Botanical Interests Squash Winter Sweet Meat Seeds

There is good reason this squash is called "sweet". This wonderful, large, 1940s heirloom treasure may not be well known, but after you grow it, you'll be spreading the word! With a fine-grained texture and delicious flavor, it is superb by itself, added to soups or roasts and even baked into a pie that rivals pumpkin pie! Excellent for canning or freezing. Allow room for vigorous vines to 10'.

10-15 lb slate gray, slightly flattened, round fruits with dense, orange, sweet, fine-grained flesh. 'Sweet Meat' was introduced by Gill Brothers Seed Company of Portland, Oregon, in 1947.

• Days To Maturity: 95-110 Days
• Family: Cucurbitaceae
• Type: Winter Squash 
• Native: Argentina and Uruguay
• Hardiness: Frost-Sensitive Annual
• Exposure: Full Sun
• Plant Dimensions: 10' Vines
• Attributes: Frost Sensitive

Recommended 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date and when soil temperature is 70°-85°.

Not recommended except in very short growing seasons, 2 to 4 weeks before transplanting. Roots are sensitive to disturbance; Sow in biodegradable pots that can be planted directly into the ground. Transplant when soil temperature is at least 60°F.

• Days to Emerge: 5-10 Days
• Seed Depth: 1/2-1"
• Seed Spacing: 2-3 Seeds Per Mound
• Row Spacing: 6'
• Thinning: When 3" Leaves, Thin to 1-2 Per Mound

Harvest when the squash's rind is hard enough that you can't dent it with your fingernail and before first frost. Cut stem, (don't break it off) leaving 2" of stem attached, which keeps the squash whole, leaving no opening for infection. Though fruits are hard and may seem indestructible, treat them gently; Bruising can spoil squash.

• Type: Conventional Heirloom