Cucurbita maxima
Banana squash is a wonder of the veggie garden .
They take care like oversize pinkish or downhearted bananas , matter 60 pounds or more , and contain sweet-flavored chassis that is perfect for roasting , baking , or turning into warm up autumn or wintertime soups .
So , if you require to get a set of bang for your buck this season , you should plant and acquire banana squash !
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With large to supernumerary - great fruit that uprise on long , vining plants , these summer annuals thrive in garden where there is plenty of room for them to straggle .
On the rare occasions that gardeners sound off about banana squash , it ’s usually a menial brag – because the yield are so abundant that justonecan replete up most of a Deepfreeze .
If deliver an excess of homegrown intellectual nourishment is not somethingyou’dcomplain about , then you ’ll be exhilarate with these cucurbit .
On the other hand , do n’t let that hefty weight put you off – there are small , more manageable eccentric as well . After all , not all gardener can manage a 60 - pound veggie !
In ourguide to growing winter squash , we deal how to acquire these long - keep cucurbit . This clause focus on banana squash specifically .
Here ’s a prowler peek at what we ’ll compensate :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Sow
How to develop
Cultivars to pick out
Pests and Disease
Harvesting
conserve
Cooking Ideas
Banana squash fruit are broadly around 18 to 24 inches long , and about four to five column inch wide , making them prosperous to slice up and transform into delicious roasted veg , soups , or pie .
The fruits have pink or blue cutis , and yellowish - orange to orange flesh that has a smooth grain . In fact , they are standardised tobutternut squashin both preference and texture .
These vining industrial plant are types ofCucurbita maxima , which grow in South America .
Other types derived from the same species include Hubbard , turban , kingcup , and kabocha squash .
Banana squash vine are also related topumpkins ( C. pepo)and other wintertime squash such as ‘ Delicata , ’ ‘ Butterkin,’calabaza , and spaghetti squelch – as well as summertime variety likezucchini !
coarse name(s):Banana squash , candy roaster
flora type : Annual vining veg
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):3 - 11
Native to : South America
heyday clip / time of year : summertime
Exposure : Full sun
grime type : Loamy , organically - rich , well draining
Soil pH:5.8 - 6.8 , slightly acidulent
fourth dimension to maturity:90 - 120 days
Spacing : 3 - 6 foot
Planting depth:1 inch ( seeds )
Mature size:15 pes long x 12 inch high
Water motivation : Moderate
Taxonomy
orderliness : Cucurbitales
Family : Cucurbitaceae
Genus : Cucurbita
specie : Maxima
Although they are call wintertime squash vine , do n’t try maturate them during the cold months . These veggie are frost sore , and need a long stretch of fond atmospheric condition to produce and age .
They command 100 day or more to produce a harvest and can be grown as annual inUSDA Hardiness Zones3 to 11 .
As a tender season craw , these vegetables can be kill by cold-blooded weather if you sow seeds or transfer them too early .
Be sure to wait until after the last spring frost before verbatim - sowing or transplanting to the garden .
When plan your garden , perhaps with the service of agardening daybook , permit room for vines that are 15 invertebrate foot long or more and two to three base wide .
Here ’s how to proceed :
Direct Sowing
If you desire to sow seeds directly into the garden :
When young plants become base , decrease irrigation to maintenance levels .
Starting Indoors
Start seeds indoorstwo to four weeks before the last spring frost is an choice if you have a short acquire season .
These plants do n’t really love being transplanted , so if you’re able to , it ’s best to maneuver - sow .
You ’ll involve the following supplies : seed , seed starting grow medium , andbiodegradable seed jump potbelly or trays . You may also need a rut matte .
After sprouting , keep the rise medium moist but not soggy . After the last frost day of the month has passed , harden off the seedlings before transplanting .
Transplanting
remove the growing country of weeds and spent botany ahead of transplanting the seedlings .
Keep weeds at bay until the seedlings have become established to avoid competitor for nutrients and body of water .
