Mashed Potatoes

SKU: SQ804A $5.00 Size: 1 seedling
Slightly oblong acorn squashes grow on compact, semi-bush vines. The exterior skins are bright white, and hold their colour right into the fall. The interior flesh is also white and low in sugar. Read More

Exposure Full-sun

Matures in 90 days

Season Warm season

Seed type F1 ?

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Mashed Potatoes

Product Details

C. pepo. Slightly oblong acorn squashes grow on compact, semi-bush vines. The exterior skins are bright white, and hold their colour right into the fall. The interior flesh is also white and low in sugar. It takes on the appearance of mashed potatoes when cooked and fluffed. The fruits hold their colour well into the fall and provide a a good, low carbohydrate alternative to mashed potatoes. Each fruit averages about 750g (1½ lbs), and sets close to the crown of the plant. We liked the fact that they were so easy to spot in the field.

Matures in 90 days. (Hybrid seeds)

Quick Facts:

    • Pure white acorn squash
    • Compact semi-bush vines
    • Matures in 90 days
    • Hybrid seeds

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Mashed Potatoes

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All About Mashed Potatoes

Latin

Latin
Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo, & C. moschata
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Difficulty

Difficulty
Easy, but all squash plants take up space, and some can be huge.

We Recommend:

We Recommend: Squashes are so different from one to another that it’s hard to make a recommendation. First Taste Kabocha (SQ732) stands out, in our opinion, among many other squash varieties. We love the flavour and the keeping potential, and the plants don’t get out of control. Gold Nugget (SQ744) also comes to mind, as it can be super-productive in a very small space – it’s fruits form at the base of a single vine, and we’ve seen as many as 10 fruits per plant, which is a very sweet return.

Season & Zone

Season & Zone
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full sun
Zone: Not winter hardy. Compare the days to maturity to the length of a typical summer in your area. Days to maturity are from transplant date.

Timing

Timing
Direct sow or transplant in late May or early June once the soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. Make sure plants are in the ground no later than June 15th. Optimal soil temperature: 25-35°C (77-95°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.

Starting

Starting
Sow seeds 2cm (1″) deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Space summer squash 45-60cm (18-24″) apart in rows 90-120cm (36-48″) apart. Give winter squash and pumpkins even more room with a minimum of 90-120cm (36-48″) apart in rows 120-180cm (48-72″) apart.

Growing

Growing
Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8. These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the flower end. Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot.. You can encourage bees to your garden by growing Phacelia or Buckwheat for improved pollination.

Harvest

Harvest
Summer Squash: pick when small, if fruit gets big the plant stops producing. Check the plants regularly!

Winter Squash:

Winter Squash: Fruit is ripe if your thumbnail doesn’t mark the skin and the stem is dry and brown. Cut the stem about 4cm (2″) from the fruit. Squash survive a light frost, but store better if harvested before frost.

Storage:

Storage: Field-cure for 10 days in the sun, or cure indoors in a warm room for 4 or 5 days. To prevent mould sponge the skins with a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine bleach. Store at 10-15ºC (50-60ºF) with low humidity with good air circulation. Try on a shelf in the garage.

Seed Info

Seed Info
In optimal conditions at least 80% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2 years. Per 100′ row: 180 seeds, per acre: 15M seeds.

Diseases & Pests

Diseases & Pests
Bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila) – Remove an destroy infested plants. If striped or spotted cucumber beetles appear, control as early as possible. Powdery mildew – avoid wetting foliage if possible. Water early in the day so that above ground parts of the plants dry as quickly as possible. Avoid crowding plants and eliminate weeds around plants and garden area to improve air circulation. Viral disease – remove and destroy entire infested plant along with immediately surrounding soil and soil clinging to roots.

Companion Planting

Companion Planting
Companions: corn, lettuce, melons, peas, and radish. Avoid planting squash near Brassicas or potatoes. Borage is said to improve the growth and flavour of squash. Marigolds and nasturtium repel numerous squash pest insects.

More on Companion Planting.

How to Grow Acorn Squash

Step 1

Timing

Direct sow or transplant in late spring once the soil is warm. For transplants, start seeds indoors during the first two weeks of May. Optimal soil temperature: 25-35°C (77-95°F). Seeds should germinate in 7-14 days.

Step 2

Starting

Sow seeds 2cm (1″) deep. Sow 3 seeds in each spot where you want a plant to grow, and thin to the strongest plant. Space summer squash 45-60cm (18-24″) apart in rows 90-120cm (36-48″) apart. Give winter squash and pumpkins even more room with a minimum of 90-120cm (36-48″) apart in rows 120-180cm (48-72″) apart.

Step 3

Growing

Ideal pH: 6.0-6.8.

These big plants need lots of food. Use 1 cup of complete organic fertilizer worked into the soil beneath each plant. All squash grow male flowers first, at later female flowers. The female flowers have tiny fruits at the base of their petals and require pollination by bees mostly. Incomplete pollination often happens at the beginning of the season, and results in misshapen fruits that are withered at the blossom end. Just discard these damaged fruits before they begin to rot. Encourage bees to visit the garden by growing Phacelia, sunflowers, or buckwheat for improved pollination.

Step 4

Germination

In optimal conditions at least 80% of seeds will germinate. Usual seed life: 2 years. Per 100′ row: 180 seeds, per acre: 15M seeds.

Step 5

Harvest

Summer Squash: Pick when small, if fruit gets big the plant stops producing. Check the plants regularly.

Winter Squash: Fruit is ripe if your thumbnail doesn’t mark the skin and the stem is dry and brown. Cut the stem about 4cm (2″) from the fruit. Squash survive a light frost, but store better if harvested before frost.

Storage: Field-cure for 10 days in the sun, or cure indoors in a warm room for 4 or 5 days. To prevent mould sponge the skins with a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine bleach. Store at 10-15ºC (50-60ºF) with low humidity with good air circulation. Try on a shelf in the garage.

Tips

Disease & Pests

Bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila) – Remove an destroy infested plants. If striped or spotted cucumber beetles appear, control as early as possible. Powdery mildew – avoid wetting foliage if possible. Water early in the day so that above ground parts of the plants dry as quickly as possible. Avoid crowding plants and eliminate weeds around plants and garden area to improve air circulation. Viral disease – remove and destroy entire infested plant along with immediately surrounding soil and soil clinging to roots.

Companion Planting

Companions: corn, lettuce, melons, peas, and radish. Avoid planting squash near Brassicas or potatoes. Borage is said to improve the growth and flavour of squash. Marigolds and nasturtium repel numerous squash pest insects.

Customer Reviews