VOFG Bed #36

Delicata Squash

The winter squash you can eat skin and all

Delicata has a naturally tender, edible rind, so it usually does not need to be peeled. Cornell also bred ‘Bush Delicata,’ a compact variety that won a 2002 All-America Selection award and was developed with tolerance to powdery mildew. (Center For Technology Licensing)

Quick Facts

• Delicata is a winter squash, even though its skin is much thinner and more tender than many other winter squashes. Cornell describes its flesh as sweet and fine-textured. (Center For Technology Licensing)
• It is sometimes called “Sweet Potato Squash.” Cornell’s variety database describes delicata as having fine-grained orange flesh with a flavor similar to sweet potato. (VegVariety)
• Classic delicata fruits are cream-colored with dark green stripes and generally reach about 6–8 inches long. (VegVariety)
• Cornell’s Bush Delicata was bred for smaller spaces. Its compact, semi-bush growth is much easier to manage than the long vines produced by many winter squashes. (VegVariety)
• Delicata is well suited to New York gardens. Cornell Cooperative Extension specifically includes delicata among winter squash varieties recommended for New York.

Growing & Caring for Delicata

Delicata needs full sun and warm soil. Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends waiting until frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed to about 65–70°F before planting winter squash. Seed will not germinate well in cold soil.

Choose loose, fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Cornell gives a preferred soil pH of about 5.8–6.8 and notes that steady moisture is especially important from emergence through fruit development.

Mulch can help conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Row covers can protect young plants from insects, but remove them when flowers appear so bees and other insects can pollinate the squash.

Friends: Squash love nasturtiums, dill, catnip, marigolds, peppermint, petunia, radish, and tansy.

• Nasturtiums and dill repel squash bugs, and the others have very strong smells to repel bugs.
• Beans will add nitrogen to the soil which squash needs.

Foes: Squash dislike potatoes, melons, and other vining plants as they take up their space and use up the nutrients in the soil.

Yellow-and-Black Beetles?

Striped Cucumber Beetle

The striped cucumber beetle is the primary insect pest of cucurbit crops in the northeastern United States. Adults feed on squash leaves, stems, flowers and fruit, while larvae feed on the roots. Cornell also reports two generations per year in New York. (CALS)

Cornell IPM recommends weekly scouting rather than automatically spraying. For small plantings, floating row cover or insect-exclusion netting can be highly effective early in the season. Covers must come off once flowering begins so pollination can occur. (CALS)

Cornell also describes perimeter trap cropping as an IPM option: highly attractive squash such as Blue Hubbard can be planted around a crop to draw cucumber beetles away from the main planting. (CALS)

Why Did the Vine Suddenly Wilt?

Squash Vine Borer

Squash vine borer larvae tunnel inside squash stems, disrupting the movement of water and nutrients. A plant may suddenly wilt, and orange or mushy sawdust-like material called frass may appear near the entry hole. (CALS)

Cornell IPM recommends crop rotation, removing or tilling under infested plants after harvest, and using physical barriers such as row covers or mulch to reduce egg laying. Because the insects overwinter in soil, moving squash away from last year’s infested planting can also help. (CALS)

What Is That White Powder?

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is one of the most important diseases of winter squash in the Northeast. White powdery spots develop on leaves and can eventually cover much of the plant. Diseased leaves die early, which can reduce fruit size, sweetness, quality and storage life. (Cornell Vegetables)

Delicata has a useful Cornell connection here: Bush Delicata was specifically bred with powdery mildew tolerance. Cornell research emphasizes resistant varieties as an important part of disease management. (Center For Technology Licensing)

Cornell recommends checking older leaves regularly once fruits begin forming. Resistant varieties, regular scouting and targeted treatment only when needed form the basis of an integrated powdery mildew program. (Cornell Vegetables)

Think IPM: Prevention Starts With the Variety

Delicata demonstrates one of the strongest ideas behind Integrated Pest Management: some protection can be built into the plant itself. Choosing a variety such as Cornell’s Bush Delicata adds powdery mildew tolerance before the first pest-management decision is even made. Combine that with crop rotation, healthy soil, proper watering, row covers when appropriate, regular scouting and correct identification before considering pesticides. (Center For Technology Licensing)

When Is Delicata Ready?

Delicata should be allowed to mature fully on the plant as a winter squash. Cornell Cooperative Extension cautions that delicata is more delicate in storage than many other winter squashes, so handle harvested fruits carefully and avoid bruising them. (Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Learn More

Cornell: Bush Delicata and Cornell Squash Varieties

Cornell Cooperative Extension: Growing Winter Squash

Cornell IPM: Striped Cucumber Beetle

Cornell IPM: Squash Vine Borer

Cornell: Cucurbit Powdery Mildew