C. moschata. Victory Early Butternut squash was bred for speed, so it matures much earlier than the others. It’s the top choice for any short-season garden, producing before the onset of cold weather. The fruits are medium sized at around 18cm (7″) long, each weighing around 1.2kg (2.5 lbs). The flesh is fine and richly flavoured, without a lot of fibres. Avoid overhead watering with squash plants to delay the arrival of powdery mildew in late summer. Plant in rich, fertile soil in full sun and give each plant lots of room to grow in. Matures in 88 days. (Hybrid seeds)
Timing: Direct sow or transplant in late spring once the soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. Optimal soil temperature: 25-35°C (77-95°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.
Starting: Sow seeds 2cm (1″) deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Space summer squash 45-60cm (18-24″) apart in rows 90-120cm (36-48″) apart. Give winter squash and pumpkins even more room with a minimum of 90-120cm (36-48″) apart in rows 120-180cm (48-72″) apart.
Growing: Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the blossom end. Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot. Encourage bees to visit the garden by growing Phacelia, sunflowers, or buckwheat for improved pollination.
Approx. 10 seeds
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