Butternut Squash
Butternut Squash
Waltham Butternut is the most popular winter pumpkin variety with a more uniform shape and size. The pulp is creamy with a rich nutty flavor. Pumpkins ripen in 100 days, up to 12 inches in length, weighing up to 5 pounds. The variety is high-yielding; you can store it for the winter —ideal for soups, baked, and porridge.Bob Young of Waltham, Massachusetts, has patiently cultivated these pumpkin seeds for years, trying to develop a hard-rind pumpkin. For its development, it won the AAS Prize in 1970
How to grow Butternut Squash from seeds:
- Sowing: Waltham Butternut pumpkin seeds can be planted indoors a month before the last frost. Pumpkins do not tolerate transplanting well, so we recommend planting initially in peat pots, two seeds per pot, and later pruning a weaker seedling. Expose the seedlings outside for a few hours a week before transplanting so that they are stabbed. Plant the seedlings in rich soil one week after the last frost and with soil temperatures averaging 60 degrees F, 8-10′ apart in rows 10-12′ apart. To plant seeds directly, plant the seeds a week after frost to a depth of 1/2" deep, 3-4" apart, and thin to 8-10′ apart. Plant winter pumpkin seeds along with corn, but avoid potatoes.
- Plant Spacing: 3-4′.
- Growing of Butternut Squash: You should provide shelter during cold weather because Pumpkin seedlings do not tolerate frost well. Pumpkins are moisture-loving plants, so the soil should be moist, but don't get the leaves wet to prevent rot or mold. Use a layer of mulch tо, retain moisture, control weeds, and keep the pumpkins clean. By mid-summer, pinch off all the inflorescences to concentrate the plant's energy on the developing pumpkins. Waltham Butternut resists the squash borer.
- Butternut Squash Soil Requirements for: Well-drained rich soil. A warm temperature is required for germination. The plants themselves are delicate, and the seedlings mostly freeze at the slightest frost.
- Butternut Squash Seeds Days to Germination: 10-14 days.
- Light Preference of Butternut Squash: Full Sun.
- Life Cycle of Butternut Squash: Annual.
- How and When to Harvest Butternut Squash: Harvest squashes when the stem begins to dry, and cannot pierce the skin with a fingernail. Pumpkins don't like the cold, so harvest before the first frost by cutting off the stem with a sharp knife, leaving it 2-3 inches long. If the stem is broken, use it as soon as possible, as this will quickly spoil the pumpkin. Do not expose to water for long-term storage. Waltham Butternut can be harvested as young as a summer pumpkin or in the fall at full maturity.
- Butternut Squash Days to Maturity: 100 days.
- Butternut Squash Seed Saving: By the time the squash has been cured, the seeds are mature. Cut the pumpkin, remove the pulp with seeds. Then pour the mixture into a bowl of water to remove any remaining pulp; good seeds will drown. Spread them оut to dry for 2-3 weeks, stirring occasionally. Store seeds in a cool, dry place for up to 4 years.
FАST FACTS:
- Cоmmon Names: Butternut Squash
- Latin Name: Cucurbita moschata
- Species Origin: South and Central America
- Type: Open Pollinated, Heirloom, Warm Season
- Life Cycle: Annual
- USDА Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- Seеds per Ounce: 300
- Sunlight: Full Sun
- Height: 24 Inches
- Color: Orange
- Uses: Culinary
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