Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash - Variety Show

We featured Orangeglo watermelon a few weeks ago and received some positive feedback.  And, you know how that goes.  Give the farmer a little positive energy and he suddenly wants to do something to show that it is a good thing

Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato squash

During our first few years at the Genuine Faux Farm, longer season squash were difficult to grow primarily because of the insect pressure.  But, we stuck with our plans for developing a more balanced habitat (among other things) and now we are reasonably successful with our squash crops.  Some of the easier squash to grow are in the family C. pepo, which include zucchini, summer squash and acorn squash.  Shorter season crops reduce the odds that they will be exposed to hazards, such as pests, disease and weather, and the members of this family mature earlier than those in C.moschata (butternut for example) or C.maxima (buttercup are an example of these).

In general, acorn squash can be very productive, producing many one to two pound fruits.  The most popular acorn squashes look like the traditional variety Table Queen, which was apparently introduced by the Iowa Seed Company in 1913.  You can see some Table Queens at the bottom left of this picture from our farm in 2006 or 2007.

Now, I have to admit that I tend to prefer the taste and texture of buttercup and butternut type squashes.  So, I can be a bit more picky about the taste of an acorn squash.  Well, it turned out that Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato has a less grainy texture and a better taste than Table Queen and all of the hybrids that have followed it.  So, if we're going to grow acorn squash, Thelma has won every trial at our farm.

Thelma is an heirloom variety that was shared with Seed Savers and they have consistently offered the seed.  Their full description can be found here, but I give some of the highlights below:

(C. pepo)  Originally from Thelma Sanders of Kirksville, Missouri. Wonderful cream-colored acorn squash. Sweet chestnut flavor, enormously productive. Thelma described this good keeper as ‘better than sweet potatoes.’ 85-90 days.

While I don't pretend that these squash are "better than" sweet potatoes - because sweet potatoes are sweet potatoes - I will state that Thelma Sanders squash are the best tasting acorn type squash I have had and they grow very well at the Genuine Faux Farm.  With our cultivation practices and soils, Thelma has outperformed each green acorn squash we have tried.  These plants seem to handle a wider range of seasonal conditions, produce more fruit per row foot and have a larger average fruit size.

We typically get two marketable fruit per row foot for a poor to average growing year and might get more during an excellent year.  But, the real difference between a poor and excellent year is typically fruit size.  This past year was a bit dry and we did not irrigate, so the fruit averaged 1.8 pounds. We have had really good years where fruit size is closer to 2.3 pounds on average, which is quite large for acorn squash.

The best way to make sure you can fail with Thelma Sanders is to let the weeds near the root zone out-compete the vines.  Don't get me wrong.  These plants are tough enough that you don't have to have a perfect, weed-free environment.  But, if you let grasses, in particular, get a foothold near the roots of Thelma Sanders' vines, then you won't get much for squash.

The other way to fail?  Have so much rain that the plants are in standing water for days on end.  Yup - they aren't a good pond plant, I guess.

Otherwise, Thelma Sanders works well with bare soil or mulched ground.  Their vines are moderate in length.  So, unlike some vines that can really wander, Thelma Sanders tends to stay (mostly) in the area you provide them.  A good hedge of zinnias or borage will definitely head them off and keep them in their appointed space.  We even had a row of calendula hold the line one year - though that was a near thing.

Thelmas ready to harvest in 2022

Here is, perhaps, the best endorsement I can give this particular variety.  We were asked if we would be willing to grow acorn squash in 2022 as part of our limited repertoire.  We only said "yes" on the condition that they would allow us to grow THIS variety.  We were aware that the prospective customer might not accept this because most people believe acorn squash MUST have dark green skin.  Once we got past that hurdle, we entered the season with high confidence that we could produce what was needed using Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato squash.

Are there any disadvantages to this particular variety?  

One that comes to mind is that lighter skin shows blemishes far more readily than the dark black/green skin of other acorn squash.  So, if appearance is a key factor for marketing, that could play against it.  Also, the range of sizes and shapes might be a bit inconsistent if you compare it to some of the modern acorn squash hybrids that concern themselves with uniformity.  Also, if you are concerned that the stems stay on the squash, you will find that they tend to pop off of these fruit pretty easily at harvest time.  I actually find that to be a plus for processing, but it may provide an opportunity for a breach in storage that might reduce the length of time that it keeps its eating quality.

Still, storage is fine, usually getting us into January.  Typically, we don't look for any of the C.pepo fruits to last all that long anyway.

But, we're in it for the taste, texture and reliability.  Something you don't always find with open pollinated varieties.  But, you do get it with this one.

Have a great day everyone!