I love winter squash, butternut being my favorite. But dang it, it's hard to get them to grow here. There are very few C. mochata or maxima that will grow for me. Last year I tried butterbush (because butternut has never worked) and got about three small ones on each of the two plants. Same with the Sweet Mama, a maxima kabocha type. Too much space taken up by plants that don't produce much. Still, hope springs eternal and I planted the same again this year because everything needs a second chance. Still waiting on results with those.
But the one shining star I found a couple of years ago is Small Wonder, a small sized F1 spaghetti squash. That sucker is prolific! Right now I've already picked five and count twenty eight more still on the vines from just two plants! Here's a small section of the patch. They're everywhere! I usually plant just one plant and get plenty. What was I thinking?
They range from 2-3 lbs each down to softball sized (the last ones set) and are perfect for two people with a meal. This one is 2 lb 9 oz:
Now... how to store all of those in the South without a root cellar. Well, my light shelves aren't being used right now...
I have read somewhere (gotta dig into my notes) that if you lightly massage vegetable oil into the rinds that it will extend the storage life. Have any of you ever heard of that?