VegetableSquash
Blue Hubbard Squash
Winter Squash
Blue Hubbard Squash is a winter squash that transforms an ungainly, blue-gray exterior into gloriously sweet, fine-textured orange flesh that truly melts in your mouth. These substantial vines produce 15 to 40 pound fruits in 110 days, thriving in zones 3 to 13 and making them one of the most rewarding centerpieces for a fall garden. What makes this variety legendary isn't just its flavor, but its remarkable storage life, keeping through winter and often into early spring if handled properly, so a single planting feeds your table for months.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam, Rich
Preferred Temp65-85°F
Growth Stats
18 in
Height
—
Width
36 in
Spacing
110–110
Days to Harvest
PeriodAnnual
TypeVine, Forb/herb
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
18in H x ?in W
Growth
Annual
Care
Low
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The warted, blue-gray skin looks almost prehistoric, but crack one open and you find buttery orange flesh with a texture so fine it practically dissolves on your tongue. Each plant yields between 5 and 8 substantial fruits, and they store with remarkable reliability for 6 months or longer. This is the squash that made Thanksgiving dinners memorable for generations, equally at home halved and roasted or stuffed with pilaf, and tough enough to last through winter if you give it cool, dry storage.
Common Uses
This is the squash you halve and roast, then stuff with nutty brown rice pilaf or any filling that suits your table. Its substantial flesh handles baking, roasting, and pureeing beautifully, and the sheer volume of flesh per fruit makes it economical for family meals. The fine, sweet texture also works well in soups and side dishes where you want the squash to taste like itself, not take a backseat to spices.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Early Summer
First Harvest
Late Summer
Last Harvest
Early Fall
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost date, sowing into pots to avoid disturbing the delicate roots. Transplant into hills after frost has passed and soil has warmed.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings into hills once soil has warmed and all frost danger has passed. Space hills 36 inches apart with 72 inches between rows.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds after the last frost has passed, planting into warm soil where you want the plants to grow.
Harvesting
Harvest Blue Hubbard squash when the skin has hardened fully and turned a deep blue-gray color, and the vine begins to decline in late fall. The fruit should feel dense and solid, and the stem should be tough and woody. Cut the fruit from the vine with a sharp knife rather than pulling, leaving 2 to 3 inches of stem attached to help it last longer in storage.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita maxima Duchesne
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Duration
Annual
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)