VegetableSquash
Bugle Squash
Bugle is a French heirloom winter squash that brings reliable, beautiful harvests to gardens across zones 3 through 13. This butternut-type variety produces smooth, buff-colored fruits averaging 3 to 4 pounds and about 10 inches long, filled with rich, orange flesh that tastes like classic butternut at its sweetest. Ready to harvest in 80 to 89 days, Bugle thrives in full sun and spreads across garden beds, raised beds, or field plots, rewarding patient growers with exceptional yields and a natural resistance to powdery mildew that saves time and worry.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, Rich
Growth Stats
30 in
Height
TypeSpreading
Spacing
36
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
Bugle delivers the buttery sweetness you crave from winter squash without the fussy disease management. The consistent 3 to 4-pound size means you're harvesting fruits that fit neatly into storage and the kitchen, not wrestling with massive specimens. Its open-pollinated, non-GMO genetics mean you can save seeds from your best plants year after year, making it a true heirloom for your garden.
Common Uses
Bugle squash shines in the kitchen as a roasted vegetable, soup base, or puree. Its fine-textured, sweet orange flesh works beautifully in fall and winter cooking, from simple roasted wedges drizzled with oil to creamy soups, baked gratins, and pies. The smooth skin and consistent shape make it easy to cut and prepare, whether you're cooking for one or feeding a crowd.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow Bugle seeds into warm, rich soil after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Sow seeds in the garden where you want them to grow, since squash plants resent transplanting.
Harvesting
Harvest Bugle squash 80 to 89 days after planting, once the skin has hardened and turned a warm buff color and does not yield to fingernail pressure. Cut fruits from the vine with 2 to 3 inches of stem attached and cure them in a warm, dry location for 7 to 10 days before storing. A fully mature Bugle will feel solid and heavy for its size, with a deep, hollow sound when tapped.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita maxima
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Growth Habit
Spreading
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)
History & Origin
“Bugle originates from France, where it was preserved as a treasured heirloom variety. This butternut-type squash represents the kind of regional selection work that European gardeners perfected over generations, choosing the most reliable, highest-yielding plants and passing seeds forward through families and communities. Its journey to modern seed catalogs reflects the broader movement to preserve open-pollinated varieties before industrial agriculture narrowed our vegetable palette.”