This is the first year we have planted North Ga roasters here on the homestead. They are an heirloom variety of winter squash and were originally grown here in North Ga. Now I do not know if this is just beginners luck or if it is because we are in North Ga but boy can these babies grow and GROW and GROW! The top picture is just two plants in an 18 foot long bed and the boot totem is about 10 foot from the bed itself. As you can see the squashes are about 10 foot past the boot totem and still growing well. We put some rocks to measure how much they grow in the couple days following a rain and they literally have grown 18 inches in a 24 hour period.
They are a beautiful plant as you can see. They have ginormous leaves that I swear you could use as a baby blanket if needed and heck I could probably wear them as a skirt if I stitched two of them together. The manthing is certain that they are actually a mutant cross of elephant ears, kudzu and squash because they are very very large and spread all over. We literally have to keep moving the long vines and making them grow in different areas because they grow in to the pasture, in the driveway, across ditches and up and over everything they can. The vines already are well over 20 foot long and it is only July. Like many other squash varieties they will begin to die off where they were originally planted and root themselves along the vines where it comes into contact with the ground. The squash below is a giant FAIL just waiting to happen.
The squash themselves are supposed to weigh around 20 pounds and can be used like most other winter squash and used as a replacement for pumpkin. Being this is our first year growing them I can't tell you what they are actually like when cooked. The squash are long , up to about 3 feet and are a yellowish orange in color at harvest. They are also one of the few varieties of winter squash that do well in the deep south where it is hot and often times drought like conditions. So far ours have done great and the leaves do not fold up and wither on the hot days like most squash types do.
Good for you! The leaves are great. Last year for DD's birthday I scouted the neighborhood and picked up a bunch of dropped leaves that were bigger than my hand (from a neighbor's tree) and turned them into party invitations, they were a big hit.
ReplyDeleteWe love squash and grow lots of it, several different kinds. Some are massive, like that one you have. It looks interesting!
ReplyDeleteWe eat a lot of squash pies!