Ozark C. moschata Grex Winter Squash – Insect-Resistant Open-Pollinated (30 seeds)

The most resilient winter squash you may ever encounter! If you like butternuts but struggle with squash bugs and other pests and diseases, you may very well succeed with this squash. It is currently a “grex” in the F3 generation, the result of intercrossing several tough varieties together and selecting for pest resistance under lots of insect pressure! The initial work was done by the amazing folks at Mountain Jewel, a farm in the Ozarks. Details of this SARE-grant funded project can be found here://ozarkmountainjewel.com/breeding-c-moschata-for-squash-bug-resistance-introduction-to-sare-grant-2021/I grew out several F2-generation seeds under my squash-bug-ridden West Virginia conditions in 2022. I gave them no organic sprays or row covers and they powered through everything beautifully, maintaining healthy foliage until hard frost, something I’ve never seen in a winter squash given the pest and disease pressure of an organic farm. Yields were very high and fruit size was variable but fell into two groups. C. moschata generally makes either a butternut-looking fruit with either a short or long neck, or a round and ribbed “cheese” shaped, so named because of the resemblance to traditional cheese wheels. I’m offering seeds for either shape but some cross-over can be expected since the plants all intercrossed!Flavor of these fruits was usually quite sweet with typical strong butternut flavor. The texture was usually either quite coarse or somewhat stringy – more selection needs to happen in the coming years to refine these traits. Most fruits showed good storage ability of 5 months or more.This grex matures in about 4 months – somewhat later than Waltham Butternut. Plants have very vigorous, large vines so they are not well-suited to small spaces. However, their carefree nature should make them a reliable and low-input crop for serious gardeners. Seeds should be saved from the best fruits to continue improving the variety! Seeds produced in Morgantown, WV. Germination 99% 12-25-2023.