Pat Kiewicz wrote:
zxcvbob said:
How productive are they? (Tetsukabuto) And are they any good picked
immature, like a summer squash?

Never had one immature; they are too good as a winter squash to muck
around that way.

As for productivity, two hills of Tetsukabuto will generally equal the
production of the other six hills of squash I plant, in terms of numbers,
though not quite by weight.

The only problem with the variety is that it is a hybrid, so no seed
saving, and it must be grown along side a variety of C. moschata
(for example, a butternut) or C. maxima (like a more typical kabocha
or buttercup) to ensure pollination.

I like to put away a lot of squash puree each year for soup and
waffles (yummmmy...with home-made spiced apple jelly) so
I'm always trying new varieties looking for those with good flavor
and substance as well as productivity. And the one constant for
many years now has been Tetsukabuto.


Thanks for the info. Will C. pepo pollinate Tetsukabuto?

I didn't really plant a garden this year because of the weather (just 4
tomato plants, and a couple of rows of beans that the rabbit ravished),
and I missed it. Starting to plan for next spring already. First thing
in will be lots of chicken wire... And maybe a hawk or owl...

Bob