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BUTTERBABY

BUTTERBABY

Product Description:

Cucurbita moschata 105-110 days. These irresistible personal-sized butternuts are deliciously sweet and rich flavored. Uniform fruit average between ½ and 1 ½ pounds each with an appealing tan colored skin and deep orange flesh. Butterbaby stores up to 4 months. Space-saving semi-bush plants can be trained up a trellis for extra real estate conservation. IR: PM.
  • Key Features:

SEED

ORGANIC SEED

$4.65

$4.65

  • Key Features:

Customer Reviews

Based on 7 reviews
71%
(5)
29%
(2)
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B
Barbara A.
Butter babies are the best of both worlds

Really productive harvest and i chose this variety as my husband doesn't like squash of any type. This is the perfect size for me only or if you have one that grows a bit larger, two meals for one squash. I had so much, that I put some in the cellar. It over wintered well and I used the last one in March. I also freeze dried some after mashing it. I then created a powder that when mixed with water, tasted the same as bringing it straight out of the garden. You really can't go wrong if you love the flavor of butternut squash but the large size if standard is too much for you.

D
Dawn
So many babies!

After a bit of a slow start, I was concerned that I wouldn't get any squash last summer. After starting several seeds and giving away some of the sets I had only one survive the transplant to the garden.

All well that ends well because I harvested 30... That's right, I said 30 ripe butterbabies off a single plant! There were at least 12 unripe that were nearly full size when it finally got too cold for them. The vines went through the entire garden area and yet it didn't overpower anything else in the garden. I just kept redirecting them, but can confidently say that the largest was over 20ft.

The squash were absolutely perfect! The larger ones were two servings and the smaller ones were perfect for one person. These squash were so sweet and creamy! They clean up fast, cook fast, taste delicious, and no left overs! On the flip side, if you're looking to can them or something, I'd advise going with the full size squash. Although you'll be missing out on how tender and sweet these are, you'll save yourself a TON of extra work by having the larger squash to cut up. Absolutely planting these again this year!

J
Jeremy
Productive

Growing in a 5 gallon pot. Starts slow and its now mid August and the plant is contained but producing like crazy. 15 fruit with more on the way. Squash bugs are laying their eggs. Will need to spray with some neem.
Look forward to eating. Will attempt to grow this winter under grow lights. It doesn't need much space. Prune to maintain.

N
NEIL
Very productive

Grew these last year in Maryland. I got a ton of squash from two plants. They taste good and are a perfect size for a meal. I will be growing them again.

Soil Temp for Germ 65–85°F
Seed Depth 1–1 ½"
Seed Spacing 3–4/hill
Days to Emergence 5–10
Thin Plants to 1–2/hill
Row Spacing 3–6'
Fertilizer Needs Medium
Minimum Germination 75%
Seeds per Gram See below
Seed Life 3–4 years

Cucurbita spp. In the diverse family of squash are true nutritional powerhouses, encompassing a wide array of forms, flavors, colorations, and culinary applications. Squash are rich in the carotenoids necessary for vitamin A production and boast a wide complement of amino acids. While starchy, most of the carbohydrates in the fruit come from special polysaccharides, pectins, which have exhibited strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic, insulin-regulating properties.

Days to maturity are from date of direct seeding.

Culture
• Fertile, well-drained soil gives best results
• Squash is a warm season crop, so avoid planting too early; raised beds and plastic mulch help keep roots warm
• Squash are monoecious (bearing separate male and female flowers on the same plant) and require insect pollination
• Poor fruit set is often the result of inadequate pollination; plant bee attractant flowers

Direct Sowing
• Plant after frost danger when soil warms to 65°F
• Work in shovelful of compost and 1/2 cup TSC's Complete fertilizer into hill
• Keep soil evenly moist but not wet as too much moisture causes seed to rot
• Bush varieties: sow 3-4 feet apart
• Vining varieties: sow 4-6 feet apart

Transplanting
• Start indoors 3-4 weeks prior to anticipated transplant date in 4 inch pots
• Work in shovelful of compost and 1/2 cup TSC's Complete fertilizer into hill
• Transplant carefully as to not disturb roots

Insects & Diseases
• Common insects: Spotted and striped cucumber beetles, vine borers and squash bugs
• Insect control: Row covers and/or apply Pyrethrin
• Moschata species are resistant to vine borer
• Common diseases: See chart below; diseases vary by region
• Disease prevention: 3-4 year crop rotation, and fungicide applications

Harvest & Storage
• Summer squash: Harvest regularly when fruits are young to keep plants productive
• Winter squash: Leave on vine until fully mature, rinds should be firm
• When winter squash is mature cut stem leaving 2-4 inches remaining, gently wash in sanitizing solution; 10 parts water to 1 part bleach
• For best results move winter squash to a warm dry area 80-90°F to cure; see each type (below) for curing requirements
• Store winter squash at 50-60°F with 50-75% relative humidity and good air circulation

Curing Requirements
• Acorn: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Buttercup: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Butternut: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Delicata: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Hubbard: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Kabocha: Cure 10–14 days; Store 1–2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4–6 months
• Mini-Hubbard: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Spaghetti: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months

Approximate seeds per gram
• Acorn, Butternut, & Delicata: 9-16
• Buttercup & Hubbard: 3-7
• Green, Gray Summer: 7–9
• Kabocha: 5–7
• Patty Pan: 7-10
• Romanesco: 4–5
• Spaghetti: 4-7
• Yellow Summer: 7-15
• Zucchini: 5-8

KEY TO SQUASH DISEASE RESISTANCE AND TOLERANCE
HR indicates high resistance.
IR indicates intermediate resistance.
CMV | Cucumber Mosaic Virus
PM | Powdery Mildew
PRV | Papaya Ringspot Virus
SLCV | Squash Leaf Curl Virus
WMV* | Watermelon Mosaic Virus
ZYMV | Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus
* Numbers indicate specific disease race.

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