Photo courtesy of jspatchwork at Flickr.com.
Are you looking for a vegetable that’s easy to grow organically, produces abundantly for late fall harvest, and stores extremely well? Then consider winter squash. Unlike summer squash, the various varieties of winter squashes are harvested when the fruit is completely mature, with fully-developed seeds and a tough rind. It’s the latter that gives winter squash its name, because it makes the fruit easy to store for winter use. Popular varieties of winter squash include (among many others) acorn, butternut, calabaza, cushaw, delicata, gem, Hubbard, spaghetti, and turban. Pumpkins are also classified as a winter squash.
Winter squashes may be planted in the late spring and earlier summer, as either seeds or transplants. Like all cucurbits, they do best in well-drained sandy loam, and should be planted in hills, with one or two plants per hill. A good rule of thumb for initial fertilization is to place a bushel of decomposed manure and 3-4 shovels of compost under each hill. Once the plants are established, they’ll respond well to an occasional drink of compost tea.
Photo courtesy of Benimoto at Flickr.com.
As the plants mature, you need to keep an eye out for the squash bug and squash borer, two nasty insects that can wreak havoc on any cucurbit. Cucumber beetles may also pose a problem. On the fungal front, winter squash can also be attacked by downy mildew, powdery mildew, and black rot (which is especially common in the Southern U.S.).
Winter squash should be harvested in September or October, before the first heavy frost, when the rinds turn a deep, solid color and become hard. For maximum storage length, avoid cuts and bruises as much as possible while harvesting, and be sure to leave two inches of stem when you cut them off the vine; otherwise, decay organisms may get in and ruin the fruit.
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