The “Bigger Better Butternuts” from 2020 are reaching the end of their storage life. They were picked early last October, so that means they’re about 14 months old. So, definitely a good survival crop! The “Great Lakes Shark Fin” squash are lasting even longer. Those look, and feel, the same as the day I picked them.
Today I’m harvesting seeds from a bunch of squash. The BBB seed is going to the Experimental Farm Network for packaging and sale. Some of the others I’ll put a few packets in my seed stash, and use the rest as sprouting greens. I’m not really a “greens” person, but I’m trying to improve my diet without spending much, and the squash seeds are already there.
I’ve been a little reckless with my seed ordering this season. Normally I spend weeks pouring over the catalogs, making lists, culling the lists, comparing prices, etc. This year I keep getting the feeling that we’re in for a bigger seed shortage than ever before, so I’ve been ordering things as I find them. I really hope this premonition is wrong.
If you plan to buy fertilizers and whatnot, get your orders in soon. There’s already a shortage. If you know how to improve the soil without buying stuff, even better.
“Bigger Better Butternuts”
Glad you had so much success with those. Since it’s just we two, I’m totally into ‘Honeynut’ myself. A much smaller version that doesn’t last as long, of course. Got about 24 to process right now, and I still didn’t finish the pie pumpkins yet, (’Small Sugar Sugar Pie’ from Livingston Seed) but they’re good keepers. I have some smaller pumpkins, as well as all the ‘decorative’ squash I grew and those are going into one of the food plots for wildlife, so nothing will be wasted. The steer was sampling them the other day. ;)
“If you plan to buy fertilizers and whatnot, get your orders in soon. There’s already a shortage. If you know how to improve the soil without buying stuff, even better.”
Excellent advice. I really was at the bottom of my ‘buckets of stuff’ at the end of the season, so at a minimum I need more bone meal and I’ve already started saving egg shells for crunching up for next season to feed to tomatoes, peppers, zukes & cukes.
Manure around here is NOT a problem. Weber and Ithaca do a fine job of providing that. In fact, as I was shoveling out kennels (I don’t use dog poop!) the other day, I was reminding myself that the chore becomes MUCH more tolerable once the temperature drops below freezing, LOL!
Beau has been moving Weber around The Manse, as there is STILL green grass to eat (December 4th!) so he’s cleaning up after him and tossing the flops right into my big compost pile.
Such LUXURY! Doesn’t take much to make me happy, LOL!