Winter Squash (Big, Small, Fancy, & Plain)

Winter squash is an annual fruit representing several squash species within the genus Cucurbita. It differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage. Our packs have around 20 plus seeds for the fancy ones and around 35 or more 

for the normal ones; there are around 2500 to 4000 seeds per pound. It takes around 6 pounds of seed per acre; and you can have a semi load of winter squash! When I grew for pie sales, I'd figure about one semi load per acre.  That's a lot of squash!

Some varieties only have around 1000 per pound 

Winter squash the sweeter ones.  Not like a white acorn or a spaghetti squash need to have been hit with a frost or two. To fully ripen.  And cure.  It makes the starches turn into sugars. And let's the flavor complexity mature 

 So all you market growers who see folks selling winter squash in late July.   Call those folks out your customers will thank you 

basic growing instructions

 First off winter squash does not like having there roots disturbed 

  So if you must transplant do it in pulp pots not plug trays 

   We plant our seeds about 1 inch down you can do less but this makes for a stronger plant and less pressure from mice 

  These need to be direct seeded between may and July 

   Space your rows 6 feet apart  we use drip line we also space our rows 8 foot apart so we can get a 4 wheeler between the rows at harvest.  And we space the plants about a foot apart in the rows 

 A fun way to plant your winter squash is put them in your corn.   You can space them. About every 6 to 10 feet in any direction  

 If you want bigger squash pinch the end of the vines off 

After you have them beginning to fruit. 

It's not a complete garden without a pile of winter squash in the fall