Heirloom Table Queen Winter Acorn Squash Seeds (4g)

Vigorous vines of the Table Queen Winter Acorn Squash produce medium-sized, dark olive-green, acorn-shaped fruits with deep ribs. They're productive, compact, and 100% heirloom.

Sweet, dry, golden-yellow flesh is excellent for baking. Great keeper!

Mature fruit is 5 to 6 inches long and 4 to 4 1/2 inches in diameter with a thin hard shell. The average plant-to-harvest time is 80 days.

Heirloom Table Queen Winter Acorn Squash Seeds Planting Instructions

To help your squash thrive, simply follow these guidelines:

• Timing – Plant after the frost has passed and soil is around 70°F.
• Planting – Sow seeds 1/2 an inch to 1 inch deep into hills or rows, placing 4 to 5 seeds per hill.
• Spacing – Keep hills 4 to 8 feet apart, depending on the squash size.
• Thinning – When plants reach 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill. In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart, thinning to one plant every 18 to 36 inches.

If you're starting early:

• Indoor Planting – Plant in 2- to 3-inch pots or cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside, using 3 or 4 seeds per pot.
• Thinning – Remove weaker plants, leaving 1 or 2 healthy ones.
• Hardening Off – Reduce watering and temperature before transplanting.
• Transplanting – Move to the garden at the same final spacings after frost has passed.
• Mulching – Mulch helps retain moisture and suppress weeds.
• Borer Prevention – Mound soil around the base of the plants to discourage squash borers.

Heirloom Table Queen Winter Acorn Squash Seeds Harvesting Instructions

When the stems turn a light green-yellow color, the squash should be fully ripe. The rind will be thick and tough.

Cut, do not pull, the ripe fruit from the plant; 2 to 3 inches of stem must remain for proper storage. This may increase the sugar content!

Saving Heirloom Table Queen Winter Acorn Squash Seeds

These seeds are insect pollinated. Take caution unless you are hand pollinating, as many summer squash varieties are the same species as many pumpkins and winter squashes. Different varieties of the same species need to be isolated by 1/4 mile to prevent cross-pollination.

Barriers such as tree lines, woods, or buildings existing between the fields can reduce this distance. Treat summer squash the same as usual for winter storage of squashes and pumpkins, allowing summer squash varieties to grow to a large size with a hard outside skin.

After all squashes have reached this stage, harvest and let them sit for a period of after-ripening for 3 to 6 weeks or up to several months. Remove the seeds, rinse in water, and dry. Use of a 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch screen can help with cleaning. Squash seeds remain viable for 6 years under cool and dry storage conditions.