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Cushaw White (AKA Johnathan Pumpkin) squash

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Radishrain –

This is a continuation of this thread: http://vegetables.boards.net/thread/463/cushaw-white-jonathan-pumpkin-squash

I planted a Cushaw White squash, this year. It was my last seed of the variety (I tried to grow it in the past, and used most of the seeds that year, but it had too much shade and didn't produce). This year, it had plenty of sun (and I started it early, before transplanting it).

It grew four very large, white fruits, and one smaller white fruit. It grew very large vines quickly and vigorously, which only stopped growing after the plant had its fruits and a bunch of squash bugs. Squash bugs infested it, but they didn't kill the plant.

Today, I harvested the four large fruits, which were all ripe (the closest tendril of each had shriveled). The small fruit had softened and had squash bugs all over it. I got the bugs off and after discovering that it was soft, squashed it. It looked like a spaghetti squash inside.

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Radishrain

Re: Cushaw White (AKA Johnathan Pumpkin) squash

Here they are! I harvested them a week or less ago. there are four unique fruits pictured. The fifth one, which was quite small, went soft by the time I harvested it. The long fruit that doesn't look the same is a Kikinda Competition Strain edible gourd. I'm letting it dry and hoping it gets viable seeds.

Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6

Radishrain

Re: Cushaw White (AKA Johnathan Pumpkin) squash

In reply to this post by Radishrain

So, unfortunately, we only got to eat one of these. They went bad in storage (they didn't keep as long as I hoped). However, I saved seeds from the one that was in the best condition, today. Many of them had roots already, though; so, I planted all of the ones with roots (some by the new spot where the sunroots are, and some in a couple foam cups). The rest of the seeds are drying. All of the seeds (with and without roots) were zapped with my Z4EX before planting or drying.

The one we ate a month ago or so was pretty good. It was starting to go bad, too, though; so, we probably shouldn't have eaten it. Nevertheless, it had orange, dry flesh. It was more fibrous than some squash flesh. The taste was quite good, as I said, though. I think it's worth growing again, but I hadn't planned on growing it this year (until I found that it had seeds with roots already). We'll have to eat them before February next time, probably, unless I want to keep selecting for fruits that keep well (then I'll need to see which ones go bad first).

Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6

Radishrain

Re: Cushaw White (AKA Johnathan Pumpkin) squash

This post was updated on .

In reply to this post by Radishrain

One of my fruits was viviparous this spring. I didn't want to waste the seeds that had sprouted; so, I planted them, and set the rest out to dry! I zapped them with three frequencies of my Z4EX before planting.

Oddly, the tips of the leaves are either missing or yellow.

Here are two rows that I direct-seeded by the transplanted sunroots. Those in the front of the second pictured row haven't sprouted, yet:

And I have two foam cups with plants in the greenhouse (presumably to give away). They're the ones with yellow, instead of missing, tips.

So, direct-seeding viviparous squash seeds worked (mostly, at least). Also, I get to see how well they do planted with sunroots (and hopefully pole beans, for a three-sisters-like thing).

The seeds sprouted in about four days, I think.

The soil in this part of the garden is loose and very dry, with shredded wood in it from a tree we had removed. I've been watering it, though.

Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6

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