Winter squash and pumpkin

Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata and C. pepo · Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	annual
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Soil pH	6.0–6.5
Spacing	24 to 36 inches
Days to harvest	80 to 100 days
Soil temperature to plant	at least 65°F

About Winter squash and pumpkin

Winter squash, including pumpkins, butternut, acorn and Hubbard, are harvested mature with a hard rind and can be stored for months. Vining types need a lot of room and a long warm season.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone; it is killed by frost, so plant it out after the danger of frost has passed.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Start seeds indoors: 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost
Set out plants: 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost
Sow seeds outdoors: 2 to 3 weeks after the last frost

Days count from seeding; many large pumpkins and some winter squash take over 100 days. Fruit matures about 45 to 55 days after its flower is pollinated. Allow 5 to 6 feet between rows for vining types.

Soil

Moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; they do well in heavier soils.

Follow a soil test and keep pH about 6.0 to 6.5; work in up to 2 inches of compost, or without a test about 4 to 6 cups of balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 per 100 sq ft.

Feeding

when the vines start to run and spread out: nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0 or 46-0-0. Use about 3 to 4 Tbsp of 21-0-0 per plant (or 1/2 cup of 46-0-0 per 100 ft of row) beside the plants and water it in.
when the first blooms appear: nitrogen fertilizer such as calcium nitrate (15.5-0-0). Use about 2 lb per 100 ft of row, 6 to 8 inches from the plants on both sides, and water it in.
about 3 weeks after flowering starts: nitrogen fertilizer such as 21-0-0. Use about 1 1/2 lb per 100 ft of row beside the plants and water it in.

Too much nitrogen gives long vines and fewer squash; skip extra phosphorus unless a soil test calls for it.

Harvest

Harvest before a hard freeze once the rind has a deep, solid color and your fingernail cannot scratch it, leaving a few inches of stem. Cure 1 to 2 weeks in dry, sunny weather (or indoors near 80F), then store around 50 to 55F.

Harvest the fruit once at the end of the season, before a hard freeze; a light frost that kills the vines usually doesn't hurt the squash.

