Block Party Organic (F1) Butternut Squash Seed

Scientific name

Cucurbita moschata

Soil and setup

Give squash fertile, well-drained soil at pH 6.0–6.8. Plastic mulch and lightweight row cover help plants establish and keep insects off young vines; remove the cover when flowering starts so bees can pollinate. Poorly formed fruit often points to poor pollination.

Days to maturity

Counted from direct sowing. Transplants are ready about two weeks sooner.

Transplanting

About 3 weeks before planting out, sow 2–3 seeds per 2" pot or plug cell and snip off all but the strongest seedling. Harden plants off for 4–7 days and set them out after the last frost at the spacing for the variety. Disturb the roots as little as possible.

Direct sowing

Sow 2 seeds, 1/2–1" deep, at each planting spot for the variety's vine length, and thin to one plant once seedlings are growing well.

Plant spacing

Rows about 6' apart suit bush and short-vine types; long vines need about 12'. In the row, use roughly 18–24" for small-fruited, bush or short-vine plants, 24–36" for medium types and 36–48" for large fruit or long vines. Butterscotch PMR planted at 6 sq. ft. per plant gives small, single-serving fruits of about 1 lb.

Disease

Powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt and Phytophthora are the main diseases. Good drainage, open airflow, beetle control and rotation away from cucurbits prevent most trouble; ask your county Extension office about control options if needed.

Insect pests

Striped and spotted cucumber beetles, squash bugs and squash vine borers are the usual problems on this crop family. Floating row cover shields young plants. Look under the leaves for clusters of bronze squash bug eggs and crush them. If a borer gets into a vine, slit the stem to remove it and mound soil over the cut so the vine can reroot. Mowing field edges, clearing crop debris in fall and plowing in spring all cut down on overwintering pests; pyrethrin gives partial control. Butternuts and other C. moschata squash are less prone to vine borer than other species.

Harvest and curing

Fruit is usually ready 50–55 days after it sets; bring it in before hard frost. Cut it from the vine with a piece of stem and handle it gently. Cure in the sun for 5–7 days, or indoors at 80–85°F (27–29°C) and 80–85% relative humidity with good ventilation.

Storage

Store at 50–55°F (10–13°C) and 50–75% relative humidity with air moving around the fruit. Repeated chilling below 50°F (10°C) damages squash. Storage life and the best time to eat vary by type.

Seeding rate

At 2 seeds per foot in rows 6' apart: about 1 oz. per 155 ft., 1 lb. per 2,500 ft. and 3 lb. per acre.

Packet

30 seeds.

Seeds per lb.

About 5,500 on average.