By Rick Gush
Rick Gush is an American modest farmer based in Italy .
All untested Department of Agriculture educatee should be required to grow a field of winter squelch for a few season . Not only would they raise some money by acquire a desirable crop , they would likely have the opportunity to witness at first hand almost every plant pestis and disease that smite American farmers .
Among the potentially crop - destroying pests that attack wintertime squash fields are : squash bugs , melon aphids , wanderer mites , vine borers , roundworm , bacterial wilts , shank blight , smutty decomposition , Phytopthora blight , anthracnose , powdery mold , downy mould and many virus . And these are merely the one that can pass over out the total crop for a few years .
But mash vine are incredibly knotty and fertile , and can grow as much as 25 tons of durable fruit per Accho if everything goes decently , which is enough to make any Fannie Merritt Farmer smile . In spite of all the potential blighter hazards , the key to success for winter squash growers seems to be on the marketing end . A squash agriculturist needs to make a firm commitment to be either a formal raiser and trade his harvest to the canneries and the wholesalers , or to become a economic value - added agriculturalist , and spend the redundant endeavour to box his product and sell it at retail .
WHO ’S GROWING IT?In America , the big commercial winter squash Fannie Farmer are generally in the southerly states , and most sell their crops to the cannery . In the North , wintertime squash is more of a capitulation vacation crop , and is frequently sell now to retail customers .
When the pumpkin cousin-german are include in the view , the most notable wintertime squash and pumpkin vine - producing states are Florida , California , Georgia , New Jersey , Texas , Illinois , New York and Pennsylvania . But the top four get states , ground on harvested wintertime squeeze land area alone , are Texas ( 3,500 acres a class ) , follow by Tennessee ( 1,500 acres ) , and Virginia and North Carolina ( over 1,000 acres each ) .
GROWING SQUASHWinter squeeze grows during the ardent season on an yearly vine , and in the commercial growing realm is most often not irrigated . Irrigation is extremely desirable for the small farmer however , especially one growing for the retail market . Irrigation allows for much more compromising timing , and generally allow the product of great and healthier fruit .
crush Nutrition
Many farmers arise wintertime crush on black plastic . The charge card increases the soil temperature , reduces water evaporation from the grunge , and is an effective barrier against weed . charge plate is often used for several sequent crops and is most utilitarian in irrigated theater . Some dry - subject sodbuster comprehend the vines with soil at the foliage joints to promote formation of secondary roots and increase drought tolerance .
A chief business of crush growers is the inevitable battle with dirt ball and disease . It ’s unremarkably a difficult fight . Squash plants are so especially attractive to insect plague that many melon farmers establish squash plantings near their fields to lure the insect pests by from their melon plants .
In general , grownup insects and install disease are very difficult to eradicate . The timing of pesticide program is all-important . Most sprays either provide pre - infestation protective covering or target the untried pest somebody , as these tactics are the only methods that have any possibility of success .
Winter squash farmers must be measured not to leave extra crop residues in their airfield , as many diseases and pestilence reside in the debris . Although many cuss are quite wandering , harvest rotation is still important . Most squash husbandman omit tomatoes , peppers and eggplant from the rotary motion , as these crop are also likely to attract many of the same pesterer that pestis squash .
Field selection can also be problematic , as it is most suitable to protect crush crops from vulnerability to neighboring woodlands , neighboring fallow fields , and neighboring alternate innkeeper crops . Some protection from wind is also desirable . U - pick and other retail website must also regard customer visibility and access .
As if the craw did n’t have enough potential difficulties , the male and female flower seem on the plant at somewhat dissimilar multiplication , thus making ego - pollenation by bee and other insects less potential .
BEES AND POLLINATIONWinter squashes require insects to pollinate their flowers . Unfortunately , even with a few male flowers on some plants , and a few distaff flowers on some others , there are n’t enough flowers in a squash field to attract masses of bees .
So , in most heavy operations the squash growers need to assist in the pollination appendage . Sometimes agriculturalist will plant other prime - intensive crops in patches within their fields , hoping that the bee that are attracted to the butt crops will also turn back along the mode and pollinate the squash racquets flowers too . Some small growers have their own beehives , which they move into the fields during the pollination full stop , but the big growers — with many estate of squash — are frequent customers of traveling beehive rental services that confab their areas in the spring .
