Winter Squash in the Home Garden

Fall is my favorite time of year. To me, nothing evokes fall more than winter squash. While many scoff at the sight of pumpkin everything on the shelves starting in August, it makes me happy. By the way, I started harvesting my pumpkins this year at the end of August so that timeline is not inappropriate. I'm not a big decorator but I love functional art. What other fall decoration offers so much interaction? You start your winter squash just after the last spring frost and watch it grow all summer. After curing they are the best centerpieces, and when their time is up in early winter you put them in a pie!

My love for winter squash started when I was in college. I was checking out at the grocery store and saw one of those big bins of heirloom squash selling for $5.99 each. I figured a 20-plus pound squash was a much better deal than the $1.29 per pound acorn squash selling next to the potatoes. I picked out the biggest one I could find and chopped it up when I got home. Much to my surprise, it was the best squash I had ever had. But I didn't know what it was, and the bin had so much variety. I was set from there on, interested in all the squash varieties and finding the tastiest types in the bin. I found out later that my first heirloom squash was the Blue Hubbard (Cucurbita maxima). C. maxima is just one of four species of winter squash. The others are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata, and Cucurbita argyrosperma. All four have fascinating evolutionary histories and have played roles ethnobotanically in North and South American for thousands of years. They all do well in the Pennsylvania garden too, especially if you know a few things about them.

Cucurbita pepo may be the most familiar of the squash. These include summer squash like zucchini and yellow crookneck, and winter squash like pumpkins, acorn squash, and delicatas. It's important to note that when growing any of these squash, multiple varieties within a given species will likely cross-pollinate. So, the fruit will come true the first year, but if you keep the seeds for the next year, you'll end up with crosses that may not represent any of the squash you planted the year before. The species C. pepo is believed to be the only winter squash to have originated in North America and thus played an important role with many North American Native Americans. Personally, I like growing at least one variety of pumpkin each year for decoration. The variety, Winter Luxury Pie, has a great dual purpose. It has an interesting orange netted skin, like cantaloupe, but also cooks up like Connecticut Field pumpkin. My second favorite is Sweet Dumpling. These little squash taste just like delicata. They are almost too sweet! They store much better than delicata and most other C. pepo. In general, C. pepo is not particularly resistant to insects or disease but they are not more susceptible either. This year, squash vine borers were much more detrimental to my C. maxima and the inevitable powdery mildew came, but long after most of the crop was harvested.

Cucurbita moschata is useful in the garden as squash varieties of this species often show high resistance to disease and insects. Perhaps the most common type is the Waltham butternut squash often seen in grocery stores. Canada Crookneck is a very fun heirloom variety that does will in Pennsylvania gardens. If you have problems with squash vine borers or powdery mildew in the garden, try a variety of C. moshata. I like to cube and sauté C. moshata because I find their taste to be sweet but also a little musky compared to other species. Sautéing the flesh will caramelize the outside a little and hide that flavor.

Cucurbita maxima holds up to its Latin name. The massive pumpkins that are hauled on trailers to fairs are actually a variety of C. maxima. In grocery stores, you may see Kabocha squash for sale which is also a C. maxima that is especially good for eating. I find that C. maxima is great for simply roasting and eating. The flesh tastes like a very sweet dry potato. My personal favorite, and what got me started on all this, is the Blue Hubbard. Be on the lookout for squash vine borers with C. maxima as they seem to prefer these squashes. Farmers will often use Blue Hubbard as a trap crop when growing other squash like zucchini. Nothing draws more attention and conversation than a big blue on the dining room table, especially when it is cut up the same night your guests come over.

Regardless of the winter squash you grow, proper harvest is important. Squash should resist fingernail indentation in the skin when ready. Ideally, the plant will have started to die back before harvest. This way you know all the plant's resources have gone into your squash. Use heavy clippers and maintain as much stem as possible. Never pick up a squash by the stem. Once harvested, carefully wash the squash and spray with a 10% bleach solution to kill any remnant fungi and bacteria. Wait at least two weeks before you eat the squash, this allows them to dry out some and become sweeter. Better yet, use your winter squash as decorations for several weeks or months to really welcome fall.