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- From: "Adriana" <adriana AT chefsgreens.com>
- To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: [Market-farming] Squash Blossoms
- Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2005 17:35:26 -0600
Hi Beth
Did you get answers to these questions? If so, can you please advise.I loved growing them this summer! I have a chef waiting for blossoms from my greenhouse right now. (The mice have eaten my first 2 batches of seedlings). Based on this year's experience:
1. Seed variety - Johnny's Selected Seeds recommends Costata Romanesco as aCostata Romanesco produced the biggest blossoms but I prefer Tromboncino because it is vining and does not have scratchy stems....
good variety because of the many male blossoms.
2. Yield - what yield can I expect per plant per week?I can't remember exactly but I would say at least one blossom per plant per day, maybe 2.
3. Plant spacing - typical recommendations call for multiple seeds inCostata Romanescos 36" apart was too close, I suggest 48"; Tromboncinos can be planted on trellisses 18" apart.
"hills".
4. Timing - do you recommend bi-weekly or monthly sowing to provideI suggest you plan on at least a second planting to have blossoms all summer.
continuous harvest throughout the season?
5. Trellising - is there any benefit to some sort of trellising. I knowI wished I had trellised my Costatas as the wieght of the massive plants made them fall over and harvesting blossoms was a bear...the tromboncinos are vining and it was a delight to pick them standing up next to the 3-ft diameter hog wire cages.
zucchinis are bush types but I seem to recall reading about growing summer
squashes on slightly raised wire grids.
6. Pests - are row covers advisableI had problems with squash borers drilling out the stems, which caused the plants to die prematurely.
7. Harvest - do you harvest the flowers when they are fully opened or at theI try to harvest fully opened blossoms, first thing in the morning. You have to harvest daily, unless you want baby squashes on the female blossoms.
bud stage. How frequently should you harvest? Time of day?
8. Storage - is it best to air cool the blossoms or can they be hydroAir cooled worked fine.
cooled.
9. Packing - what is the best way to pack them.I could put a dozen in a 10" x 10" plastic clamshell.
10. Pricing - my search comes up with pricing ranging from 3/$1.00 to $.99I had no complaints from chefs at $.75 apiece.
Adriana
-
Re: [Market-farming] Squash blossoms,
Beth Spaugh, 12/19/2005
- Re: [Market-farming] Squash blossoms, Elaine Granata, 12/20/2005
- Re: [Market-farming] Squash blossoms, marcy, 12/20/2005
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- [Market-farming] Squash Blossoms, Adriana, 12/20/2005
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