Winter squash is a warm-season vegetable that can be grown in most parts of the country.  The ideal time to plant winter squash is when the soil temperature is above 70 degrees.   May is usually warm enough (about when you are planting your tomatoes).  The most popular varieties are butternut, acorn, delicata, Hubbard and spaghetti.  Winter squash have thick, tough shells which protect the sweet, rich flesh inside and which makes them excellent storage vegetables.  They can be harvested when the vines have died back and the rind is hard, usually in September and October in our climate, but definitely before the first heavy frost.  You will want to cut the squash from the vine leaving two inches of stem attached and avoid cuts and bruises.  Store in a dry location with an ideal temperatures of 50-55 degrees. Smaller winter squash can be stored for 2-4 months and the larger varieties much longer.

There are many ways to cook squash.  They can be cut in half, seeds removed and baked at 375 degrees for 15-45 minutes, depending on the size and then poked with a fork to check for tenderness. Some people cut it in cubes to eat or mash it for soups.

My personal favorite is delicata which I cut it in half ( very carefully I might add, as I grew up in a family with four children and whoever did the cutting got the last piece) and microwave it covered with wax paper for 8 minutes cut side down on high, then flip it over and scoop in some butter and cook another 2 minutes or so. Some people wash the seeds and roast them on a cookie sheet at 160 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes.  They make a nice snack. Some use it to make delicious pies, often more popular then pumpkin pie. 

Although you may think of squash as a very starchy vegetable, recent research makes it very clear that all starch is not the same, and the starch content from winter quash brings with it some key health benefits.  One cup of squash is very high in vitamin A, and provides over 10% of your daily requirements of 7 other nutrients.  

While winter squash varieties are still available in gardens and grocery stores, this is a great time to check out which variety you like the best and plan where in your garden you can plant it for next year. 

PS- Did you know that the members of the squash family (which includes pumpkins) pollinate quite easily.  So you may see an occasional "what's that?" growing in your plot.