Vegetable / Warm season

Delicata Winter Squash

Warm-season storage squash beds with room for vines.

Sweet, fine-textured squash with edible skin.

Seed spacing and maturity

Days to maturity
100
Germination temperature
70-95F
Seed depth
1 inches
Spacing
36 inches
Row spacing
60 inches
Start method
Either

Frost-date timing

Indoor start
3 weeks before last frost
Direct sow
14 days after last frost
Transplant
14 days after last frost

Action plan

Can I plant this now?
Use your local last-frost, first-frost, and soil-temperature checks before treating this crop as plantable today.
Start indoors or direct sow?
Direct sow or transplant depending on your soil warmth, bed readiness, and frost-risk plan.
How much space?
36 inches in-row spacing, 60 inches between rows, and 1 inch seed depth.
Best companions?
Use crop-family rotation first, then pair with compatible timing, spacing, and canopy size rather than relying on a simple companion chart.
Common failure modes?
Avoid late planting where frost arrives before skins harden. Deep, consistent water during vine growth and fruit set. Warm, fertile, well-drained soil with compost.

Growing profile

Sun
Full sun
Water
Deep, consistent water during vine growth and fruit set.
Soil
Warm, fertile, well-drained soil with compost.
Watch
Avoid late planting where frost arrives before skins harden.
  • winter-squash
  • cucurbit
  • storage
  • warm-season

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Source: CSU vegetable planting guide