On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:03:19 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:

said:
:
:
:On Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:52:35 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:
::
::"Tetsukabuta" is kabocha-type squash variety that is exceptionally
:roductive per vine. It is a hybrid between two species of squash,
::Cucurbita maxima and C. moschata, and should be grown along with
::either a standard kabocha or buttercup (C. maxima) or a butternut
::type (C. moschata) for best fruit set. Seeds available from Pinetree
::Garden Seeds (in the Around the World Asian section) .
::
::I grow this every year, along with a butternut, and it definitely
:roduces multiple squashes per plant for me, where most other
::large fruited squash produce no more than one (maybe two) per vine.
:
:If I get Tetsukabuta seeds and grow them, will the seeds of its squash
:produce more Tetsukabutas or do I need to always plant seeds provided by
:a seed provider? Being a hybrid, I believe this is a concern if not a
:certainty. I had an onion in the garden for several years, the seeds of
:which steadfastly refused to germinate. I finally destroyed the plant a
:couple of months ago in retaliation! The strip of earth it grew on is
:now fallow, but I figure I'll need onion seeds or sets for my next foray
:into onion growing, should I decide to resume it.
:
:No, you would need to repurchase seeds at intervals.
:
:I assume you are saying to grow Tetsukabuta "along with
:either a standard kabocha or buttercup (C. maxima) or a butternut
:type (C. moschata) for best fruit set" for pollination advantages? Will
:it render the Tetsukabuta's seeds viable and useful?
:
:I don't know how viable the next generation seeds would be. There's
:no telling what (if anything) would result from them.
:
:It occurs to me that the C. moschata parent of "Tetsukabuto" might
:be a squash very much like the variety "Black Futsu." Now, this one
:would breed true and could be seed saved (if you were growing it
:in isolation from other C. moschata squash). And it should be more
roductive than any C. maxima variety could dream of being...though
erhaps a bit smaller than "Tetsubabuto," it looks like, with a slightly
:larger seed cavity.

As I said, more productive in terms or greater quantity albeit smaller
size/weight is preferable for me, cooking typically for myself. A big
kabocha is likely halved and the other half saved for perhaps two weeks
in the refrigerator (the largest I had last year were a couple in excess
of 3 lb.). That has seemed to work out OK, but of course, it's better to
use the whole thing at once. So, slightly smaller isn't necessary a
knock on a varietal.
:
:http://www.ghorganics.com/BlackFutsuSquash.htm

These people charge $6 for looks like 12 - 25 or so seeds, before
shipping. Black Futsu.

:http://www.territorialseed.com/product/1123/221

Here the seeds are $2, before shipping. I can't tell how many seeds
would be included. Have you done business with them?
:
:It's not carried by any of my favorite sources, but maybe I should order
:some seeds next year.
:
:I typically have pollination problems early in the season. Every year (I
:think there was only one exception in recent years) the first flowers
:are all female and there are no males to pollinate. As soon as a male
:appears (maybe 2 or more weeks later) I use a haiku brush to manually
:pollinate all females I can find. The first males are always small and
:nearly devoid of pollen, but subsequent males are progressively better
:endowed. This year I'm finding the bee population rather sparse and I've
:been continuing to manually pollinate all females just to be sure they
:are pollinated.
:
:I lose a lot of the first male flowers as tiny buds. It seems that they start
:forming at just about the time the starlings give their young ones the
:final boot, and the inexperienced birds tend to peck at what they think
:might be a bug (or something). Either that, or it's random vandalism
:after they tank up on mulberries. They snap at the first small zuchinnis
:and eggplants, too (the beak marks are pretty obvious on these).

I don't remember ever having a bird problem with my squash (they attack
my plums with gusto, however they are so plentiful it doesn't concern
me). Possibly a few seedlings have been nipped, but most often that's
caused by varmints residing in the soil, presumably earwigs, sowbugs or
perhaps even slugs. I don't know if I should or shouldn't, but I
typically apply a light sprinkling of environmentally friendly
snail/slug pellets and also a light sprinkling of now-illegal (to sell,
I suppose) diazinon, which I still have. That seems to deter whatever is
eating my small seedlings. Once they get past a couple weeks old, they
seem to hold their own against whatever and I don't apply anything
thereafter. The containers would have me believe that there's no toxic
penalty to pay for these applications.
:
:I'm lucky enough to have plenty of bees around once I do get flowers,
:though.

