Scientific Name: Cucurbita moschata

Common Names: Pumpkin 'Waltham Butternut', Butternut Pumpkin, Butternut Squash

Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin, Squash & Gourd)

Etymology

Cucurbita: Gourd; Latin
moschata: Musk-Scented

Origin

Waltham Butternut pumpkins were bred in the 1960s by Robert E. Young at the Waltham Experiment Station in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.

Description

A popular variety of butternut pumpkin, the Waltham Butternut produces bell-shaped fruit up to 25cm long with a thin, light-coloured skin and dark orange flesh rich in vitamins and minerals.  This variety will store well for 1-2 months.

Uses

The flesh of this variety is delicious when roasted and makes a delicious addition to salads and risotto.  The seeds of this variety can also be roasted, lightly salted and eaten.  Although the seeds of this variety are mostly husk, the husk is thin and not hard to chew.  The seeds taste nutty when roasted.

Germination

Sow Waltham Butternut pumpkin seeds 3cm deep and space holes 1m apart.  Alternatively several seeds can be sown into a mound of built-up compost, when grown this way space mounds about 2m apart.  Sow all year round in the tropics and sub-tropics or after the last frost in Spring in temperate regions to make the most of the growing season.  

Cultivation

Keep plants well watered.  Prefers rich, well-drained soil in full sun.  Can be prone to powdery mildew, if you see any yellow and black zig-zag striped ladybirds these are beneficial and naturally help to control powdery mildew.  Hand pollination can help fruit set, take a male flower, remove the petals and dab the pollen onto the stigma of the female flowers.  Takes 15 to 17 weeks from sowing to harvest.  Harvest the pumpkins once the stem turns brown and starts to dry out.