Winter squash 'Waltham butternut'

Cucurbita moschata

How to grow Winter squash 'Waltham butternut'

  • Full Sun

  • Medium

Once the vine has set four or five fruit, you can pinch off the end of the vine so that the plant will direct it’s energy to ripening the fruit rather than growing more foliage.

Plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Waltham butternut is thought of as tender, so it is imperative to wait until temperatures are mild before planting out of doors. Waltham butternut requires a soil ph of 6.1 - 7.5 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil - weakly alkaline soil.

Growing Waltham butternut from seed

Sow in spring and summer. Can be sown direct from seed when night time temperatures are above 7C.

To sow indoors, keep seeds moist under light until germination.

To avoid transplant shock you can sow the seeds in peat or coir pots and plant the whole pot in the garden.

Ensure a distance of 3.90 feet (1.20 metres) between seeds when sowing - look to sow at a depth of approximately 1.95 inches (5.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 15°C / 59°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Waltham butternut about 14 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Waltham butternut

Harden off appropriately after the risk frost and freezing have past.

If you planted into peat or coir pots, remove any part of the pot that will be above the soil line. If coir or peat shows above the soil line, it may wick moisture from the soil and the plant will suffer from the dryness.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 12°C / 54°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Waltham butternut is a tender plant.

By our calculations, you should look at planting out Waltham butternut about 14 days before your last frost date.

Harvesting Waltham butternut

~90-100 days to harvest. Harvest when stem is brown & skin is fully coloured. Pick with stem 6cm long, dry well before storing. 1 Fruit size is about 20 × 11 cm, and about 1-2 kg, creamy tan colour, excellent flavour.
Allow the skin to harden so you cannot dint it with your fingernail. Store in a cool dry place, such as an unheated bedroom. The fridge is too cold

Expect harvests to start to occur in late summer.

Winter squash Waltham butternut Etymology

An heirloom butternut squash. Bred by Bob Young of Waltham, Massachusetts.

Waltham butternut folklore & trivia

heirloom Originated in Stow, Massachusetts. Introduced commercially to the market in 1970, but was being grown on farms long before that. AAS winner in 1970.

Misspellings of Winter squash 'Waltham butternut'

Waltons butternut, Walton butternut, Waltom butternut, Waltam butternut

Other Names for Winter squash 'Waltham butternut'

Waltham’s butternut, Walthams butternut

Footnotes

1 :Seed packet from Green Harvest