Waltham Butternut Squash
Item Details
This butternut, an AAS winner in 1970, was the result of years of patient refinement and selection by Professor Robert Young of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station in Waltham. Prized for its straight necks, rich dry yellow-orange flesh, nutty flavor, and high-yielding vines. Fruits are 3-6 pounds and exceptional keepers. One of the most popular types of baking squash.
- 83-100 days
- Organic
- Best-selling winter squash
- Winter squash
- Straight necked fruits grow to 3-6 pounds
- Dry, yellow-orange flesh with nutty flavor
- High yielding vines
- One of the most popular types of baking squash
This variety works for:
- Baking
- Roasting
- Soups
- Pie
- Storage
To prepare your squash, rinse the exterior and then cut in half and remove the seeds before baking, roasting, etc.
Winter squash can be pureed and sweetened as an addition to breads, muffins, cakes and pies. Diced and roasted squash can be tossed in warm salads of grains and nuts or with sautéed kale.
Summer squash are best eaten when they are small and the seeds are immature. Sliced thinly, summer squash are used in gratins and savory pies or sautéed or breaded and fried.
Growing Instructions
Instructions - Sow seeds outdoors in 12" diameter hills after danger of frost has passed. Hills should be spaced 6' apart in all directions. Can also be started indoors 3 weeks before transplanting out.
- Direct Seed: 1" Deep
- Seeds to Hill: 6-8 Seeds
- Thin: To 3-4 Plants
- Light: Full Sun
Ratings & Reviews
7 reviews
Great flavor, unbelievable keeper.
by Martin
Ordered this variety last year and was very pleased. Excellent sweet nutty flavor. Was amazed at how long it keeps, just baked the last one, in April!
Very easy to grow, very prolific
by Ben
Grew several plants this past season, one in a container and all were very prolific. Dozens of good sized squash from just a few plants.
Had pumpkins succumb to vine borers, these squash a few feet over were unaffected.
Tasted great! Ate them / gave them away before I could see how long they'd keep.
If you only choose one winter squash, choose this one.
by Mizgreenjeans
If you only grow one type of winter squash, this is the one to grow. Hugely prolific (we got more than 40 from four plants!), excellent flavor, and they keep for as long as a year.
A Keeper!
by Kateri
As always, a pleasure to grow in the garden and eat! They seem to fair a little better than some types with squash vine borer. I always get many, many of these to harvest. They keep making more fruit until frost kills them! They store well. We just ate the last one yesterday because I needed to plant seeds for this year! I did actually get a few that were fatter and more squat, but that was not a negative in any way! And some that tipped the scales at 6+ pounds! For best storage: harvest when stem is browning. Cut the vine, not the stem. You can trim the vine off and make them pretty once the stem has dried. Cure in eastern sun for a couple weeks. Wash in dish soap and vinegar. Dry in sun. Wipe down with an oil like olive or rapeseed. Keep in cool and dry place. Check at least every week or two and use up squash with blemishes or soft spots. NY zone 6b
Very Productive
by Adam
Sprawling over 15ft in each direction. Each plant produced over 8 fruits each. Great for roasting. The were susceptible to squash bugs though
Great squash
by UT gardener
Had an outbreak of squash bugs this year that decimated my Delicata and Hubbard squashes, along with my yellow crookneck summer squash. They slowed down my Long Island Cheese but didn’t kill it and I’ll get one pumpkin this year, I think. These butternuts were apparently hated by the squash bugs. I would occasionally see some eggs on the leaves but it was the exception rather than the rule. These vines struggled less with powdery mildew as well, probably because they weren’t as stressed by the squash bugs. Great yields every year I’ve grown them and keep really well. Delicious flavor too!
Great squash!
by James
Good for squash newbs like myself. Big delicious squash, with lovely orange flesh. Definitely growing them again.