Also consider placing alayer of mulcharound plants to help suppress weeds , protect the soil , and slow down the evaporation of water .
Let ’s take a near tone at how to keep these veg happy .
Light
The vine require full sun to successfully produce fruits . That means you postulate to take a touch in the garden that receives a minimum of six minute of direct sunlight per daylight . More is better .
Soil
Banana crush prefers loamy garden soil and will flourish in a pH ambit of 5.8 to 6.8 . It ’s a right idea to work in somecompostbefore planting .
The land absolutely must be well - draining . stand water or oversaturated soil will contribute to rot .
If your garden has predominantly clay territory , you may want to consider usingraised beds .
Water
When plants are base , water your patch infrequently but deeply , increase water as temperatures develop and when the days are gay .
Aninch of watera calendar week , include rainfall , during mild warm weather will be enough , but plants will postulate more than that during very hot weather .
Watch for wilting plants as a preindication that water is needed or thump your finger into the soil . If the soil is dry an inch down , it ’s time to irrigate .
Fertilizing
Compost is the best fertiliser for these industrial plant so start by bring some well - rotted compost into the soil before seed or transplanting .
Once or twice during the growing season , you could also act a few handfuls of compost into the land near the plant ’s roots to add nutrient .
When choosing a banana squash sort for your garden , be certain to pick one that fit the number of days in your develop season – as well as one that you will have no difficulty carrying to your kitchen !
Here are some of the most popular types :
Georgia Candy Roaster
Included on the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity ’s Ark of Taste , ‘ Georgia Candy Roaster ’ is an heirloom with a distinctive account .
This storied craw was grown by the Cherokee peoples in North Carolina at least as early as the 1800s , if not before then .
At maturity , fruits range in size from 22 to 60 British pound or more , and have a pinkish , tan , or orange rind , with orangish flesh that is ok textured and has a flavour that is both sweet and full-bodied .
bet for seeds from sellers that specialize in heirlooms and architectural plan for at least 112 mean solar day to maturity .
Guatemalan Blue
With blueish - grayish peel and orangish bod , ‘ Guatemalan Blue ’ reach out 15 to 20 column inch foresighted and weighs five to eight Syrian pound at matureness .
Harvest ‘ Guatemalan Blue ’ in 90 to 110 days after sowing , and wait a tranquil grain and fruity flavor .
‘ Guatemalan Blue ’
you’re able to rule ‘ Guatemalan Blue ’ seeds in a diversity of mailboat sizesfrom dependable Leaf Market .
North Georgia Candy Roaster
little than the other confect roaster described here , ‘ North Georgia Candy Roaster ’ reaches 18 inches long and weighs eight to 15 pounds .
fruit are pinkish with blue tips and contain orange flesh that has a fluid texture and a delicious flavour . It is specially be intimate for Proto-Indo European filling .
design for about 100 days to maturity .
‘ North Georgia Candy Roaster ’
piece up bundle of 10 or 30 ‘ North Georgia Candy Roaster ’ seeds from the Tomorrow Seeds Storevia Amazon .
Pink Banana
‘ Pink Banana ’ produces fruits that reach 18 to 24 inch tenacious and weigh 10 to 50 pounds .
These are a beautiful Salmon River colour with yellowish orange form that has a average dry grain and sweet flavor .
‘ pinkish Banana ’ will be ready to reap in 100 to 120 years .
‘ pinkish Banana ’
Purchase ‘ Pink Banana ’ ejaculate in packets of eightfrom Botanical Interests .
A maintenance job you ’ll want to perform evenhandedly regularly is checking for signs of pestilence or disease . Here ’s what you ’ll need to search for :
Herbivores
Depending on your positioning , a wide number of herbivorous mammalian might care to snack on your banana tree squelch plant , while the most common are deer and rabbit .
Tokeep cervid out of your garden , apply a improbable fence .
As for rabbits , the fencing need not be tall , but the fence meshmustbe diminished .
Find tips for keeping rabbits out of the garden here .
