With butternut squash, it’s not uncommon to start out with just a packet of seeds. It’s the taste you like; you sow the seeds, and off go the vines, splaying their way up and down your garden bed. Come harvest, though, it’s a dilemma many a gardener faces: Do you save a big one to store through the winter, or pick a smaller one and eat it now?
That’s where variety selection comes into play at planting time, and a comparison of some popular butternuts will help. In this case, the infographic juxtaposes the tried-and-true Waltham butternut against some of its more recent competition. Disease resistant varieties, mini versions, and finds the Waltham still has staying power, though no longer exclusive.
How to Choose the Right Butternut Squash
The classic Waltham is an industry standard, and it is the benchmark for a long-neck vine that produces fruit weighing between three and six pounds. Though eighty-five to one hundred days to maturity means waiting awhile for your initial crop, the upside is storage ability: A well-cured Waltham will keep up to three or even six months in a root cellar. So this type are a reliable workhorse of the winter pantry.
Or maybe your root cellar’s just A DREAM, or maybe your summers are so steamy that powdery mildew strips leaves from vines in August. Other varieties excel in those scenarios. You’ll note in the chart that varieties rated highly for powdery-mildew resistance include Butterscotch PNW19, and Metro PMR. Why does that matter? Because foliage coated with white fuzzy fungus doesn’t photosynthesize well. This result in smaller fruit and fruit that rots sooner in storage. If you’ve battled mildew some years, changing up with a resistant variety is an emergency tactic to help you survive.
On top of that, there are some handy reasons to try mini versions. Why does Honeynut sound sweet? Or is it Honeybaby? It’s because they’re smaller: real Cucurbita moschata plant that happen to be shrunk down. Weighing in at under a pound apiece with a small size, you could tuck one into a raised bed, or even a container, and it won’t overwhelm the space. Best of all, with more concentrated and sweeter flesh, they’re meant for eating just one at a time, roasted whole. No pot required; no knife required, either. Just pop it in the oven or the microwave whole and dig around inside it. They offer ideal portion control and zero waste.
When selecting squash, consider size of their vines (the growth pattern) and make sure they match the space you have available. For example, the Waltham vine runs eight or even ten feet if given free reign; cramming an eight- or ten-foot vine into a four-foot wide bed is asking for trouble, as it will simply smother anything else growing there and you’ll get frustrated. Because the minis are compact, you can tuck squash into tight spots, as you see here. That means your garden layout changes, you can grow a row of minis for fast summer meals, and then also a couple of full-sized ones to store for use through winter.
When to pick: It’s an eye thing, not a calendar thing; don’t just yank the squash by date. When to pick? “The squash are ready to pick once they have turned a consistent tannish colour and their rinds cannot be pierced with a fingernail.” Leave a couple of inches of stem attached (it also reduces rot).
Curing the squash after picking is critical for storage longevity. For about two weeks, keep them warm and dry until cured. They’ll be tastier because some starchy compounds convert to sugar in this stage as well, and their skins will get tougher. Storing moist fruit will make it go bad fast if skipped.
There is no single best butternut squash, and that isn’t a failure. It’s the point. There is just a best variety for any specific situation, and the variety chart help you decide that ahead of time.
Want food into December? Plant the Waltham and grow it out. Want dessert squash in August on a small patio? Go mini. Battling mildew? Look for the PMR tags. Plant with intention, and the garden will give back to you in sweet, orange flesh.