Butternut, acorn, and kin: long-season vines whose hard-skinned fruit stores all winter.
The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.
Full sun
Zones 3–11
24–36 in apart in hills, rows 6 ft apart for sprawling vines.
Rich, well-draining soil with lots of compost; pH 6.0–6.8.
Deep 1–2 in/week at the base. Keep foliage dry to limit mildew.
May – Jun
Sep – Oct
Direct sow in warm soil or start in pots. Harvest when the rind is hard enough to resist a fingernail and the stem corks off; cure in the sun 1–2 weeks so it stores for months.
Good with Corn, Bush bean, Nasturtium, Marigold. Keep apart from Potato.