Growing winter squash

• Squash is a warm season crop and needs plenty of sun.

• Space individual plants 4 to 6 feet apart.

• Before planting, add some general purpose fertilizer and compost to the soil.

• Keep the soil evenly moist.

• It can be beneficial to prune older, damaged, or very crowded leaves from squash plants. This allows bees easier access to the flowers. If you have ever had small shriveled squash fruit that do not develop, the reason is likely lack of pollination. Planting flowers nearby that are attractive to bees will also help.

• To harvest, leave fruit on the vine until fully mature with a firm rind. Cut the stem with a few inches remaining attached to the fruit. If you plan to store the fruit, wash with a bleach solution of 10 parts water and one part bleach. Dry and store at 50 to 60 deg. F. with good air circulation.

  PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
  You can do one of the following:
  1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
  -OR (as I do)-
  2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

2026

(Descriptions and photos are from the seed company websites unless otherwise noted.)

Guicoy

(Cucurbita pepo). 100 days. A beautiful, dramatically ribbed squash of antiquity that has been prominently depicted in late Maya period art, it remains a delicious staple in its native region. Long vines produce flattened fruit appearing in tones ranging from green to deep yellow. The most delicious fruit is harvested when young and thin-skinned; however, it can be allowed to mature to a tasty and very ornamental pumpkin (the mature fruits average just under 2 pounds apiece). This ancient variety is depicted in late Maya pottery and was featured on a major Maya archeology website. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Honeynut

(Cucurbita moschata). 100 days. A mini butternut squash with a gourmet pedigree, widely regarded as one of the best-tasting squash of all time! This squash reaches just 4 to 5 inches long, making a single serving size and quicker to roast whole! Bred by renowned vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek of Cornell. Sugar sweet taste and such deep orange flesh. A sweet treat that is easy to grow! Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Ayote Green Flesh

(Cucurbita moschata). 125 days. To find this variety in its native land, you'd have to trek to the remote mountainside of Guatemala. The good news: You can still be a botanical explorer by creating a home in your backyard for this exotic green-fleshed pumpkin. The flavor will blow you away! Eaten raw, there’s tropical fruity hints even described as papaya or banana. Cooked, its flesh is dark, as sweet as chocolate, and needs no enhancement. We've been looking for this pumpkin for years and have finally sourced seed that can produce in northern backyards. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Festival acorn

82-85 days. Pretty and tasty Festival acorn squash are creamy colored with decorative green and orange stripes and each weighs just 1-2 pounds, perfect for individual servings. They grow on compact, semi-bush vines, saving garden space. These powerhouse plants bear heavily, producing literally dozens of squashes that keep their flavor and quality for 3 months after harvest. Simply cut in half, remove seeds, and oven roast with a little butter and (our favorite) a spoonful of maple syrup. Yum! (Renee’s Garden)

Below are varieties offered in 2025. Some may also be available this year. I’m still working on updating the site.

Little Gem Red Kuri

80 days. Cute, small red kuri type fruit are a good size in the kitchen and for market. Plants produce numerous fruit that weigh 2-5 lbs. each. Stores well and has dense, finely-textured flesh. This variety is even good raw, sliced in salads or diced as a snack. It is crunchy and sweet like a carrot, but not as watery, and the nuttiness is almost addictive – much like eating carrots and chestnuts. We love its sweet flavor diced and sautéed with garlic and soy sauce. Good uniformity and bright color, does well even in challenging conditions. We think Little Gem is the perfect size for a kuri squash and its high yield makes it a great choice for market farms. Seed produced by Avoca in Corvallis, Oregon. (Adaptive Seeds)

Bush Delicata

80 days. This AAS winner has a tidy bush habit that spreads only about 4–6 feet. The 1 ½–2 pound oblong-shaped squash have creamy white skin with green stripes and flecks. Inside, the flesh is smooth and has a sweet nutty flavor with hints of brown sugar and butter. Tolerant of powdery mildew. Open pollinated. (Territorial Seed)

Butterscotch

Tastiest small butternut.

Sweet, rich, complex flavor. The perfect size for dinner (no leftovers) and ideal for growers selling at farmers' markets and filling CSA boxes. Matures early at 1 1/2–2 lb., with no curing needed before it can be enjoyed. Stores up to 3 months after harvest. Short vines. Our thanks to Cornell University for working with us to develop this variety. NOTE: If growing for the 1-lb size, we recommend giving each plant only 6 sq.ft. of space. AAS Winner. F1 hybrid. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)