A variety of insects have by now staked out my squash, including at
least a couple varieties of bees, but the female flowers are so few and
far between at this point (the plants that have done anything are
already set with fruit and aren't even producing female flowers for the
most part, and even if they do, they are unlikely to set) that I still
go out each morning and personally pollinate any female flowers I can
find. There's only been 2-3 the last week.
:
:This year one "standard" orange pumpkin has managed to sneak into the
:crop, and there are at least two plants the nature of which has me
:pretty much flumuxed. The fruits are almost kabocha-like, but are
:cream-white and slightly narrower near the stem. I searched my local
:market for verisimilitude and the only thing that looks similar
:(although not a perfect match) were (I think) butternut. I have no clue
:how they got into my garden. The largest of these (there are two
:diminutive ones) is the size of a good-sized cataloup or a small
:honeydew, and you can see it he
:
:http://fox302.com/userdata/Muse/file...terySquash.jpg
:
:No, that looks more like an unripe "Red Kuri" or one of the varieties
:they sell as "miniature Hubbard" squashes. Butternuts have very
:distinctly angular stems.
:
:There are jumbo "pumpkins" which are actually C. maxima squash
rather than being C. pepo). Maybe you've gotten pollen from something
:like that, or maybe even "Red Kuri" pollen accidentally brought in.
:
:I've gotten into the habit of raiding my neighbors' green yard waste
:bins with my wheelbarrow. I have a very impressive heap of compost going
:already. The garden is going great guns this year but next year may be a
:real eye-popper.
:
:I generally leave the summer-generated yard waste alone, but come
:autumn, we make multiple car trips to bring back leaves. Lots and
:lots and lots of leaves.

I don't know where to get leaves, although I have noticed in the past
accumulations on the local streets come autumn. Other than random
clippings from this and that on my own property, I've relied on the
occasional raid of someone else's cast-off yard waste until I hit on the
idea this year of checking out the green bins on my block's sidewalk
each Wednesday morning. When I spot bins (lifting lids) that look
acceptable, I truck out my wheel barrow. I know I get a lot of weed
seeds, but hope that they will be destroyed in the composting process. I
also hope that they haven't been treated with pesticides. In most cases,
that would seem doubtful. Of course, I stay away from anything that
seems problematical. For the most part it seems to be wildly growing
random plants (i.e. "weeds") growing in people's back yards. I don't
recall smelling anything that smacked of toxicity.

:
:BTW, I'm in Berkeley, CA, the winters rarely reach freezing temperatures
:and weather warm enough to start growing summer vegetables occur
:sometime in March, early March if I'm lucky, last week if unlucky.
:Summers are moderate with occasional heat waves when it gets in the 90s.
:With luck, I get full sun all day, but there are always spates when the
:mornings are foggy and there are always a few days that remain cloudy.
:
:I've been to Berkley, MI but never the similarly named and more famous
:California town.

I feel that Berkeley's fame has gone to the residents' heads and made
them giddy in some measure. I'm sure it's not universally true, but many
of the things that go on here and continue to keep the town (130,000
population, tops I think) in the nation's and world's news are partly
the product of some people's appetite for fame moreso than their sincere
devotion to legitimate issues, is my feeling sometimes. That said, a
list of some of the forward looking positions taken here is rather
impressive. That's with the luxury of hindsight, of course.
:
:I will be in California next week at this time, going out with my mother
:to see her brother in Sacramento. (Been watching the air quality and
:fire stories with some concern.)

There are still over 300 fires or so burning in Northern California, and
air quality is still an issue in many places. The air has cleared where
I am, thankfully. Two weeks ago and for almost a week thereafter, the
air was so bad here that even when it was "sunny" it seemed like a 3/4
eclipse of the sun was in effect. 1/2 the time it was simply cloudy, to
boot, and I despaired somewhat for my poor squash and tomatoes. Well,
they are fine, of course, and the sun has returned in full force.

It will be hot today through Thursday here (93ish, is the projection),
and rather hotter (probably over 100, maybe 105?) in Sacramento.
However, I'd expect that over the weekend, 100 during the day there can
be expected. Hopefully you will be protected by AC! I stayed in
Sacramento for around a week when I was 16-17, probably in June or July
and the one thing I was impressed with was the unremitting heat of the
days. We had no AC, though.

Dan