PESTSThe squash germ is the squash plant ’s single most serious pest . full-grown squash bugs overwinter in constituent junk , craw residues , under boards or rocks and in other protected corner . They come forth when the weather condition warm up and they regurgitate early in fountain . The orange or yellow egg masses are laid on the undersurface of leaves , and the red - headed nymphs hatch in about two weeks . Squash bugs reek when they are suppress . Both adults and juveniles nurse flora succus and in the unconscious process they interpose a toxic substance that get the plants to die back .
Many voguish squash agriculturist hold back until late in the time of year to found their squash source . ( This is one reason being capable to irrigate is desirable . ) Delayed planting can be one of the most in force means of deflect squash glitch hurt ; if the overwintering bug are unable to discover horde plant life when they come out from winter dormancy , they will starve or fly away .
Field sanitation technique are of import in depriving the adult of overwintering land site . Croprotation is generally recommended for farm fields , but this tactic provides slight command against squash bugs because they can move easily from one localisation to another .
Mulch spate will actually attract squash bugs , but a goodish community will trim back infestation problem . Organic grower are advised to compost everything before applying it as mulch , utilize parasitic wasps and encourage a lively field ecosystem that will include other squash bug - controlling organism .
Most insecticides have generally proven to be only marginally efficient against squash bugs . If sprays such as insecticidal soaps are used , they must be sprayed to place the young nymph shortly after they hatch , because this is the most susceptible phase of the squash bug life cycle . Even the abrasive artificial pesticides used by commercial cultivator are difficult to utilize effectively , and must rely more on ripe timing than brute force .
YIELDSCorn , Beans and Squash AgricultureIn most of the early North American civilisation , corn , attic and winter squash were plant together in the same cropping system . The plants develop well together and a diet of the three vegetables provides a balance of essential amino group acids . When grown together , these three crop optimise available resource . Tall edible corn provides a support for the bean vines and the squash spreads across the ground . The common benefit include weed suppression , urine preservation , nitrogen fixation , and increased resistance to insects and disease . Scientists think the first tameness of cucurbits was about 10,000 years ago in South and Central America . They also mean that this is about the same metre and spot that clavus was first domesticate . The Hopi and other southwest natives have used dry land for over 1,000 years . Corn , beans and squash are still set today in a kind of locations where rain or floodwater may collect , and multiple area are plant with the expectation that some plantings will expand while others will shrivel from lack of water . The East Coast aboriginal people , such as the Algonquin , also grow edible corn , edible bean and squash among their alive agriculture organisation . These three crop were favored because of their power to be stored for sustenance during the winter month . Native American culture unremarkably abandon planting arena every few years because they feel that continual cultivation would smash the soil . This may have been the first crop rotation system in human Department of Agriculture . Even today , the intercropping system of corn , beans and squash is coarse in the tropic among rural Farmer . The abject - input , high-pitched - yield system is in lineal contrast with the imported western agrarian practice . The issue of squash plants per Accho varies widely , from 1,000 to 7,000 , and plants can farm from one to seven fruits per vine . The bighearted fruit can count 20 pounds each . commercial-grade processing varieties medium about 10 pounds each , while the yield unremarkably sell these days at retail are smaller than they used to be , averaging two to three British pound each . The big winter squash are unremarkably sold now in roadside markets or autumn pumpkin patches , and the drill of selling single slices of the larger fruit is common at granger ’ food market .
clavus , Beans and Squash Agriculture
Normal wintertime squash crop of regular boastfully - fruit multifariousness should yield about 12 tons per acre , or from 1,000 to 2,000 fruits . Of of course , with excellent management and prissy atmospheric condition , yields of 15 to 20 tons per Accho are possible . And every once in a while , growers can coax 25 tons per Accho of harvested squash rackets from their field . The pop smaller variety unremarkably yield less : about five to seven tons per acre , or 2,000 to 5,000 fruit .
HARVESTWinter squash need a 120 - day farm time of year for the fruits to reach matureness . Harvest is usually done by bridge player to avoid offend the fruit , and for best flavor and texture , wintertime squash should be allowed to ripen in full on the vine . A light-headed frost can further improve the relish by modify some of the amylum to sugars . In world-wide , once the vines begin to die back and the shells are hard , the squash is ready to harvest .
