Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squashes grown in home gardens. Its sweet, nutty flavor and smooth, bright orange flesh make it a favorite for soups, stews, baking and more. The large, bell-shaped fruits typically weigh 5-8 pounds each, providing plenty of hearty squash for enjoying all season long after harvest.
Growing your own butternut squash is easy and rewarding when you start with high quality seeds suited to your climate. With proper planting care and harvesting a packet of butternut squash seeds can yield bushels of robust winter squash.
Choosing the Best Butternut Squash Seeds
The first step in planting butternut squash is selecting proven seed varieties that will thrive in your location
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Waltham Butternut – Classic heirloom dating back to 1970. All-American Selections winner known for excellent quality 7-9 lb fruits.
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Early Butternut – Earliest maturing butternut, great for northern climates with shorter seasons.
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Metro PMR – High yielding hybrid resistant to powdery mildew and other diseases.
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Honey Bear – Compact semi-bush plant with 3 lb mini squash perfect for containers.
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Zenith – Uniform medium-large fruits on vines with powdery mildew tolerance.
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Burpee’s Butterbush – Semi-bush habit with high yields and disease resistance.
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Butterscotch – Small 2 lb pretty squash on semi-bush vines, matures early.
Untreated, organic and heirloom butternut squash seeds are also available for gardeners who prefer them. Treated seeds offer some disease protection right from planting.
When to Plant Butternut Squash Seeds
Butternut squash thrives as a warm season crop. Time sowing butternut squash seeds outdoors based on your local last spring frost date:
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1-2 weeks after the average final spring frost
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Once soil warms to at least 65°F
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From late spring through mid summer for staggered harvests
Quick maturing varieties can be planted through early summer for fall harvests before the first frost.
Starting Seeds Indoors
Get a head start on the season by:
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Planting seeds indoors 4 weeks before your last expected spring frost
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Using biodegradable pots to minimize transplant shock
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Hardening off seedlings for 7-10 days before transplanting outside
Handle butternut seedlings carefully when transplanting since squash don’t like root disturbance.
Direct Sowing Butternut Seeds Outdoors
Follow these tips for direct sowing butternut squash seeds into your garden:
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Prepare soil well with compost and balanced fertilizer. Butternut squash needs highly fertile ground.
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Plant seeds 1 inch deep in hills or groups spaced 4 feet apart.
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Sow 6-8 seeds per hill then thin to the 3 strongest seedlings.
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Or sow seeds 1 inch deep, 2 feet apart in rows spaced 4-6 feet apart.
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Water newly planted seeds well if spring rains are lacking to get them started.
Caring for Butternut Squash Vines
Proper care when vines start growing includes:
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Watering 1-2 inches per week. Provide consistent moisture, don’t let soil dry out.
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Weeding regularly. Butternut vines can’t compete with weeds.
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Mulching to smother weeds and retain soil moisture.
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Fertilizing every 2-3 weeks with organic balanced fertilizer.
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Gently turning or tilling the soil around vines, avoiding damaging delicate roots.
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Controlling pests like cucumber beetles that spread disease.
Growing Butternut Squash Vertically
Letting butternut vines sprawl takes up considerable garden space. Grow them vertically with:
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Bush or semi-bush varieties that take up less area.
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Training vines up sturdy trellises, fencing or A-frames.
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Allowing 12-18 inches between plants for airflow if trellising.
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Gently tying vines to supports using soft plant ties.
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Supporting fruits hanging from trellised vines with slings.
Container Growing Butternut Squash
With the right conditions, butternut squash can also be grown in containers:
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Select a container at least 18-24 inches wide and deep.
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Use potting mix enriched with compost and fertilizer.
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Sow seeds in hills or spaced 12 inches apart.
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Choose bush or semi-bush varieties well-suited for pots like Butterbush.
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Add vertical trellising to save space. Support hanging fruits.
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Water consistently as containers dry out faster than in-ground plantings.
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Limit vine length by pinching off growing shoot tips.
When and How to Harvest Butternut Squash
Knowing when butternut squash is ready for picking is key:
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Harvest when fruits are deep tan and rind is rock hard.
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Allow squash to fully mature on vines for best flavor.
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Carefully cut fruits from vines, leaving 2-3 inches of stem attached.
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Pick before heavy frost or freeze damages fruits.
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Cure for 10-14 days in warm area to harden rinds and improve flavor.
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Store cured squash in a 50-60°F location through winter.
Storing Butternut Squash After Harvest
Follow these tips for storing freshly harvested butternut squash:
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Cure squash for 10-14 days in a warm, dry spot before storage.
