LATIN NAME: Cucurbita spp.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: For convenience (rather than for any botanically significant reason), squashes (cucurbita pepo) are divided into 2 groups: summer and winter. Summer squashes include scallop or patty pan, straight neck, crookneck, and zucchini. Winter squashes include acorn, banana, butternut, cushaw, delicata, golden nugget, hubbard, kabocha, spaghetti, and turk’s turban. Pumpkins (C. pepo var. pepo) also are a type of winter squash.
Squashes usually grow on long, twining vines, which can be trellised to save space, but some cultivars are compact bushes. Bush-type summer squashes are highly productive, but bush-type winter ones are not.
GERM. DATE: June 23, 2009
GERM. TIME: 7-10 days
TRANSPLANT DATE: June 28, 2009
TYPE OF PLANT: Vegetable
BLOOM CYCLE:
pH LEVEL:
SEED DEPTH: 1 inch
HEIGHT OF PLANT:
WIDTH OF PLANT:
PLANT SPACING: 3 feet
ROW SPACING: 4 feet
DAYS TO HARVEST: 41 days
ZONE REQUIREMENTS: Squashes hate frost, need warm soil to germinate, and thrive in warm weather. They prefer warm, dry, sunny conditions and are cold-sensitive.
FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS:
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Full sun to part shade
WATER REQUIREMENTS: Moist
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Fertile, well-drained, deeply loosened soil rich in organic matter
DISEASE PROBLEMS: Seed rot (especially in pumpkins), Bacteria wilt, Mosaic virus, Mildew
PEST/INSECT PROBLEMS: Cucumber beetles, Squash vine borers
SOLUTIONS: To prevent seed rot, plant in moist soil; don’t water again until seedlings are up. To prevent cucumber beetles, which can carry wilt bacteria, cover with floating row covers until female flowers set (check for swollen base). For squash vine borers, slit open stem if wall is thin or has hole and kill borer within. Cover stem with soil at slit to encourage rooting. Prevent bacteria wilt, mosaic virus, and mildew by planting resistant cultivars.
HOW TO GROW: If starting indoors, sow seeds in peat pots 3 to 4 weeks before you plan to set out transplants; sow pumpkins 2 to 3 weeks before transplanting. Sow seeds outdoors or set out transplants 2 to 3 weeks after average date of last frost or when soil is 65°F. Plant 4 or 5 squash seeds 1 inch deep in hills spaced 3 to 4 feet apart; plant 6 to 8 pumpkin seeds 1½ inches deep. When seedlings are several inches tall, thin to strongest 2 or 3 plants per hill. Or, sow squash seeds 2 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart for bush type and 4 to 6 feet apart for vines; thin seedlings to 16 to 24 inches apart. Thin pumpkins to 3 feet apart, in rows 6 feet apart for compact types or 10 feet apart for vining types. In cool regions, use black plastic mulch to warm soil. Keep soil moist after seedlings are up, especially during hot weather. Trellis vines if space is limited.
HARVEST NOTES: Harvest this cultivar when 4-6 inches long. Pick crookneck or straight neck when it’s 4 to 7 inches long, pale yellow, and skin is pliable; patty pan when it’s small and still grayish or greenish white, and zucchini when it’s 4 to 6 inches long. Cut off winter squashes and pumpkins, leaving 1 inch of stem, before heavy frost, when skin is hard and stems are brown and dry.
SPECIAL CARE/NOTES: This cultivar is highly productive and vigorous. Mulch to control weeds.
STORE BY: Refrigerate unwashed for up to 2 weeks.
PRESERVE BY: Winter squashes store for months if properly cured. For longest storage, cure in sun for 10 days (cover if frost is predicted) or indoors at 80° to 90°F for 4 days. Cure pumpkins at 80° to 85°F for 10 days. Dunk winter squash in solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water and dry. Keep in cool, dry place for up to several months.
USES FOR PLANT: Summer squashes can be eaten raw or cooked when immature and tender. The raw blossoms are edible, too. Winter squashes and pumpkins have a hard, mature skin and dark yellow flesh and are eaten when fully mature. Some pumpkin cultivars are best for eating, others for decoration or jack-o’-lanterns.
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