October - Harvest Time for Pumpkins, Squash and Gourds

Most of the ornamental gourds were harvested today.  I left one of each kind on the vines, they looked a bit younger, softer than the others.  As you can probably tell, I'm quite disappointed in my "mixed" ornamental gourd variety!  The round ones started out green on the bottom half, which was interesting, but matured into solid yellow.  The flatter orange type was also had a green lower half when immature.  There were at least five vines, which may not be enough for a proper "are they really mixed seeds" test! 

The vine on one of the Sweet Meat squash was dead, so I picked the fruit off that one too.  Also, one of the Galeux d'Eysines pumpkin (squash) has been dangling on a dead vine for weeks, so I finally cut it free.  Its bottom is still quite green. 

They make for a very pretty autumn color display.

I referred to the winter squash as 'Sweet Meat" above, but it surely isn't.  I heard back from the seed seller and he doesn't know what it is, has never had that happen before... same as I heard about the "Not-Yellow" Brandywine tomatoes being red or gloriously tie-dyed!  I was surprised to hear that the seed seller gets his seeds from a "big name supplier," when I was under the impression they produced them from their own "heirloom" garden!  The tomato seed seller mentioned the same.  So, they get probably thousands upon thousands of seeds, then package them up into groups of 10 to sell?  What a lot of work for a dollar or two (with free shipping), especially with having to then ship them out.  I now have a "No Buy" list of sellers on eBay.  Many of the seeds are right on and wonderful, so it's still a great place to buy seeds. 

Don't get me wrong, what grew is an absolutely gorgeous squash.  But, is it even a winter squash?  Winter squash are the keepers, the store-able, ones.  For me, they are the only edible, or even eatable ones!  I hate squash... unless it's winter squash and cooked into a sweet (no savories) such as pie, cake, muffins, bread, cookies.

These are growing in two different beds, and all of them look like this.  Oblong, smooth, salmon colored with white stripes.  NOT Sweet Meat, which is short, squat, and most importantly, blue!  If not blue-blue, sky-blue, at least sea-blue or grey green-blue.  It's a native Oregonian, unlike me!

I can't even find any Internet photos that look like my squash beauties.   It is a beauty too, look at that base!