Store in a cool, dark place and enjoy Hubbard squash all winter long. The three species of squash that we offer represent a wide variety of shapes and colours. Each will cross-pollinate readily within their species. For instance, all C. For people who want to save their seeds, this is a very important consideration.
The fruits themselves will not be affected by cross pollination, but the seeds inside will be, so squash need to be grown in isolation from other members of their species if seed saving is the goal. Continue reading below for more information on how to grow squash from seed. Latin Cucurbita maxima, C. Timing Direct sow or transplant in late spring once the soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. Seeds should germinate in days. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant.
Growing Ideal pH: 6. These big plants need lots of food. Although many folks think the bumpy texture of Hubbard squash is only useful as an autumn decoration, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, my favorite pumpkin pie is made with a blue Hubbard squash instead of traditional pumpkin. You can also grow them by directly sowing the seeds into the garden as soon as the soil temperature reaches 60 degrees F, if you live in a region with long, warm summers.
Give Hubbard squash plants plenty of room to grow. Each plant can easily cover square feet of garden space! Like all members of the Cucurbita genus, Hubbard squash vines are monoecious, meaning the male and female flowers are borne separately on the same plant. The male flowers always open a few days in advance of the females, to ensure a good pollen supply.
The female flowers have a swollen base and will be easily fertilized by bees and other pollinators. The winter squash harvest begins in August and runs through March, but the peak season is from October through January.
Other winter squashes include the acorn, buttercup, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti and pumpkin. Winter squashes will sweeten off the vine if they are stored in a cool, dry place. You can bake the Blue Hubbard whole. Like other winter squashes, the Blue Hubbard can also be roasted: cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place the squash cut side up in a shallow pan of water.
By the way, if the Blue Hubbard is too much squash for you and your family, the Baby Blue Hubbard is a cross between a buttercup squash and the Blue Hubbard. It tastes the same but maxs out at abut 5 inches 13 cm in diameter and weighs from about 3 to 5 pounds 1.
Your email address will not be published. Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Please check settings. I hope someone will give me a hint!!! Thanks so much. I live in N. Nevada Jim. Butternut and Blue Hubbard are winter squashes. Harvest winter squash when the shell or skin is hard enough that you cannot dent it with your fingernail.
All of your winter squash should be harvested as soon as the first light frost comes and kills the vines. If a frost threatens, cover the squash.
Curing winter squash will sweeten the flesh while toughening the skin for storage. Out of the garden, store winter squash in a cool, well-ventilated place. You can wipe the skin with a weak bleach solution to help prevent rot. Hi this is Jim again, and I wanted to update you on the squash. The temp. I covered the garden with a tarp the first night, but the next morning I went to check, and it looked as if they froze on the top part that was touching the tarp.
So I took all the squash off the vine, blue hubbard, and butternut. I think alot of the butternut is O. I cleaned them all, wrapped them in news paper, and put them in our back bedroom. Does that sound alright, or do I need to unwrap them, and set them out, but I cannot set them outside, because they will freeze. Will they ripen like this, or am I fighting a loosing battle?
Thanks Jim. To tell if winter squash is ready for use rap on it with your knuckles. If the squash is hard, it should be ready. You can always use the taste test: choose a squash for the kitchen and prepare a simple dish to test the flavor. All in all, it sounds like you got the crop in on time. When you cover winter crops with cloth, be sure to set up a temporary frame so that the cloth does not touch the crop and act as a wick to deliver the freeze to the crop.
You can leave the just harvested squash in the back bedroom for a week or so to cure; just open the blinds so that the light hits the squash. Some studies say winter squash does not need to be cured, but stored in a dry spot where temperatures range in the 40s and 50s. So if your back bedroom is warmer, move the squash to a cooler location until you are ready to use them. Allow the air to circulate freely around the squash.
As for next year, you might want to start your squash indoors next spring—4 to 5 weeks before the last expected frost. Three weeks after the last frost in spring, set the transplants into the garden. Winter squash can take from 60 to days to reach harvest. Seeds can be started indoors weeks ahead of the last frost, and then transplanted into the garden. Maturity is reached in days. Harvest when fruits are full size and the rinds cannot be easily dented with a fingernail.
Winter squash can be stored for many months, and are great in stews and baked goods. A standard Hubbard squash can grow to weigh pounds.
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