A cross between two of our favorite types of squash, this stately little pumpkin offers the best of both: sweetness, smooth texture, storability, yield and a built-in ripeness indicator to ensure it’s picked for peak flavor. Fruit turn from green to bronze on the vine, so you will know exactly when to pick for peak flavor and nutrition. 

Plant Details:

• 10 seeds per packet
• Produced in NY
  
• Ribbed squash approximately 6” in diameter, 2-4 lbs.
• Medium vine, 7-8' long
• Maturity: 110 days
• Organic

Field Notes:

• Soil Requirements: Fertile, well-drained soils.
• Row Covers: Cover young plants to increase early growth and protect from insect pests. Remove covers at flowering to ensure pollination and fruit set.

Spacing After Thinning/Transplanting

• Plant spacing: 24”
• Row spacing: 7’

Direct Seeding

• Sow seeds ½” deep after last frost, when soil temperatures reach at least 70˚F.
• Sow 1-2 seeds every 24”; thin to one plant every 24”.
• 6-12 days to emergence.

Transplanting

• Start seeds indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost. Sow seeds ½” deep. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 85˚F.
• Move transplants outdoors to harden off gradually for 3-5 days, protecting seedlings from wind, strong sun, hard rain and cold.
• Transplant outdoors after last frost, when soil temperatures reach at least 70˚F. Do not disturb roots when transplanting.

Harvest

• Fruit turn from green to bronze on the vine; ready to pick when green is nearly gone. Harvest twice as fruit ripen for optimal yield and quality. (If in danger of frost, harvest all fruit.) Handle fruit gently to prevent damage.

Storage

• Fruit store well after curing. Cure at about 80˚F for one week. Store at 50˚F, 50% relative humidity, with air exchange for best storage. Higher humidity, up to 70%, can extend storage. Plan to use all by March. Monitor storage for fruit loss.

Pest + Disease Info

• Insect Pests: Cucumber beetles, squash bugs and aphids. Pyrethrin, spinosad, soaps, row cover, or Blue Hubbard trap crops help prevent damage. Check undersides of leaves for eggs. Use best management practices such as crop rotation and removal of crop debris post-harvest to deter insect population growth.
• Diseases: Powdery mildew, fruit rots (anthracnose, scab, fusarium), bacterial wilt and viruses such as cucumber mosaic virus. Maintain good air circulation and schedule watering to allow plants to fully dry.