Butternut Squash | Waltham

Grow rich, sweet, and wonderfully smooth winter squash of Waltham Butternut in your home garden. This award-winning heirloom variety is a cherished garden favorite, renowned for its uniform tan-skinned fruits, vibrant golden-orange flesh, and rich, nutty flavor that grows even sweeter in storage, making it perfect for comforting autumn soups, roasting, baking, and winter cooking.

These vigorous vines produce heavy yields of 4- to 5-pound squash with small seed cavities and thick, meaty necks, giving you maximum delicious flesh per harvest. Exceptional keeper quality allows you to enjoy fresh, home-grown butternut squash well into the winter months. Direct sow seeds or start indoors in late spring for Canada's warm summer season, as winter squash thrives in sunny, warm conditions to build rich natural sugars.

Why Grow Waltham Butternut Squash?

• Award-winning heirloom producing uniform 4–5 lb squash with smooth tan skin
• Deep golden-orange flesh with a rich, nutty, and exceptionally sweet flavor
• Thick, solid necks and small seed cavities for maximum usable flesh
• Outstanding long-term storage potential—keeps for up to 6 months in a cool, dry place
• High resistance to squash vine borer and powdery mildew
• Approximately 100–110 days to maturity
• Grows best in full sun
• Open-pollinated heirloom variety
• Approximately 20-25 seeds per packet

How to Grow Waltham Butternut Squash from Seed

Start butternut squash seeds indoors 3–4 weeks before your last spring frost date using peat pots or paper pots to protect delicate root systems, or direct sow outdoors once soil temperatures reach at least 21°C (70°F) in late spring.

Sow seeds approximately 13–25 mm (1/2 to 1 inch) deep in rich, fertile, well-draining soil enriched with compost. When planting in hills, sow 4–6 seeds per mound spaced 1.8–2.4 m (6–8 feet) apart, later thinning to the 3 strongest seedlings per hill.

Water deeply and consistently at the soil level to keep leaves dry and promote deep root development during rapid vine growth.

Harvest in early autumn before the first hard frost when skins turn hard, solid tan with no green remaining, and stems begin to dry and harden. Cut stems leaving 2 inches attached and cure in a warm, dry area for 10–14 days before long-term storage.

Growing Butternut Squash in Canada

Waltham Butternut squash performs exceptionally well across Canadian growing zones when given a warm, sunny location and a full summer growing window. Giving seeds an early start indoors under grow lights ensures vines achieve full maturity before cool autumn temperatures arrive.

Planting in raised beds, mounds, or over dark garden soil helps maximize soil warmth, boosting early vine growth and fruit development.

For detailed instructions covering seed starting, spacing, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, and pest management, read our How to Grow Butternut Squash in Canada  | Complete Guide.

Waltham Butternut Squash Growing Information

Feature	Detail
Botanical Name	Cucurbita moschata
Common Name	Butternut Squash (Waltham)
Plant Type	Warm-season annual tender fruit crop
Sun Requirements	Full sun
Days to Maturity	Approximately 100–110 days
Seed Count	Approximately 20-25 seeds
Pollination Type	Open-pollinated heirloom variety
Best Uses	Roasting, autumn soups, baking, winter storage, and gourmet cooking

Grow Your Own Waltham Butternut Squash

There is nothing quite like harvesting sweet, golden butternut squash from your garden to enjoy all autumn and winter long. With its exceptional storage qualities, delicious flavor, and dependable yields, Waltham Butternut is a rewarding and essential addition to your Canadian vegetable patch.

Start your seeds this season and enjoy a bountiful harvest of gourmet winter squash!