Varieties (64)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
Royal Acorn	Acorn	70 days
Cream of the Crop	Acorn (C. pepo)		Mild flavor. Bush plant with cream-colored rind that turns bright yellow in storage and cream flesh; stores 4 to 5 months.
Ebony	Acorn (C. pepo)	100 days	Glossy, dark green acorn squash, sized between Table Queen and Royal Acorn.
Table King	Acorn (C. pepo)	75 days	Early, bush-type acorn with regular-size fruit and a small seed cavity.
Table Queen	Acorn (C. pepo)	80 to 90 days	Tender, sweet and dry, with pale orange flesh. Grooved, dark greenish-black acorn squash on vigorous, heavy-producing vines.
Honey Bear	Acorn (C. pepo), hybrid	85 to 100 days	Sweet when cooked. Compact bush about 2 to 3 feet tall with dark green fruit around 1 pound each. Tolerates powdery mildew.
Table Ace	Acorn (C. pepo), hybrid		Very productive semi-bush plant that sends out short runners later in the season.
Carnival	Acorn type (C. pepo)	95 days	Semi-bush plant with striped, multicolored acorn-type fruit.
Burpee's Butterbush	Bush butternut (C. moschata)		Deep reddish-orange flesh of high quality. Small butternut-shaped fruit on a compact plant with very short stems between leaves.
Sweet Mama	Buttercup
Burgess Buttercup	Buttercup (C. maxima)	95 days
Bonbon	Buttercup (C. maxima), hybrid	95 days	Bred for improved taste over other buttercups. Fruit averages 4 to 5 pounds, about four per plant.
Butterbaby	Butternut	100 days	Cornell lists powdery mildew resistance.
Ponca	Butternut		Butternut with uniform fruit, similar to Waltham.
Early Butternut	Butternut (C. moschata), hybrid		Early butternut without a crooked neck on a medium-length vine; an All-America Selections winner.
Honeynut	Butternut (C. moschata), hybrid		Cornell lists powdery mildew resistance.
Waltham Butternut	Butternut (Cucurbita moschata)	95 to 105 days	Bred for better flavor than older butternuts. Uniform butternut with large fruit and a small seed cavity. An All-America Selections winner.
Autumn Gold	Carving pumpkin (C. pepo)		Medium fruit of about 7 to 10 pounds that turns orange early.
Jack O'Lantern	Carving pumpkin (C. pepo)	110 days	Medium-size pumpkin, a bit taller than round.
Magic Lantern	Carving pumpkin (C. pepo), hybrid		Round, dark orange fruit around 18 pounds on a semi-vining plant. Resists powdery mildew.
Spirit	Carving pumpkin (C. pepo), hybrid		Semi-bush plant with fruit of about 10 to 15 pounds.
Cornell's Bush Delicata	Delicata (C. pepo)	80 days	Sweet and nutty, fine-textured flesh without coarse strings. Compact, open-pollinated plant with cream fruit striped in green. Resists powdery mildew; keeps about 100 days.
Delicata	Delicata (C. pepo)	98 to 100 days	Very sweet orange flesh. Cream fruit with dark green stripes, about 7 to 8 inches long and 1.5 to 2 pounds, on short vines.
Sweet Dumpling	Dumpling/delicata type (C. pepo)	100 days	Very sweet, tender orange flesh. Small, round, flat-topped fruit about 4 inches across, ivory with dark green stripes, on medium vines. Stores 3 to 4 months.
Rouge Vif d'Etampes	French heirloom pumpkin (C. maxima)	115 days	Flattened, bright red-orange fruit of about 10 to 15 pounds.
Dill's Atlantic Giant	Giant (contest) pumpkin (C. maxima)	115 days	Grown for size; fruit commonly reaches 50 to 100 pounds and can get much larger.
Big Max	Giant pumpkin (C. maxima)	120 days	Good for cooking. Pinkish-orange fruit that can pass 100 pounds.
Blue Hubbard	Hubbard (C. maxima)		Large, hard-rinded Hubbard squash.
Golden Hubbard	Hubbard (C. maxima)	105 days	Tasty, dry, deep orange flesh; good for pies. Large, red-orange, warty fruit about 10 pounds. Stores a long time.
Connecticut Field	Jack-o'-lantern pumpkin (C. pepo)	105 to 120 days	Large, round, orange-yellow fruit of 15 to 25 pounds, flattened at the ends.
Howden	Jack-o'-lantern pumpkin (C. pepo)	115 days	Uniformly large, deep orange fruit on long vines. Cornell lists resistance to black rot.
Sunshine	Kabocha (C. maxima), hybrid	95 days	Vigorous plant with short vines. Cornell lists resistance to black rot.
Black Forest	Kabocha/buttercup type (C. maxima)	95 days	Sweet, medium-dry, deep orange flesh; good for baking. Dark green, flat-round fruit without the button on the bottom; smaller than typical kabocha.
Jack Be Little	Miniature pumpkin (C. pepo)	90 to 95 days	Tiny fruit of 3 to 4 ounces; each plant bears 8 to 10.
Munchkin	Miniature pumpkin (C. pepo)	100 days	Small, light orange fruit about 2 to 3 inches across.
Wee-B-Little	Miniature pumpkin (C. pepo)		Small, round fruit about 3 inches across.
Baby Boo	Miniature white pumpkin (C. pepo)		Flat, white fruit under 1 pound and 2 to 3 inches across; mostly ornamental.
New England Pie	Pie pumpkin (C. pepo)	105 days	Dark orange fruit of about 4 to 7 pounds.
Small Sugar	Pie pumpkin (C. pepo)	95 to 110 days	Round, deep orange fruit of about 6 to 8 pounds, flattened at the ends.
Triple Treat	Pie pumpkin with hull-less seeds (C. pepo)	110 days	Deep round, dark orange fruit of 8 to 10 pounds with seeds that have no hulls.
Big Moon	Pumpkin (giant)		Giant type that can produce fruit over 200 pounds.
Prizewinner	Pumpkin (giant)		Late, round, reddish-orange pumpkin grown for contest size, 80 to 120 pounds.
Aspen	Pumpkin (large carving)		Semi-bush vine with rich orange fruit around 20 pounds and large, sturdy handles. Stores and ships well.
Gold Rush	Pumpkin (large)	100 days	Deep orange, thick-walled, globe-shaped fruit of 30 to 40 pounds with large handles, on a big vine.
Aladdin	Pumpkin (large, hybrid)		Large, round-to-tall fruit about 12 inches wide and 15 inches tall, weighing 30 to 50 pounds. Tolerates powdery mildew.
Merlin	Pumpkin (large, hybrid)		Semi-vining plant with dark orange fruit around 22 pounds and a large, dark green stem. Powdery mildew resistant.
Jack of All Trades	Pumpkin (medium)	90 days	Dark orange fruit of 9 to 12 pounds with good handles, on a very vigorous semi-bush plant.
Racer	Pumpkin (medium, hybrid)	85 days	Blocky, ribbed, dark orange fruit of 12 to 18 pounds with big handles, on a short, vigorous vine.
Mystic	Pumpkin (medium-large)		Dark orange, thick-walled fruit of 15 to 25 pounds with sturdy handles.
Lil' Ironsides	Pumpkin (mini, hybrid)		Small orange fruit about 2 pounds with a thick, hard shell. Resists Fusarium and Phytophthora fruit rots.
Spookie	Pumpkin (small pie)		Small pumpkin bred to yield more and have a deeper shape than Small Sugar types. Used for pies and Halloween.
Orange Smoothie	Pumpkin (small)	90 days	Small, smooth pumpkin 8 to 10 inches across, good for painting.
Casper	Pumpkin (white)		Smooth, waxy white skin over dark orange flesh up to 1.5 inches thick; fruit 8 to 15 pounds. Cornell lists powdery mildew resistance.
Cotton Candy	Pumpkin (white)		Round white pumpkin 5 to 12 pounds and 8 to 10 inches across, with a strong stem.
Silver Moon	Pumpkin (white)		Flat-round white fruit of 10 to 15 pounds, 9 to 10 inches across. Cornell lists powdery mildew and zucchini yellow mosaic virus resistance.
Valenciano	Pumpkin (white)		Flat-round white fruit with slight ribs, 8 to 10 pounds.
Full Moon	Pumpkin (white, giant)		Round white pumpkin that can reach 60 to 90 pounds.
Red Kuri	Red kuri (C. maxima)	92 days	Open-pollinated, teardrop-shaped fruit of 4 to 7 pounds with a scarlet-orange rind and smooth flesh.
Baby Bear	Small pie pumpkin (C. pepo)		Deep orange, flattened fruit about 5 to 6 inches across and 1.5 to 2 pounds.
Small Wonder	Spaghetti (hybrid)	70 to 80 days	Single-serving spaghetti squash about 4 by 5 inches with orange skin.
Vegetable Spaghetti	Spaghetti squash (C. pepo)	100 days	Open-pollinated; fruit turns from white to yellow when ripe and keeps well. The cooked flesh pulls apart into spaghetti-like strands.
Tivoli	Spaghetti squash (C. pepo), bush		Spaghetti squash on a bush-habit plant that may form short runners.
Seminole	Tropical pumpkin
Lumina	White pumpkin (C. pepo)		White-skinned, flat-round fruit of about 10 to 15 pounds.

