Ther are several bush varieties That should suit your purpose. You are probably aware of bush acorns, but ther are also bush butternuts, bush buttercup/kabocha, even small bush pumpkins. If a vining variety is suitable, you have even more choices at under 2 lbs. Carnival is an atrractive multicolored acorn, Honeybear is one lb green acorn. Cream of the crop goes a shade over two lbs. Butterbush is 1 1/2 lb butternut. Gold Nugget is 1-2 lb Hubbard type. Sunshine is a bit larger at a shade over three lbs but a quite pretty buttercup/kabocha type. And of course there is Unique a 1 1/2 lb spaghetti type. These are only varieties I remember without searching. There are lots of candidates out there.

Delicata and another vote for Gold Nugget and Honey bear.

Dave

I'm growing Honey Bear this year. I had an early one, and I prefer the Table Queen I grew last year - it has this wonderful nutty flavor that develops very early. Also growing bush delicata this year, and it has failed to stay bush. Haven't tasted that yet.

I don't think Delicata stores very well. Any tips for winter storage? Our cellar might be too warm due to a wood furnace.

Butterbush did well for me. Vines grew to about 4 or 5 feet long. Have not tried the others.

I should have mentioned that I'm looking for a long-vining variety, due to the nature of the container. Also, I'd rather have a lot of smaller fruit that store well, rather than fewer of a larger fruit. Maybe table queen acorn is the way to go?

I'm amazed at how fast these butternuts fill out, going from a fertilized flower to a 4-pounder in less than 10 days.

Rick in CT

Table Queen is a very good acorn, larger than your specs tho. They will keep for a couple of months but no acorn is considered as a great keeping squash.

Aren't most of the best keepers larger squash?

So long-vining, small, tasty, AND stores well? In other words you are looking for the perfect winter squash, right? Aren't we all. :-)

<Aren't most of the best keepers larger squash?>

Yup. There is the problem. Small, tasty, and long storage tend to be mutually exclusive IME. You can eliminate the long storage issue by canning or freezing. Long-vining and multiple small ones is 'possible' but few choices and taste suffers. Long vining, large fruit gives best flavor and longest storage IME and the storage can be extended by pressure canning or freezing and still give you the flavor.

So what is the most important characteristic for you?

Dave

I froze cooked acorn squash last year and it kept pretty well.

I guess flavor and nutritional value are top of the list for me. Carnival is a distinct possibility, or Table Queen. I can plan on freezing a bunch at the end of fall since these won't store too long.

These butternuts I have going are kind of spectacular. The 5 plants have already set a bunch of fruits that are in the 2 to 5 pound range, the larger ones already ripening. Perhaps the smaller bush varieties can be grown in a smaller, 5 gallon pot? How do people generally take care of leaf mildew?

On another subject, I've been using bacillus T for a long time--very sparingly and specifically!-- after a run-in with squash vine borers many years ago. I'm also a big fan of butterflies and the like, and don't want to get them too, so I'm very careful. I've never had a svb problem since then. Does anyone else use this much?

Happy Gardening,

Rick

Size is not necessarily associated with keeping qualities. C. moschata's like butternuts are known for their storage qualities. C. maximas also. C pepos not so much. Acorns and Delicatas are C. pepo.

Delicatas store pretty well considering they are Pepos. Mine last through February on a shelf in an attached but unheated garage. They still produce long vines. But fruit size is maneagable and the quality unsurpassed, IMO. And they can be eaten right after the vines die without any curing time. It's the one squash people always remember to ask me for around Thanksgiving time.

Five winter squashes in one pot? Even with a large pot I wouldn't do more than one. You'll have way too much root competition. Fruit quality will suffer badly.

I like Gold Nugget, Carnival Acorn, Delicata... I usually don't have problems with storage on Delicata, they last till around Christmas or so and usually get eaten up so fast I don't have storage problems. In the slightly larger, I like Futzu Black and Long Island Cheese squashes.

Well, so far, so good.

Some of the butternuts are pretty large, and went from bud to 5+ pounds (guessing!) in less than 2 weeks, and are ripening nicely.

Thanks for the suggestions on varieties! I have at least 8 months to decide!

Rick in CT