Squashes, Squashes Everywhere
And not an end in sight. We did something different this year when we planted our winter squash. Instead of the traditional method of mounds and hills, we mixed up three types of winter squash (Butternut, Acorn and Hubbard) and planted straight down a hundred foot row.
To our wonderful surprise, we have a harvest of squashes that surpasses anything we've ever done before. So far, we gathered up more than fifty acorns and twenty butternut. These plants are still putting on fruit, so it may be possible to more than double what we have already.
The Hubbard's are doing especially well also; with fifteen to twenty already over the five to ten pound mark. Add those to the Cushaws that are growing and by season's end; we should be looking at no less than two hundred pounds of squash that should keep for most of the winter.
So, what did this teach me? Well, for one, don't be afraid to experiment. Just because something has been done one way for years, doesn't mean that other methods won't work. We had the same success with both the potatoes and the beans and it appears the sweet potatoes are going to follow suit.
Also, by experimenting, we discovered that squash bugs don't like cedar sawdust. By using cedar sawdust and shavings around the plants, we've had pretty much a bug free year. The only real problem we've had has been tomato hornworms, but even they seem less of a nuisance than in years past.
We were so encouraged by our garden this year, that we've already planted the fall garden. With any luck, we'll have plenty of greens, turnips and cauliflower for the winter too.
