Waltham Butternut Squash

From Hudson Valley Seed Company. Purchased in 2023.

Description and growing instructions below from Hudson Valley Seeds.

A beloved heirloom butternut variety.

No garden crop soothes the soul like butternut squash. Its smooth, sweet, and nutty flesh entices as it bakes in the oven. For this hallmark experience of autumn we are indebted to insurance-man-turned-farmer Charles Leggett, who developed the Waltham Butternut variety in Massachusetts during the mid-1940s. Leggett combined the dense, easy-to-peel flesh of old gooseneck types with the flavor and texture of the best eating squashes. The result? Pure comfort food, straight from the garden.

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS.

Direct sow after frost, or start indoors 2-3 weeks earlier. Transplant in hills spaced 6' apart, 3 plants per hill, or in rows 36" apart. Plants can grow 6' or more, so give plenty of space to take over. Keep watered for the first couple weeks, and then—in most years—you can forget about them until October. Be sure to harvest before frost: once nipped, the fruits develop soft spots and quickly spoil in storage. Harvest when squash are buff-colored with no trace of green. Cure somewhere warm and dry for a week, then store in a cool, dry, dark place.