VegetableSquash
Burgess Buttercup Bush Squash
Burgess Buttercup Bush Squash is a compact winter squash that brings both practicality and flavor to the home garden. This open-pollinated Cucurbita maxima produces dark green, turban-shaped fruits weighing 3 to 5 pounds on a bush plant that spreads just 3 feet, making it far more manageable than sprawling vining varieties. The flesh is thick, golden, and distinctly nutty with a natural sweetness that deepens when roasted. Ready to harvest in 100 to 109 days, it thrives in zones 3 through 13, offering cold-hardy reliability even in northern gardens.
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
Spacing
36
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
This bush-type squash yields up to four full-size fruits per plant without consuming your entire garden. The fruit's distinctive turban-shaped cap and dark green skin make it immediately recognizable at harvest, and the orange flesh inside is notably dry and sweet rather than watery or stringy. You're trading the sprawl of traditional winter squash for genuine abundance in a compact footprint, which means even gardeners with limited space can grow genuine winter storage crops.
Common Uses
Burgess Buttercup Bush Squash shines as a roasted side dish, where its dry flesh and nutty flavor come through without dilution. The sturdy walls and dense texture make it excellent for halving and roasting face-down with a little butter and brown sugar, or for cubing into soups where its natural sweetness balances savory broths. Its compact size relative to other winter squashes also makes it practical for households of two or three people.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds into warm soil after the last spring frost date, when soil temperature reaches at least 70°F. Plant seeds 1 inch deep in groups of 2 to 3, spacing groups 36 inches apart. Thin seedlings once they develop their first true leaves, keeping the strongest plant in each location.
Harvesting
Harvest when the skin has hardened and turned a deep, dark green with no soft spots, typically 100 to 109 days after planting. The fruit should feel heavy and solid when lifted. Cut squash from the vine using a sharp knife or pruners, leaving 1 to 2 inches of stem attached. For storage, allow freshly harvested squash to cure in a warm, dry location for 7 to 10 days before moving to cold storage, which hardens the skin further and extends shelf life.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita maxima
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)