VegetableSquash
Hubbard Essex Red Squash
Hubbard Essex Red is a classic heirloom winter squash that combines impressive size with rich, sweet flavor in a striking deep red-orange package. These vigorous vines produce fruits weighing 10, 15 pounds with thick, fine-textured flesh that's excellent for baking, roasting, or pureeing. Maturing in 110, 129 days, it thrives across hardiness zones 3, 13 and stores exceptionally well, earning its reputation as a superb keeper for cold-season cooking.
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
48
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
The thick, densely textured flesh sets this heirloom apart from many modern squash varieties, delivering genuine depth of flavor that shines whether you're roasting it whole or turning it into silky soup. At 10, 15 pounds per fruit, each plant yields substantial harvests without requiring giant garden space, and the red-orange skin signals when fruits reach their peak sweetness. This open-pollinated variety has proven itself across climates from zone 3 to zone 13, making it remarkably adaptable for both northern and southern gardeners.
Common Uses
Hubbard Essex Red excels in any preparation where you want sweet, creamy squash flesh to anchor the dish. Roast it halved or in chunks, bake it whole, or steam it for pureeing into soups, sauces, and pie fillings. Its dense texture and rich flavor make it a natural choice for Thanksgiving and winter holiday cooking, where it appears in both traditional savory dishes and classic squash pie.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after the last frost date when soil has warmed to at least 70°F. Harden off seedlings over 7, 10 days before moving them to their final location.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds in warm soil (70, 85°F) after all frost danger has passed. Plant seeds 1 inch deep in groups of 2, 3 seeds at each planting station.
Harvesting
Harvest Hubbard Essex Red squash 110, 129 days after planting, when the skin has turned deep red-orange and is hard enough that your fingernail cannot easily pierce it. The skin should be fully colored with no remaining green patches. Cut fruits from the vine with a few inches of stem attached using a sharp knife, and handle them gently to avoid bruising. Harvest before the first hard frost, as frost will damage the fruits and shorten their storage life.
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
“Hubbard Essex Red represents a distinct lineage within the broader Hubbard squash family, an American heirloom that gained prominence in the 19th century. Essex County, Massachusetts, became synonymous with superior Hubbard squash cultivation, and this red-skinned selection emerged from careful selection and preservation by regional growers who recognized the advantages of its deep color, dense flesh, and storage longevity. As an open-pollinated heirloom, it has been saved and replanted by gardeners for generations, carrying forward the standards of flavor and keeping quality that made it a staple of historic American kitchens.”