Plant Database / Vegetables / Winter Squash
Vegetables

Winter Squash

Cucurbita moschata
Cucurbitaceae (Gourd)

Butternut and other moschata types resist the squash vine borer that kills other squash — and they store all winter.

EdibleAnnualStores wellSurvival cropStaple caloriesWe sell it
Winter Squash (Cucurbita moschata) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek
Sun
Full sun
Water
Moderate, deep
Soil
Rich, warm
pH
6.0–6.8
Hardiness
Warm-season annual
Height
Long vines
Spacing
36–48 in
Days to harvest
85–110

What it is

Winter Squash (Cucurbita moschata) is in the Cucurbitaceae (Gourd) family. Butternut and other moschata types resist the squash vine borer that kills other squash — and they store all winter.

How to grow it

It wants full sun, water it moderate, deep, and give it rich, warm soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–6.8. Space plants about 36–48 in apart. Expect roughly 85–110. Warm-season annual.

How it's used

Winter Squash is used: roasted, soups, stored.

🔎 How to identify it

  • Big lobed leaves on long vines
  • Large orange blossoms
  • Hard-shelled tan/green fruit

Edibility

PartsFlesh and seeds
UsesRoasted, soups, stored
CautionNone.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.