Good neighbors

Sweet corn, Green beans (snap beans), Nasturtium, Marigold, Sweet alyssum

Squash is one of the Three Sisters with corn and beans; UMN Extension cites research that nasturtiums and marigolds reduce squash bugs and cucumber beetles, and that marigolds with sweet alyssum draw in aphid enemies.

Pests to watch for

Squash vine borer, Squash bug, Cucumber beetles, Aphids, Pickleworm, Corn earworm (tomato fruitworm), Whiteflies, Squash beetle, Corn rootworms, Garden symphylan, Seedcorn maggot, Melonworm, Groundhog (woodchuck)

Diseases and problems

Powdery mildew, Cucurbit viruses, Anthracnose, Angular leaf spot, Poor pollination, Ozone injury, Blossom end rot, Frost and freeze injury, Gummy stem blight, Verticillium wilt, Downy mildew, Bacterial wilt, Damping-off, White mold, Sooty mold, Cucumber mosaic, Zucchini yellow mosaic, Squash mosaic, Watermelon mosaic, Curly top, Tomato and tobacco ringspot

In the kitchen

Roasted, pureed into soups and pies, or stuffed; pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.

Keeping it: Once cured, keep winter squash and pumpkins somewhere dry and airy at 50 to 55F, away from apples and pears. Acorn types keep about 1 to 2 months, butternut 2 to 3 months and Hubbard up to 6 months.

Pets: Listed as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, 'Acorn Squash', Cucurbita pepo, which also names pumpkin and zucchini).

Sources

Photo: Photo: Californiacondor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.