Cucurbits · warm season
Butternut squash
Cucurbita moschata
The most reliable winter squash in Ohio. Moschata types shrug off vine borer better than pepo types.
- When to plant in Ohio
- Direct sow late May to early June
- Harvest window
- September to first hard frost
- Days to maturity
- 90–110
- Spacing
- 48–72 in.; vines roam
- Light
- Full sun
How to grow it
Give vines a back bed or let them run into a path. Fruit is ready when the rind resists a fingernail and the stem turns corky. Cure 10 days in a warm, dry room, then store at 50–55°F. Waltham is the Ohio standard.
Related cucurbits
Slicing cucumber 50–65
Pickling cucumber 50–60
Zucchini 45–55
Yellow summer squash 45–55