Melinda Myers

Winter Squash

Botanical Name

Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. pepo

Hardiness

Annual

Height

18 to 36 inches

Width

3 to 15 feet

Flowers

Mid to late summer: yellow, edible

Fruit

Many shapes, colors and sizes including acorn, spaghetti, hubbard, turban and butternut

Light

Full sun

Soil

Moist, well-drained, warm

Planting & Care

• Squash germinate best in warm soil temperatures of 70°F to 105°F
• Begin sowing when the soil has warmed to at least 70°F and all danger of frost has passed
• VINING: Sow 4 to 5 seeds per hill at a depth of 1 inch. Space hills 5 to 6 feet apart in rows 7 to 12 feet apart. Thin to 2 or 3 plants per hill.
• SEMI-VINING: Sow 4 to 5 seeds per hill at a depth of 1 inch. Space hills 5 to 6 feet apart in rows 8 feet apart. Thin to 2 plants per hill.
• BUSH: Sow 1 to 2 seeds per foot of row at a depth of 1 inch. Space rows 5 feet apart. Thin to 1 plant every 3 feet of row.
• Mulch the soil to suppress weeds and retail soil moisture
• Mounding some soil around the base of the plants will help discourage squash vine borers from laying eggs

Problems

Squash bug, squash vine borer, striped cucumber beetle, bacterial wilt, powdery mildew, viral disease, scab

Varieties

• Tay-Belle - acorn-type, semi-bush, dark green fruit
• Pasta - yellowish cream fruit with good flavor
• Emerald Bush Buttercup - bush-type
• Delicata - oblong white and green fruit, sweet flavor, high yielding, long storage life, All-America Selection winner
• Sunshine - attractive, 3-4 pound orange-red globe-shaped fruit, AAS winner
• Honey Bear - acorn-type, resistant to powdery mildew, AAS winner
• Bonbon - semi-bush, silver streaked dark green exterior with bright orange, sweet interior, good disease resistance, AAS winner
• Butterscotch - butternut squash, compact vines are good for smaller gardens and containers, AAS winner
• Winter Honeybaby - semi-bush habit, similar to butternut in appearance, AAS winner
• Sugaretti - spaghetti-type, attractive white and green fruit, good resistance to powdery mildew, AAS winner
• Goldilocks - acorn-type with bright orange exterior, AAS winner