Winter Squash

	Sun Full
	pH 6.0-6.7 Ideal Range
	Maturity 85-110 days

Soil

Like light, loose, well drained, moist soil high in organic matter.

Planting Time

Plant seeds after last frost.

Spacing

Plant about 18 inches apart.

Problems

Bacterial Wilt - can be controlled by allowing good air circulation so plants can dry as fast as possible. Also prevent cucumber beetle which will spread disease and plant disease resistant varieties.

Cucumber Beetle - Can be controlled with row covers or pyrethrum.

Harvest

Can be harvested when plants begin to die or before first frost.

Pollination

Required. Female flowers bearing the fruit just below the blossom require pollen from male flower to be delivered by an insect.

Seed Information

1000 seeds/ounce.

Watering

Winter Squash enjoys lots of watering, but well drained soil. A good layer of mulch will help maintain evenness in soil moisture.

Fertilizing

Winter Squash benefits from lower Nitrogen and higher Phosphorous.

Winter Squash Questions & Answers

Late Season Squash

Question: I would like to know if cutting the ends of the butternut squash vines will enable the fruit already formed to mature more quickly. The squash forming on the end of the vines now will never ripen before a first frost?
Mary in Wisconsin

Answer: I don't know for sure, but it sounds like it would work. I don't think you have anything to lose by trying. If you have several plants, you could try it on half of them and find out. I would be interested in hearing the results.

Mary's Final Results: I cut vines on some of the plants before hearing a garden expert on the radio say that pinching off new flowers was also effective. Anyhow I saw no difference between the two methods. Hard to tell how effective it all was because the vines dried up before a frost. Had a decent harvest - and next year I'll just do the removing of new flowers near the end of the season.

If anyone has a suggestion for Mary or our readers, I would love to hear from you. Please use our contact form here.