Winter Buttercup

Thunder

Buttercups are sweeter after a few weeks of storage and will keep up to 4 months. DAYS TO MATURITY: From direct seeding; subtract about 14 days if transplanting. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cucurbita maxima CULTURE: Fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0–6.8 is best. Plastic mulch and fabric row covers (AG-19 grade) can aide plant establishment and exclude insect pests during the seedling stage.

A buttercup (kabocha) hybrid from Rupp breeding that is an excellent yielder with dry sweet flesh.

Store at 45 - 55ºF and humidity level of 50 - 60%. Keep fruit dry and allow air to circulate around fruit. Winter Buttercups are a sweet addition to the early spring woodland garden. These deer resistant, bright golden-yellow petite flowers are easy to grow and prefer humus rich soil and partial shade. Winter buttercups naturalize and re-seed, so it’s best to find a location that allows room to grow. The buttercup squash—sometimes called a turban squash—is a variety of winter squash, but its peak season starts in early fall and lasts through the winter. It has an orange flesh that is typically described as sweet and creamy. Make sure you capitalize on this sweet squash by choosing one that’s ripe.

Attributes

V42968

Black Green

Vine

3.5

Yes

FarMore FI400, Standard Treatment

Yes

Growing Tips

Planting

Plant seeds ½” - ¾” deep. Plant spacing varies depending on vine type. Bush type plants should be planted closer and vine types should be planted farther apart. Squash need to have approximately 25 - 30 sq. ft.

Management

Scout every 7 days for insect, weed, and disease pressure. Please note that the farther south one travels the smaller the fruit get and the farther north one travels the larger the fruit get. Size is relative to day length.

Harvest

Cut off the vine to keep peduncle. Wash in 5% chlorine solution and pat dry. Let cure for 10 days. Keep fruit dry to prevent spoilage. Allow air to circulate around fruit.

Storage

Store at 45 - 55ºF and humidity level of 50 - 60%. Keep fruit dry and allow air to circulate around fruit.

Plant Spacing

Each variety or type of squash has an optimum plant spacing for its best performance. If plants are too close, stress and competition can decrease fruit size and possibly even reduce the number of female flowers. Under extreme stress, tight spacing may eliminate the crop entirely.

Accurate plant spacing will be an equal opportunity environment for every plant.
Suggested populations are for final plant stands.
To achieve ideal plant populations it is necessary to either over-plant and hand thin or to plant according to recommendations and hand plant later to fill skips.
Seed corn maggots, wire worms, mice and birds, floods or lack of rain are all common problems that effect accurate stand establishment.