Squash Butternut Harrier F1 - Cucurbita moschata

The Harrier F1 Butternut Squash is a British squash that is quite exceptional in terms of its earliness, as it can be harvested only 95 days after sowing. It has a bushy habit, quite open, allowing it to receive sunlight and ripen quickly. It usually produces 4 to 5 fruits weighing about 800 g per plant and can be stored for a long time at around 10°. It is sown from May to June for a harvest from August to October.

Butternut squashes, sucrine du Berry, and others belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, of the genus Cucurbita moschata. This annual herbaceous plant has long, vigorous, trailing or climbing stems with strong tendrils. Each plant has separate male and female flowers, making it monoecious. The female flowers will produce fruits once they are pollinated by the pollen from the male flowers.

They are generally elongated in shape, with a swollen club-shaped end, sometimes spherical, more flattened, or ribbed. Their colour also varies greatly: dark green, orange, cream, etc. When ripe, they are covered with a characteristic dust. The stem has five well-marked ridges and widens as it spreads at the point of attachment to the fruit. The flesh is thick and of a rather dark colour, ranging from red to orange.

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or mistakenly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting for their uniformity and resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to collect the seeds for future sowing.

Harvest and storage:

Harvest the squashes as late as possible, without risking the first frost. Keep the stem as thick as possible and store them in a temperate room (10 to 15°C) while avoiding them touching each other. This way, you can store them for a few months to a year.

Gardener's tip:

You can bury the stems at the nodes to encourage rooting.

To save space and protect your fruits from rot, you can grow pumpkins on supports such as a trellis or sturdy stakes. You can also place a tile or brick, for example, between the ground and the fruit to isolate it and limit premature rotting. A thick mulch will also do the trick.