West Coast Seeds
West Coast Seeds (Delicata Squash)
West Coast Seeds (Delicata Squash)
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C. pepo
Sweet and mild tasting squash with thin, edible skin. Delicata produce oblong, 0.5-1kg (1-2lb), pale yellow fruit with green stripes.
Delicata have a very sweet, appealing flavour that people frequently compare with sweet potatoes. Fruit average 13-18cm (7-9") long by 8cm (3"). Allow the fruits to ripen fully on the vines but harvest before frost. Delicata squash require little to no curing post-harvest, and store for about 3 months when properly stored.
| Latin Name |
Summer & Winter Squash: Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo, & C. moschata. Specialty Squash: Momordica charantla, Luffa acutangula. |
| Difficulty |
Easy, but all squash plants take up space, and some can be huge. |
| Days to Sprout | 7-14 Days |
| Days to Mature | 100 Days |
| Germination Rate | 80% |
| 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. |
Mild tasting
Vining habit
Thin-skinned, delicate
Open-pollinated seeds
