Waltham Butternut Squash (Graysville Strain) (Cucurbita moschata) At the end of my term as a grade eight English High School recording arts teacher, a student handed me a parting gift, a bag of seeds from their family garden near Graysville, Manitoba. She told me that these were super squash seeds and that the vines would climb well into the clouds of summer (she was an eccentric, creative and highly imaginative student). Still, I had to know, and the following May of 2012, 80 of her gifted seeds were lined out in neatly marked mounds of silty loam. The verdict; extremely vigorous vines yielded a profusion of delightful yellow-tan skinned butternut squash. This was a classic ‘Walthams’ but so much more prolific and uniform with an average of 6 fruits per plant. I believe the vines might have actually grabbed a cloud or two if the growing season that year was a little more cooperative! These squash stored incredibly well (7 months+) and we certainly were able to select a fair number of plants for seed. Allow the fruits to ripen completely on the vine, then let them cure for 3-4 weeks.
95-110 days to maturity
20 seeds per packet $4.45
Planting Instructions: Seed indoors 1/2 inch deep. Line out transplants after risk of frost has past, spacing 5-6 feet apart. Direct seed in raised hills sowing 5-6 seeds 1/2 inch deep. Soil temperature should be at least 21 degrees C. Space mounds 5-6 feet apart, thinning to 3 plants per mound.
