash with a bloom from the Padana squash. Here is the results. It's a bit smaller then the Padana, which is what I wanted. Padana was a bit too large for just me. It's kind of two tone green, but has a yellow spot where it laid on the ground. I'm not sure if it will mature to having the green and orange stripes like the Padana after its stored a while. It has the shape of the Padana, not the shape of the Acorn. I'm going to bake it tonight and see how it tastes. I'll update this tread after I sample it.

Woops it was the other way around, I used Padana pollen on an Acorn Squash. It didn't take the other way, although I tried. Just finished eating the squash, and OH MY! It's really thick walled, and moist and tasty, much more like an acorn in flavor. Think I'm going to enjoy these.

Congrats, Tom!
Did you eat it fresh-picked or let it cure a while?

And didja save some seeds from it so you can see what next years offspring will be like?

Shoe

I ate it the day I picked it. I was too curious to wait. I'll have plenty to eat later. I didn't save any seeds, I'm not sure if I will, as it most likely was pollenated by it's own pollen, and I'd get a bunch of variations from like an acorn, to much like these, and then some that were more like the padana. I still have some of the original seeds from last year to plant next spring.

Okay, thanks. Was just curious.

Glad you had a great harvest! And a great meal, too!

Shoe (who will probably have to move to Wisconsin to get away from all the NC squash bugs!)

Well, we have squash vine borers some years, They didn't seem to bother these this year. Do the squash bugs eat the squash?

I'm lucky and have seldom been bothered by squash vine borers. Squash bugs on the other hand are extremely happy in my garden year after year. No, they don't actually eat the squash itself but rather suck the sap from the foliage and in the process of doing so transmit a virus to the plant, knocking it dead in a short period of time. Hand-picking them early on helps for a while but at some point it becomes too overwhelming when eggs hatch out by the hundreds and the nymphs take off in all directions.

You may have beat your squash vine borers this year because you planted late. In my area the adult squash vine borers are out and about looking to lay their eggs when the local chicory is in flower. If you have it growing in your area it is a great sign to grow by.

Enjoy that squash!
Shoe

That seems to work for potato bugs too. If I plant around June 1st I get just as many potatoes, and I don't have to worry about potato beatles. Japanese beatles, not that's another story.