Growing Winter Squash

Winter squash allow you to have fresh vegetables from your garden well into winter. Many gardeners shy away from growing winter squash because they grow on expansive vines and take the entire growing season to mature. With limited space in the garden, winter squash becomes a luxury. However, as with all other plants, to get the best tasting varieties, you need to grow your own.

Luckily seed companies have developed winter squash varieties that either grow on shorter vines or as bushy plants. Some even ripen faster. There are also winter squash with smaller fruits, which might not sound like a feature, but if you’ve ever seen the size of a mature Hubbard squash, you’ll appreciate it. Whatever variety you choose to grow, the fruits need to be fully mature to cook or keep. Most will still have very tough skins, making them difficult to clean, but enabling them to be stored for months in a cool spot, like a basement. Below are some of the most popular varieties of winter squash.