Which Winter Squash to Grow: The Six Families
Six families cover almost every winter squash grown in home gardens: acorn, butternut, delicata, hubbard, kabocha and spaghetti squash.
Storing Winter Squash Through the Winter
Winter squash keeps best in a cool, dry, dark spot with steady airflow and no direct contact between fruits, generally somewhere between 50 and 55°F with…
Squash That Spoil in Storage
Most winter squash that rot in storage were already compromised before they ever left the garden.
Vine Borers in Winter Squash
A vine borer doesn’t announce itself with chewed leaves or ragged edges. It works from the inside, and by the time a gardener notices, the fix is often…
How Much Ground a Winter Squash Vine Takes
Bush-type winter squash need roughly 3 to 4 feet between plants, with rows spaced 4 to 5 feet apart.
Sowing Winter Squash Into Warm Soil
Cold soil is the single biggest reason winter squash seed fails outright. The seed needs soil consistently at 65°F or warmer at planting depth, with 70°F…
Growing Winter Squash Where Summer Is Short
In a short growing season, winter squash succeeds or fails long before the vines ever spread across the garden.
Winter Squash Needs a Long Season: How Long
Most winter squash types need close to the full length of a frost-free growing season to reach true maturity, not just to produce fruit.
Saving Winter Squash Seed: What Crosses
Saving seed from a winter squash is straightforward until two different types grow in the same patch.
Mildew on Winter Squash: The Timing Decides
Powdery mildew rarely kills a winter squash plant outright. What it kills, when it wins, is time: the weeks the plant needed to keep feeding sugar into…