Best butternut squash varieties
 

I'm going to try butternut squash for the first time this year and I'm looking for the best varieties to try out.

Thanks


Jim

Jim,

My standard is Waltham Butternut.

This year, I'm going to try Long Of Naples. It's said to grow to 20+ lbs, with great taste. It takes an extremely long time to mature, so I'll be starting it indoors a month early.

Tormato

Also a Waltham Butternut fan. I had Long from Naples (Lunga di Napoli) in this season but unfortunately the plants died.

Next season I'll be trying out both Longue de Nice (Long from Nice), a French variety and The Wellington Boot Butternut, an Australian variety which is, in fact, a selection of Waltham with an extremely long neck (3ft or so).

Ponca butternut is a little shorter season variety and the fruit is a bit smaller too...I can't tell a difference in butternut flavor so I liked Ponca...Think Baker Creek no longer carries it, but I obtained my seed from about 4 or 5 years back...

Jeanne

BNS
 

I grow the local one. No name just saved the seed from one bought in the market.
I will try to post the picture.
Pic worked!!
I could send you a few seed in April.
This year I am trying a whole load of other squash hoping for an earlier result.
I will write it up if anyone is particularly interested.

I grow an heirloom from Northern Indiana, called Warsaw Buff Pie Pumpkin, which is a variable shaped squash between 3 and 5 lb in size. Some fruit are squat like a traditional pie pumpkin and some are elongated like a very large butternut. The WBPP has all the good qualities of Waltham but tends to run a bit larger.

George

[quote]This year I am trying a whole load of other squash hoping for an earlier result.
I will write it up if anyone is particularly interested.[/quote]

Please and thanks, do tell us about this!!


Farmers around here are pretty loyal to Waltham 29: dependable yields, uniform shape, pretty much problem-free for its type.

I like Neck and Canada Crookneck (mother of butternuts). I want to try Baby Butternut from Glenn Drowns this year as I find the above are much too big for a singleton as everyday squash.

Jennifer, who actually found Australian Butter to be her most loved squash/pumpkin this year

Jennifer, what size was Australian Butter for you?

Thanks everyone

Is Canadian crookneck the same as Pennsylvania Dutch crookneck sold by Seed Savers?

I think that it is.

Jim

Is Canadian crookneck the same as Pennsylvania Dutch crookneck sold by Seed Savers?


Not as far as I am aware, but only genetic testing could confirm that, one way or t'other. My seeds are from a genebank which cites provenance.

Ray, due to water shortages where the squash were being grown the Oz butters were small this year, generally just under 8 pounds, although one seems to have been a hog and topped out at more than 12 pounds. Loverly, loverly squish. Want seeds?

Jennifer

I tried a couple of different "better" butternut squashes, and I went back to old faithful Waltham. That reminds me that I still have 15 in the root cellar - need to put them on the menu (at least once a week) so we eat them up before the spring veggies start kicking in!

I am going to grow Baby Butternut from Sandhill this year. Has anyone planted this before?
Carol

I haven't grow any butternut but this year I will be growing ponca baby butternut. Can't say it as the best as I have no comparison but will report the taste (if it produce any) this autumn. I choose it because it produce small fruit (for 2 person) plus the vine is said to be compact :).

Considering this thread is devoted to Butternut squash, my suggestion may be on the verge of blasphemy. :lol: Here goes....

The last two years I have grown 2 varieties of squash that I, my family, and our friends and neighbors have raved about. The first is "Sunshine" and the other is packaged in an all Japanese packet--my very rough translation is "Tokyo Fragrant". Both are Kabocha squash originating in Cambodia and/or Thailand.

Sunshine's description:

AAS 2004 winner. Vibrant orange-red color, sweet, nutty, absolutely smooth flesh is why this selection received the prestigious All-American award for 2004. Short 6'- 8' vines are productive of 3- 4 lb kabocha type fruits. The sweet, richly flavored flesh is impeccably refined.

Sunshine is available from Nichol's Nursery in Albany, OR.

Now for my description:

It's so sweet that we don't add any sugar, syrup or even butter while it is cooking. We eat it plain. We had squash soup with it today. I added a little sour cream. Awesome.

I still have three squash in my garage. The big one was the only fruit on one whole vine (an experiment on my part). It weighs 16 lbs!! The other two are normal sized at 4 lbs.

I will grow only these two varieties from now on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back to the butternut channel.

[quote=caascher2;87570]I am going to grow Baby Butternut from Sandhill this year. Has anyone planted this before?
Carol[/quote]

I grew a baby Butternut from Burpee two years ago. It was awesome. I didn't have much space to devote to squash, so it was great! It had very high yields, taste the same as the larger butternuts like Waltham, took up lots less space. I will be growing it again this year.

Lisa