How to Grow Butternut Squash in a Cold Climate
A winter favorite for many, butternut squash is commonly made into soups or baked to warm you on cold days. While butternut squash will need at least 83 days to mature from seed to harvest, even those living in cold climates can grow them as soon as the potential for frost is gone. By implementing a few techniques you can create warm enough temperatures to grow butternut squash in a cold climate no matter where you live. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Shovel or garden hoe
- Well-rotted compost
- Soil thermometer
- Cold frames or cloches
- Butternut squash seeds
- Water
- Black plastic mulch
Instructions
-
-
1
Use a shovel to break up the soil in your garden bed when the ground is thawed and workable. Create hills of soil 1 foot deep by 20 inches in diameter every five feet in each row. On average you'll need one squash plant per household member, so prepare enough hills to grow two plants into each hill.
-
2
Mix half a cubic foot of compost into each hill to lighten the soil and add nutrients. Let the prepared hills sit unplanted until all danger of frost has passed for your region, also called a frost free date.
-
-
3
Test the temperature of the soil in the center of your hills four inches deep to get an idea of how cold it is. Seeds can germinate at as low as 55 degrees F, but do their best between 68 degrees F and 70 degrees F.
-
4
Place a cloche or cold frame over each hill and allow the soil to warm for three to four days before testing again. Test the temperature of the soil every day at about the same time until it is consistently warm enough to germinate the seeds for three to four days straight without extreme fluctuation or drops below 55 degrees F.
-
5
Plant four to five seeds into each hill one to two inches deep, spaced three inches apart. Water the hill enough to moisten the soil thoroughly and replace the cloche or close the cold frame to keep heat in.
-
6
Water the seeds and seedlings daily or every other day whenever the soil is dry. When the seedlings reach three to four inches tall, remove or "thin out" all but the strongest two vines.
-
7
Remove the cloche or cold frame permanently once the air temperature at night no longer dips below 50 degrees F. Spread black plastic mulch over the hill around your butternut squash vines to keep the soil warm and hold in moisture.
-
8
Harvest the squash after the first frost of fall. The leaves should die back, revealing the ripe squash below and the squash will be sweeter for having been exposed to the cold.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Add fertilizer beyond just compost before planting using a low-nitrogen 5-10-10 strength as directed on the packaging.
Raised garden beds are known for having warmer soil sooner than in-ground beds, and should be considered if you want to be able to plant right after your frost free date.
References
- Photo Credit Butternut soup and butternut image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
