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Old October 30, 2011   #1
materlvr
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Default Sweet Dumpling Squash

OMG, I just tasted my first Sweet Dumpling squash and I'm in love! Can I grow a few plants in an 18 gallon pot with a trellis????????

Thanks for any and all info!

Janie
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Old October 30, 2011   #2
biscgolf
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i would think they'd do fine that way...
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Old October 30, 2011   #3
materlvr
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Biscgolf, thanks so much for your reply, any advice when I should plant out, I live in inland valley, Southern California. In April our lows are from 38-50 and our highs are between 70-85.

Thanks so much for your reply!

Janie
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Old October 30, 2011   #4
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Default sweet dumpling squash

Can you tell me what the growth habit is? I don't have a lot of room for rambling vines, but may want to try it-thanks-
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Old October 30, 2011   #5
materlvr
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The only thing I know is that the squash is under 1lb and they are sweet, sweet, sweet! I saw them for the first time at our local farmers market. YUM!
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Old October 31, 2011   #6
biscgolf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by materlvr View Post
Biscgolf, thanks so much for your reply, any advice when I should plant out, I live in inland valley, Southern California. In April our lows are from 38-50 and our highs are between 70-85.

Thanks so much for your reply!

Janie
your climate is so much different from mine that i think you'd be better off seeking advice on that from another source... i don't start winter squashes here in virginia until mid-summer... try your local extension agency- they should be able to direct you to the correct place...

jo: they are a vining type but not a really long vine... while they will certainly take some space they aren't as bad as many others...
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Old October 31, 2011   #7
Wi-sunflower
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I love the Sweet Dumpling types too.

Personally I grow the variety Festival. It's semi bush unless you over-fertilize it as Hubby did this year. Festival is usually my first squash to ripen and I'll get more / plant than off most every other variety I grow (about 15).

Even tho Festival is semi bush, I wouldn't put more than 1 or 2 plants in a container as it will just stunt the plants. We did a plant in a 3 gal nursery pot this spring and we were watering the pots 2 or 3 times each day after they had fruit on them. They still dropped a lot of fruit. The pots were just too small.

Here is a view of our farm stand from several years ago when we had a bumper squash crop.

Carol
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Old October 31, 2011   #8
materlvr
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Wow, great harvest! As far as the variety, I'm going to save seeds from one I'm making today. I have no idea what variety it is, I'll ask at next weeks market.

The recipe I have is for a stuffing with apples, dried cranberries, walnuts, brown suger, cinnamon and nutmeg. YUM!

Thanks so much for your replys. I'll look around and see if I can find someplace to order Sweet Dumpling Festival!

Janie
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Old October 31, 2011   #9
Elizabeth
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materlyr,

You can grow most squash in containers, if the container is big enough. 18 gallon with a trellis sounds perfect. I would probably put 3 of that variety in one pot. In my experience this variety has leaves on the small side for a squash so they should be fine with buddies, especially since you are using a trellis. You will have to train it up the trellis and will have to tie it on in a few places so it doesn't slump.

I know Temecula gets pretty warm in the summer and sun beating on the sides of pots can really fry roots. If you bunch a few pots together so they shade each other or use a smartpot or wood that doesn't hold heat the same as ceramic or plastic you should be fine. Using a inner pot inside of a decorative one also helps (though you would loose valuable root space) - anything to keep the soil from heating up too much in the pot. The vines probably won't be leafy enough near the pot as the summer gets hot to do the shading for you.

You should be sure to ask the seller if they grew other varieties nearby. If they did, your saved seeds from the squash may not come out as you expected. Squash are fairly promiscuous as a rule - if any other squash variety is nearby they are perfectly willing to accept pollen from most of them and you can get some pretty funky, and/or fairly blah ones with uncontrolled crossing. When people save squash seeds there is a certain protocol to follow during pollination to be sure there isn't any unintended crossing. When I had more space (we used to live in Ramona) I saved seeds from a squash that wasn't protected during pollination just for fun. I mostly got these weird and colorful things that looked nothing like the squash I had grown and tasted like wet cardboard.

I got the the Sweet Dumpling I grew this year in a patio container from Baker Creek Seeds, You may want to check their site and see if it looks like the one you had. I haven't eaten any yet as they haven't rested long enough - winter squash just harvested isn't usually as good as ones that have been stored for a couple of months and I harvested just recently.
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If I'm going to water and care for a plant it had better give me food, flowers or shade.
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Old October 31, 2011   #10
ScottinAtlanta
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Squash are fairly promiscuous as a rule

Great line!
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