Images are from the book ‘The Vegetables of New York’ (1928)
This is one of the best winter squash varieties for short season climates. The plants are productive and the beautiful acorn shaped fruits reliably mature in short season areas. Fruits can store for 2-3 months.
Table Queen has been a popular variety since it was introduced to the seed trade in 1913 by the Iowa Seed Company; but it has a much longer history than that, likely originating with the Arikara Indigenous people of the Great Northern Plains (now North Dakota).
A bit more:
We came across a fascinating book published in 1927 by the Agricultural Experimental Station, Iowa (AMES, Iowa) called ‘A Systematic Study of Pumpkins and Squashes’. In this book the authors trace the history (as best they can) of Table Queen. They start off by noting that:
“The origin of this variety is uncertain.”
And then provide what is known of its history:
It was first illustrated and described in the catalog of the Iowa Seed Company, 1913, under the name of Table Queen. Previous to that time it was grown by Sestier Brothers and other market gardeners near Des Moines under the name of ‘Danish squash’. This name was used on account of the fact that the seed was supposed to have been brought to Des Moines from Denmark by a local lumberman.This report regarding the importation of seed has not been confirmed. On the other hand, a letter to the senior author from Haehnfeldt & Jensen Lt, seedsmen at Odense, Denmark, under the date of March 5, 1926, states that, “Squash is not and cannot be grown in this country as the climatic conditions are not adapted to its culture.
That the Table Queen originated in Denmark seems open to serious question. This point of view is further supported by the fact that this variety is unknown as far as we have been able to learn in the European seed trade. A perusal of the leading seed companies of these countries fails to find either this variety or one similar to it listed.
Dr. Melvin R Gilmore, in a letter to the senior author under date of March 5, 1927, reports: “There is a variety cultivated by the Arikara on Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota which is similar but not identical.” Geo. F. Will of Bismark, North Dakota, who has made a special study of the economic plants grown by the American Indian, informs the junior author under date of March 12, 1927, that the Arikara tribe “grew a black heart-shaped squash very similar in appearance to Table Queen.”
And finally, the authors of ‘A Systematic Study of Pumpkins and Squashes’ provide a description of Table Queen that still fits today:
Small fruit, slightly elongated, pointed at the blossom end and distinctly grooved. Size 7 x 4 inches; weight 2 pounds. Its size commends it for table use for when halved and baked it makes an adequate serving for two people. Skin smooth and dark green at maturity. Shell thin and hard. Flesh thick, deep yellow in color and usually of excellent quality. Very productive and a good keeper.
If you have been wanting to try a winter squash this is a good one to start with.
How to plant: Start Table Queen seeds indoors about 3 weeks before the last frost (for us that is the beginning of May). Sow seeds about 1 in deep. Keep soil moist. Once seedlings emerge, place in a sunny spot and wait until the end of May/early June to transplant. Space plants 2 to 3 feet apart. Table Queen does have longer vines, so it will need some room to spread or climb a trellis.
Within Canada only shipping on squash seeds, thank you.
