squash

[dcs02d]

What kind of squash is this?

Seminole maybe?

The plants are good size but not making much squash. By comparison, my tomatoes planted at the same time have lots of plum size green tomatoes on them.

I was thinking of pulling them out and trying something new but perhaps I just need to wait longer on the squash to show up. I get lots of male flowers but have had just two female flowers.

I'm in Florida but my backyard gets just a few hours of sun a day. Probably less than 6.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bP ... directlink

[TWC015]

I wouldn't compare winter squash with tomatoes. These two plants are in two different plant families.

Winter squash or pumpkins do not usually make very many fruit per plant. This depends on the size and variety of the plant though, with smaller fruited plants generally making more than larger fruited ones.

I don't know what squash type that is.

You should probably give them more time and it is quite normal to have much more male flowers than females. I would also not expect to have the same amount of winter squash as tomatoes. Summer squash is a different story though; they produce lots of squash.

[jal_ut]

I think you have a Butternut.

[dcs02d]

So what is a good summer somewhat shade tolerant squash? This is my first garden.

I also built a backyard chicken coop so I have lots of good free fertilizer

[garden5]

Welcome the The Helpful Gardener!

Comparing squash to tomatoes is like apples to oranges . Really, you pretty much have to wait until the plant fruits until you find out just what kind it is. It's hard to tell what variety a squash is just by looking at the vine.

Also, they take a lot longer to bear fruit than tomatoes do, so just give them some time.

[TWC015]

If you want summer squash, you can buy any of the crook neck squash seeds or straight neck, whichever you prefer. I get the cheapest seeds for summer squash; a local store near me has them for 75 cents. There is also patty-pan type squash that are summer squash.

These are bush type plants with no long vine but they do spread out over a wide area.

[dcs02d]

Maybe I'll just let the squash sit then and be patient. I have bush beans that are doing well but the yield is not very high.

So is the squash I posted ripe? Can I eat it? It fell off when I picked it up.

[jal_ut]

Yes, you can eat it. Enjoy.

Butternut is a great winter squash. I leave them on the vine until frost is expected, then pick them and store them indoors. They keep very well.

For summer squash, I plant zucchini and yellow crookneck.

[dcs02d]

Well now I'm wondering if I should just leave my fall squash alone as if I pull it out and replace it with summer squash it seems the summer squash will be ready right about the time my fall squash is showing up.

One more question. On of my squash plants is getting huge. It's moving outside my raised bed and onto the porch

Is it ok to prune it back? there are no flowers on it right now. Its just big.

thanks for all the pointers.