After they are removed from the vine , Cucurbita pepo and winter squashes should be cured in a warm , dark location for a hebdomad or more prior to being store . Before storing , squash is also often rinse and disinfected by being dipped in hot water or a weak whitener result . This disinfecting help prevent fungal and bacterial bunkum from start out in minuscule cuts or crevices on the skin .
Winter squash should be stored recollective term in a nerveless room at about 55 degrees F. Squash should not be stored near apples , Pyrus communis or other mature fruit that turn ethylene gas . If stored in good order , squash is often marvellously comestible even six or more month after harvest , which explains why there are unremarkably nice winter squash for cut-rate sale at the markets even in July .
SQUASH VARIETIESSquashes , gourds , cucumbers and pumpkins are known jointly as the cucurbits ( kew - mutt - beets ) . These plant parts are usually rust as vegetables , but botanically they are pertain to as fruits . The term “ winter squash ” refers specifically to the squash cucurbit that are lay in for future consumption , as play off to the summertime squash , that are wipe out fresh .
There are four principal metal money of squash , and each species has a routine of varieties . Hubbard and banana tree squashes are in the species Cucurbita maxima ; butternuts are Cucurbita moschata ; acorn and spaghetti squashes , along with zucchini , yellow summer squash , and common pumpkin belong to Cucurbita pepo . last , the mintage Cucurbita argyrosperma ( Curcubita mixta ) is represented by the cushaws and other squash racquets used for commercial-grade processing .
Although true Cucurbita pepo are from the Cucurbita pepo species , all four of the winter squash racquets species bring forth some form of fruit call pumpkin .
cucumber are also cucurbits , and they all belong to in the Cucumis genus . Other non - cucurbit , but crush - eccentric industrial plant that are grow include bottle gourds ( Lagenaria siceraria ) , luffa sponge ( Luffa aegyptiaca ) , caustic gourds ( Momordica charantia ) , and wax gourds ( Benincasa hispida ) .
Hubbard is probably the single most unremarkably grown wintertime squash variety . It ’s very great and hard - shelled and has been pop for centuries because it stores well and reliably produces fruits that weigh up to 12 pounds each .
These days , rediscover “ new ” variety , like red kuri from Japan , lakota , a native American variety , and blue ballet , a once rare multifariousness , are show up in airfield more frequently , along with legitimate new variety such as Cornell University ’s late founding of a new delicata variety that is more pest resistant than the old delicata variety . undecided - pollinated varieties like these are more frequently becoming farming breeder ’ goals and tools . There is also a substantial touch among agriculturalist that smaller fruiting varieties will be more popular among retail customers than the old giant .
SQUASH ECONOMICSIt is tentative that many small farmers will suddenly start growing squash for the canning diligence . We as a commonwealth deplete less than a pound per individual of processed squash each twelvemonth , a figure that has remained comparatively steady for many years . Unless your farm is geographically order among many other farms that are already acquire winter squash for the canneries , you are far more likely to take vantage of the value - added marketing strategies for your wintertime squash . novel minor farmer are mightily bucked up , via several political science publishing , to enter the pumpkin vine and winter squash industry from the “ amusement farming and agritourism ” facet .
Value - added mean value in this case that you will deal the product at retail , and that you will make some effort to enhance the buying experience for your customers . In short , you will want your customers to be attracted to the romance of the farm and the farm products . If you do it right , your customers will be emotionally enrich by the experience of interfacing with our agrarian past .
If you are betray at the retail level , you ’ll revalue having multiple products with which to tempt your customers . You will probably find it most profitable to farm a survival of the fittest of the major fall cucurbits . Growing pumpkins , big wintertime squash , pocket-size wintertime squashes and gourds all at the same clip is advised . Colored “ Indian ” edible corn is another completing product that should be considered .
If the idea of selling at retail is not for you , you might count the possibilities for supplying product to another granger who does sell to retail customers . You may find a perfect recess by supplying your intersection to a roadside stand or a farmer ’s market vendor .
There are always new angles to use when marketing cucurbits . New varieties , little fruit that provide one - meal quantities for two mass , and promoting comestible pumpkins are some of the current major cucurbit marketing angles . Of course , in America , Halloween and Thanksgiving are two fall holidays that give a strong push to the sale of pumpkin , gourd and wintertime crush , but there is a greater insight into the mainstream comestible vegetable market .
As with all new craw , Farmer are advised to make a diligent survey of the current practices in their area , and determine exactly how they are going to raise the crop and who their client will be before they plant any seeds .
