I had a pumpkin I just tossed that was moldy. I harvested it last September. You'll get more, right? Like eat these early and store those harvested later?

I don't know. I have been away from the garden so much with moving and remodeling I honestly don't know if anything will make it much longer. except cucumbers

I can relate to that.

If they are maturing now and you cure and store them properly, they should last for months. I've had Seminole last 18 months in storage and have had green-striped cushaw last almost as long. I no longer grow spaghetti or acorn because of the SVBs here so cannot tell you how long they store, but back when I grew them they did store for a couple of months. We always used them up before they went bad, so they might have stored for longer if we'd had any left.

what's the right way to store them for longevity? cool and dry I assume?

Yes, cool and dry for all except acorn squash, which needs to be slightly cooler.

After proper curing, they will store just fine at roughly 50-70 degrees with relative humidity of 60-70%. Acorn squash lasts longer if stored below 55 degrees.

Yeah, this is the reason I do not even bother planting winter squash until end of June, beginning of July. I had 4 volunteer squash plants that have taken over my compost bin and one whole garden. I don't mind, as they are one of my favourite vegetables (Im a Michigander transplant). From my volunteers, right now, I think I have about 12 seminole squashes hanging off of my garden fence, and I imagine they have a month or so before they start turning colors. But they really are space hogs when I could be growing okra and cucumbers, pole beans, mustard greens, collards etc...

I just planted Seminole and Tennessee Vining about two weeks ago--well, I planted some 17 days ago (sprouted and going strong) and some 3 days ago. (experimenting with moon phases) Hopefully I'll have some punkins' in October, but may have waited to late to plant them.

Seminole has stripey mottled looking leaves, right? I hope that's the case and it's not that they're diseased.

It may be a fight for space between the watermelons and pumpkins.

Yeah, seminole have white along the creases on their leaves, but a nice white, not a fungus white.

i will definitely make a note for next years calendar to space out the plantings. I don't know why I planted so early.

I have a hill of Old Timey Cornfield Pumpking growing behind the milking shed. It's competing with the weeds there. By our carport I planted a hill of Seminole Pumpkin. Seminole was planted June 17 and is beginning to sprawl, as is Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin, which was planted June 21. I planted both twice, before this, but both plantings were killed by overactive chickens.
I've never before grown Seminole Pumpkin. But I've heard so much good about it, that when I had an offer to split a seed packet, I took it. I LIKE the look of the plant. I'm wishing I had planted more of either. But I was in a time crunch and my wife has forbidden me from turning the front lawn into a squash jungle, like last year ;) But I should always grow something like this, as it is a great consolation, at this time of the summer, when I can't keep up with the weeds, to see those plants winning the battle themselves, and the harvest is always so good.

One reason I didn't hustle more, planting these, is that I had a volunteer come up, in one of my gardens, back in May. I was so sure it was Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin, that I left it to grow. But several weeks back I discovered that the vine had innumerable squash vine borers in it (it died). It must have been a c. pepo.

George
Tahlequah, OK

kfrinkle,Can you plant your Seminoles where they climb up into the trees? I do that fairly regularly, and love to watch people freak out in the fall when they notice I have "pumpkin trees" growing on the edge of the woods. Someone always stops to ask me what those "big apples" are that are growing on the edge of the woods. The Seminole Indians actually let their vines climb up into the trees in Florida, which is why I let mine do that. It will open up a lot of space in the garden if you can let them climb up, up, up. I let them climb the fence, and then when they reach the top of it, they grow into the adjacent trees. I yank on the vines in the fall before they get too dry and the whole mess comes tumbling down. You know how tough the Seminoles are....you aren't going to damage one by having it fall from the tree. On the other hand, if one of those hard-shelled pumpkins hits you on the head, it might fracture your skull.

George, I think you'll like the way Seminole tastes and the way it stores. That's too bad that your volunteer was a C. pepo. I had a volunteer that I thought (when it was very small) might be a winter squash, but as it grew, I could tell it was a gourd. So, even though we didn't plant birdhouse gourds this year, it looks like we'll have some this year anyway. I like surprises like that.

Dawn

Dawn, they are climbing everything. My clothesline poles, bamboo fencing, my patch of living bamboo, an apple tree. I love good winter squash, so i am hoping they take over my entire back yard... :-)

oh, and i planted some in my butterfly garden in the front yard beginning of the month too, so they should start taking over the front yard too!

I was sad tonite. My green striped cushaw had at least 15 squash about 4- 8 pounders died. Apparently the drip line developed a leak so my son had shut that line off and I did not know to water it. I thought I was doing all the good.
But then I found a squash similar to green striped cushaw with a longer neck that is growing very well where my son planted pumpkins? We shall see.

kfrinkle, I've often wondered if I might dare plant Seminole near the house on either the south or west side and let it climb the trees and then climb all over the house to shade it from the summer sun. Wouldn't it be crazy to have the entire house disappear under the vigorous vines? I haven't tried it largely because I'm afraid it would grow up over the wireless internet antenna on the roof, obstruct it and cause us to lose our internet service. Hmmm. Maybe I could grow it over the detached garage instead. It could use some shade from the vines to shade it in the hot summer months. Maybe I'll try that next summer.

Kim, That is too bad about the green-striped cushaw. Are you sure it was a watering issue and not an attack by squash vine borers? They can kill a winter squash plant pretty quickly and the first thing you notice is wilting of the plant as they tunnel through the vine disrupting the plant's vascular system.

Dawn

yes my son thought he told me at the beginning of July when I was at the convention in Ft Worth that he had major leaks in that section but I must've forgot. So poor things haven't had any water in July at all except 1 1/2" of rain. Dumb mistake. This remodel has had me out of the garden for too long. Tomorrow I am going to stay in the garden all day. I have no water or electric in camper anyway so it will be cooler in garden LOL. I will be poolside in sunflower circle...