With its sweet-tasting orange flesh, the Honeynut Butternut Squash is a great winter crop. Bred at Cornell, it is ideally suited to the North as it is cold tolerant and holds onto its fruit well. Smaller than a standard butternut, Honeynut produces 4-5 inch long fruits that weigh around 1-1.5 lb. Perfect for baking or making soups, its deep orange color is incredibly enticing on a cold winter’s day.
Honeynut Butternut Squash Plant Care
To encourage heavy yields, this Honeynut Butternut Squash is best planted in loose, fertile soil in full sun. If the soil is poor, it can be enriched with well-rotted manure or garden compost prior to planting. Growing along the ground to almost 6 feet in length, Honeynut should be spaced at 3-foot intervals.
Growing Honeynut Butternut Squash Plant
If given the right care and growing conditions, its delicious fruits can be ready to harvest in around 100 days. As a tender plant, Honeynut should only be planted out once all risk of frost has passed and the soil temperature has risen. To ensure the fruits have time to ripen, they are best grown where they can receive at least 6 hours of sun a day.
Honeynut Butternut Squash can be grown successfully in a large planter; select a container at least 20 inches wide. Since container-grown plants tend to dry out more quickly, frequent watering during the height of summer will be required.
Watering Honeynut Butternut Squash Plant
Butternut squashes grow best when the soil is kept moist and not allowed to dry out. When watering, try to avoid getting the foliage wet by aiming for the base of the plant.
Feeding Honeynut Butternut Squash Plant
As hungry plants, butternuts richly benefit from being fertilized. Once the flowers begin to form a high-potassium liquid feed can be applied every 2 to 3 weeks.
Honeynut Butternut Squash Plant Information
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 – 12
Plant Type: Edible Plants
Light Exposure: Full Sun (At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)
Mature Height: 18 – 20 Inches
Mature Spread: 5 – 6 Feet
Spacing: 5 – 6 Feet
Habit: Mounded, Trailing
Flower Color(s): None
Flower Description:
Bloom Period:
Foliage Type: Herbaceous
Foliage Color(s): Green
Foliage Description:
Seasonal Interest: N/A
Watering: Average
Attracts: Bees
Container Role:
Uses: Borders, Containers, Groundcovers, Mass Planting