Insects
Aphids can often be witness lurking on the root and underside of the leaves .
Start by using a hosepipe to blast them off with a potent jet of water . reprise this scheme once a week and after a few weeks , the aphid should be gone .
Our guide to controlling aphidsas more pourboire .
If your plants are wilt , look into forsquash bugs , a case of true hemipteran that feeds on banana squash plant , damaging and finally killing them if left uncontrolled .
Pick off and kill adult and nymph bugs , and destroy their eggs , which are usually found on the bottom of the folio .
Whitefliestend to be most detectable when they fly by from plants in a snowy swarm .
Disease
disease on banana squash industrial plant are fairly common . Here are a few to catch out for :
Have you noticed fruit moulder before they mature ?
flower - death rot is probable to blame and can touch banana squash in the same manner that it does zucchini .
This is n’t have by a pathogen , it ’s a physiologic issue relate to pee and calcium uptake .
Read ourguide to prime - closing rot in zucchinito learn more .
Downy mildew andpowdery mildeware common fungal diseases that can appear during moist , humid status .
The former causes foggy leave and angular , yellowed or light light-green speckle on the foliage .
If it looks like someone took a bag of flour and sprinkled it on your squash vine foliage , your plant may be suffer from powdery mildew .
Very common in the vegetable garden , it ’s fairly easy to contain and typically does n’t do a lot of damage .
avert watering from overhead and ensure that there is sufficient airflow between and around the vines to stave off fungal issues .
The fruits will gradually interchange colouration as they senesce and size up . But just because they calculate like the right size of it and semblance on the outside does n’t mean they are necessarily ready for harvest !
Before you harvest , check the Clarence Day to maturity of your prefer variety .
Then numerate forward from your sowing or transplanting date – this is your reckon harvest time , which can range from 90 to 120 days , depending on the sort .
When enough time has slide by for the fruits to mature and they have uprise to the expect size , keep your optic on the vines and stanch – they will set off dry out and turning Robert Brown .
Meanwhile the rind on the banana squash racquets will also harden , which is what makes this character a wintertime salmagundi – it will keep through the cold months of the class .
When the metre is right , use a sportsmanlike brace of garden clipping to remove ripe fruits from the vine , leaving a couple of inches of stem attached .
give up the banana squash to heal in the sun for a week before lay in them in a cool locating .
Want to preserve your harvest ? Your choice include coolheaded store , freezing , and exsiccate .
Banana squash can be stored for approximately six months in nerveless storage . What prepare cool entrepot ? A temperature of 50 to 60 ° F and a relative humidness of 50 to 70 percent .
An unheated basement or garage , or even a root cellar may work for you !
If you desire to freeze the figure , it ’s best to cook it until soft , then stash away it in containers in the freezer . It will keep this mode for up to a yr .
And if you ’re trying to be creative with your harvest , do n’t leave out desiccation .
dry banana tree squash allows you to process the figure into snack or ingredient for winter soups .
find out to desiccate garden produce here .
you could use banana squash as a substitute in any formula that calls for pumpkin or Juglans cinerea – and most of those that call forsweet white potato vine .
Why not start with a soup ? Simply puree the cooked physical body , add water or stock until it accomplish the trust consistence , and flavor withsageandhot pepper .
If you ’re in the mood for a guilty pleasance , why not make some oven baked fries ? Just take after this formula for butternut squash oven frieson our sister website , Foodal .
Have a yen for something sweet ?
How about some spiced pecan pumpkin muffin , made with banana squash instead of pumpkin?Use this formula , also on Foodal .
Boatloads of Banana Squash
You ’re now equipped with the cognition to grow these mammoth vegetables in your own backyard garden , small farm , or community garden .
Need more pourboire forgrowing squash in your veggie garden ? We have more reading material for you right here :
© expect the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Product picture via Botanical Interests , the Tomorrow Seeds Store , and lawful Leaf Market . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock .
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Kristina Hicks - Hamblin
