Winter Squash, Thelma Sanders
75 in stock
Quick Overview
WINTER SQUASH, Thelma Sanders –
Cucurbito pepo
FULL SUN This 4-5 lb. acorn squash has richly flavored flesh and is an excellent storage squash. The vines usually produce 3-5 fruit in a season.
Plant Thelma Sanders in late spring after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed to a depth of 6 in. Plant in hills, 4 ft. apart. When the seedlings are 3 in. high, thin, leaving 4 plants per hill. Well-rotted manure or compost dug into the soil where the seeds are to be planted is highly beneficial. Harvest the fruits only after they are fully matured and just before the first frost. Remove from the vine leaving part of the stem attached to the fruit. Store the fruit in a moderately warm, dry area.
Thelma Sanders can be grown in a container provided that the plants are fertilized weekly. Plant 2 seedlings in a 14-inch container.
| Type | Spacing | Planting Depth | Days to Germination | Maturity |
| Winter | 8 in. | 1 in. | 7-10 | 110 |
Winter Squash, Thelma Sanders
Squash, beans and corn, known as the “Three Sisters” comprised the trinity that was the staple diet of ancient America. Unbelievably, remains of wild or, possibly, cultivated squash have been found in Mexico that date to 9000 BC. Similar archaeological evidence has been unearthed in South America, Central America and northern, North America. The wild varieties of squash were quite small and unpleasantly bitter tasting. Ancient peoples were not attracted to these vegetables for food. Instead, it is hypothesized, that ancient peoples collected the squash and dried them to make rattles and instruments for ceremonies and containers for storage and eating. Eventually, the ancient peoples came to appreciate and value the squash seeds which were rich in nutritious oils. After, perhaps centuries, ancient farmers began to select for and cultivate varieties of squash that produced pleasant tasting flesh.
The squash family can generally be divided into two classes – winter squash and summer squash – and fundamentally four species: c. maxima, c. argyrosperma, c. moschata and c. pepo.
Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash was introduced to the Seed Savers Exchange in 1981 by Tom Knoche who had received some seeds from Evert Pettit who in turn had received seeds from Mrs. Thelma Sanders of Adair County, Missouri. The Seed Savers Exchange has not been able to trace the origin beyond this point, but The Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Squash is believed to be much older than its 1980 introduction.
