Green Striped Cushaw Winter Squash is a Native American heirloom that brings history straight to your garden. This vigorous vine produces distinctive oblong fruits with crooked necks and bulbous bottoms, their white skin decorated with small green stripes in a pattern that signals ripeness. Ready to harvest in 95 days, these substantial squashes grow 12 to 18 inches long and thrive in zones 3 through 10, making them accessible to gardeners across most of the continental United States. Their large, powerful vines are architectural plants in the summer garden, and the fruits are treasured for fall display and culinary use.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-10
?in H x ?in W
—
High
Hover over chart points for details
This ancient squash carries the genetic fingerprint of Native American agriculture, prized for its vigor and the striking contrast between its white base and green striping. The crooked neck and bulbous shape aren't accidents of nature; they're distinctive markers of this particular lineage. Gardeners have long valued it for both the visual drama it brings to fall pumpkin displays and its reliable 95-day harvest window. The substantial size and exceptional vine vigor mean you'll need decent spacing, but the reward is prolific production from a single planting.
Green Striped Cushaw Winter Squash excels as a storage crop for winter cooking; its dense flesh makes it suitable for baking, soup, and pie applications. The substantial size means a single fruit feeds a family for multiple meals. Beyond culinary use, it has become a mainstay of fall displays and pumpkin sales, valued as much for its architectural form and striking appearance as for its edibility.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors in warm conditions 3 to 4 weeks before your last expected frost date. Maintain soil temperature at 70 to 85°F for germination; seeds sprout within 5 to 10 days under ideal conditions. Sow seeds in peat pots or modules to allow easy transplanting without root disturbance, as Cushaw vines dislike being handled roughly.
Transplant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 70°F. Harden off seedlings gradually by exposing them to outdoor conditions for increasing periods over 7 to 10 days before planting. Space transplants 18 inches apart in a location with excellent drainage and full sun exposure.
Direct sow seeds outdoors 1 to 2 weeks after your last frost date, once soil temperature stabilizes at 70°F or warmer. Plant seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep in fertile, well-draining soil.
Harvest Green Striped Cushaw squashes at full maturity, typically around day 95 from planting. The fruit is ready when the skin has hardened enough that a fingernail cannot pierce it easily, and the green stripes have deepened in color against the white base. Cut fruits from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving 2 to 3 inches of stem attached to extend storage life. Handle carefully during harvest, as any damage to the skin compromises long-term storage. Harvest before the first frost, since these plants are frost-tender and cold temperatures damage both the fruits and the vines.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Green Striped Cushaw Winter Squash represents an unbroken line of cultivation stretching back to pre-Columbian agriculture in the Americas. The Cushaw group, scientifically Cucurbita argyrosperma, was domesticated by Native American peoples and remains one of the few squash species with deep roots in indigenous food systems. Unlike many garden vegetables that were developed in 20th-century breeding programs, this variety carries the marks of centuries of seed-saving by families and communities who selected for vigor, size, and the distinctive green striping that makes it recognizable across generations. Its preservation as a living heirloom reflects the deliberate choices of gardeners who understood its value not just as food, but as a connection to agricultural heritage.”