Seed Raising, Growing and Harvest Information

TRANSPLANTING - Sow 2-3 seeds per 5cm container 3 weeks prior to transplanting. Germinate at 24-35°C. Thin with scissors to 1 plant/container with scissors. Harden plants 4–7 days prior to transplanting. After danger of frost has passed, transplant out 30cm between plants in rows 1m apart. Handle seedlings carefully; minimal root disturbance is best.

DIRECT SEEDING - Sow in late spring when soil is at least 21°C and frost danger has passed. Sow 2-4 seeds allowing 30-45cm between mounds, 25mm deep. Thin to 1 plant per spacing interval after seedlings are established.

HARVEST - Fruits can tolerate 1-2 light frosts, however, temperatures below -2°C can damage fruit. When fruit color is fully developed, clip handles close to the vine. Avoid picking up fruits by handles and take care not to damage the skin/rind. Sun cure in the field for 5-7 days or cure indoors by keeping fruits at 27-29°C with good air ventilation. Store at 10-15°C with 50-70% relative humidity and good ventilation.

HISTORY - The Haudenosaunee (known as Iroquois) people have been growing winter squash in Upstate and Central New York State, North America for thousands of years. European settlers adopted winter squash as a cultivated crop from Indigenous people. The first widely-known mention of delicata squash can be traced back to the 1890s when seeds became commercially available for purchase from the “Peter Henderson Company of New York.” Delicata squash was also called the peanut squash, Bohemian squash, or sweet potato squash. 

“Have any other fresh market growers had a dreaded case of “bitter poison Delicatas?” Gathering Together Farm’s padrone, John Eveland, had more than one market customer approach him in autumn of 2000 with terrifying accounts of throat clenching bitterness from a single bite of his perfect Delicata squash. The victims were so emphatic, the threat of legal action so palpable, that John began calling every Delicata source in the country to find out exactly where his seed came from, and to make sure he didn’t plant seed from the same lot again. Turns out, every dealer in the USA had seed from the same field in Colorado, and this huge lot was very slightly contaminated by the bitterness gene found in C. pepo gourds. Perhaps one bitter squash in several thousand…What to do? John had kept his own Delicata seed from 1988 thru 1994 (when he went over to buying commercial seed). We[Frank Morton] went into the freezer to find his old selection, and used this for stock seed in 2001. We found the fruits longer and more uniform, finer textured, sweeter, and significantly longer keeping than other strains. Other local farmers report the same. We’ve never had a report of a bitter squash from this line. Not one. We have concentrated on making this the best long-keeping Delicata you can find. While no pepo-type squash will ever keep like a Hubbard or other maxima-type, we believe that ‘Zeppelin’ is the only Delicata you will still be eating in mid-January. Buttery-cream colored with longitudinal green stripes, fruits weigh 1 to 2 lbs, up to 6 good fruits per plant. Skin is tender enough to eat, the flesh is thick, a rich orange color, with a higher average brix than other available strains. As we say every time we eat it, this is good Delicata. Rock ’n’ Roll Delicata, in fact.”