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Inspect cured fruits and discard any with soft spots or damage.
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Only store blemish-free, hardened fruits long term.
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Keep cured squash in a cool, dry 50-60°F storage area.
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Avoid storing near apples which emit ethylene gas that shortens shelf life.
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Check stored squash every 2-3 weeks and remove any new soft spots.
Properly cured butternut squash keeps 2-3 months when stored under ideal conditions.
Preventing Pests and Diseases
Protect vines from these potential squash pests and diseases:
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Cucumber beetles carry bacterial wilt – control with row covers.
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Squash vine borers bore into stems – hand pick adults & larvae.
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Powdery mildew fungus coats leaves – improve airflow.
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Downy mildew causes leaf blotches – rotate planting sites.
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Squash bugs suck juices – remove by hand early on.
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Various vine wilts spread by insects – control pests & diseases early.
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Avoid wetting leaves and provide good drainage to limit diseases.
Saving Butternut Squash Seeds
Saving seeds from your best fruits maintains varieties adapted to your growing conditions:
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Select fully ripe squash from only the most vigorous, disease-free vines.
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Scoop out and rinse seeds from mature fruits.
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Spread seeds in a single layer and dry for 2-3 weeks.
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Place thoroughly dry seeds in a sealed container.
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Store in a cool, dry spot until next planting season.
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Discard seeds from any diseased or damaged squash.
Planting butternut squash from your own saved seeds ensures a free source of robust plants ideally suited to your climate.
With proper practices for sowing, growing and harvesting butternut squash, you can enjoy huge yields of sweet, richly-flavored butternut squash from your fall garden for soups, baking, and more.
Common Pests and Diseases
Common pests include aphids and slugs.
Common diseases include powdery mildew, downy mildew, and cucumber mosaic virus. Watch plants carefully for signs of this cucumber mosaic, which include yellow mottling, puckering of leaves, and rotting fruit, and remove plants from the garden.
Do not place infected plants in the compost pile that you use for your garden. Aphids can carry the virus, so you may want to consider pest control methods to control aphids in the garden.
How to Grow Squash
There are four species of domesticated squash that are commonly grown in gardens: winter squash, pumpkin, summer squash, and gourds. All four species are essentially cultivated in the same manner but members of the different species will not cross with one another, allowing a seed saver to grow multiple squash species at the same time.
Sow seeds outdoors after danger of frost has passed in the spring, or start from seed indoors and transplant out in the spring.
Create 12 inch diameter hills 6 feet apart. Plant 6-8 seeds per hill and later thin to 3-4 plants per hill. Sow seeds 1 inch deep.
When growing squash for seed, hand-pollination is recommended.
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FAQ
Can you plant seeds straight from a butternut squash?
Before planting, allow the squash to ripen until it’s almost but not quite rotting. Then be sure to separate the flesh from the seeds and then allow them to dry before planting. Select the largest, most mature seeds to plant.
What month should I plant butternut squash?
Squash are very sensitive to the cold. Sow seeds or plant transplants outside when the soil temperature is at least 65ºF. This can range from mid–May to early June.
Should butternut squash seeds be soaked before planting?
Examples of seeds that benefit from soaking include peas, beets, cucumber, corn, squash, pumpkin and beans. In a bowl, cover your seeds with warm water and leave to soak for 6-24 hours.
Can you plant store bought butternut squash seeds?
The seed from store purchased squash will almost certainly be viable. Crossing is the greatest problem with such seed. Commercial producers are not trying to produce seed, so they often plant more than one variety of the same species. When they do this, the plants cross a whole lot.
When should butternut squash seeds be planted?
Late spring to early summer is ideal. Start seeds indoors 3-4 weeks before the last expected frost date and transplant them outdoors once the weather warms. 2. Soil Temperature: Butternut squash seeds germinate best in soil temperatures between 70°F to 95°F (21°C to 35°C). Ensure the soil temperature is at least 60°F (15°C) before direct planting.
Can you plant butternut squash seeds indoors?
Butternut squash seeds can be started indoors before the growing season since they will only germinate in warm soil. However, they should be transplanted outside once the weather warms up and the growing season begins. The butternut growing season is approximately 110-120 days for fruit maturation.
Can you grow butternut squash from seeds?
Grow butternut squash from fresh seeds like other squash and gourd varieties. Common winter types include spaghetti squash, buttercup squash (Cucurbita moschata), delicata squash, and acorn squash. How long does a butternut squash last? Winter squashes last longer than their summer counterparts.