Ideally, winter squash needs cured like sweet potatoes. After harvest, put them in the warmest place possible for about a week. A closed vehicle is a nice place to do that. Don't store them cold.

here's an article from johnnys i found. i didn't see anything about soil conditions. i also didn't read it carefully.

Here is a link that might be useful: why isn't my squash sweet?

I agree with brookw, they need to be cured correctly, or they won't keep as long. Only try to keep the perfect ones, no damage what so ever.

Potatoes need the curing also.

I never kept mine beyond Thanksgiving. no markets and I would donate the last to the food bank. Many people would make their pumpkin pies from the butternuts.

Make sure your basic elements at premium amounts, not low in any 1 element, or all the elements with more than needed is wasted.

Thanks for the input and the link which I read but unfortunately didn't help much.

I've read extensively about squash curing and the only species that I understand benefits from curing is moschata, and that's to toughen the skin for storage. My butternuts all go in the greenhouse for about a month before getting boxed for storage. Other common species (I grow pepo and maxima), if harvested at full maturity, don't need to be cured. They just need to age in order for their starches to convert to sugars.

My problem is that the sugars don't seem to be developing even though the squash were fully mature, big and beautiful when harvested. I'd expect the delicata (pepo) to be sweet by now as they were harvested nearly 2 months ago.

It could be a matter of them getting too much water before harvest. Do you shut the water off to them? I got many of my squash seeds from Joseph Lofthouse who selects for flavor and beta carotene. I have lots of squash seeds available but they are mixed c. moschata.

did you buy and prepare some other squash that you didn't grow to compare? are your storage conditions ideal? do your customers complain?

I wonder if water could be an issue like it is w/melons. I know that melons improve in flavor/sweetness when the water is cut off. If you water, maybe try cutting back once the fruit reaches an appropriate size.

Good ideas all around.
I did stop watering for a few weeks before harvest, mostly because the butternuts split easily when they get mature. I could try to reduce water more but get concerned about sunburn on the fruit when the plants wilt down in the heat of the day.

Randy, my regular customers rarely complain but sometimes I think they are just overly polite and/or are content to buy squash elsewhere. My thoughts about the lack of sweetness are based on my own taste.
The storage conditions are good, but not perfect. The packed cases stay dry and in the 50F range throughout the winter.

I like the idea of comparing my squash with another. I'll try buying a delicata from a neighboring farmer who I know has amazing valley bottom soil and see how the tastes compare.

Here is my latest soil test in case anyone can offer some nutritional thoughts (which I really think is the larger issue).

I am not familiar with what test you are using BUT I think you are lacking Ca, S, Na,and P??; K a little to high. You need a soil test
with B, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. Try Logan Labs for a M-3 test

some years I have grown fantastic tasting winter squash. Brix
was very high. Buy a refractometer off Ebay for $35 or so.
Mine this year and last have been terrible.
For me more Ca, P, K Cu B Mn

read www.soilminerals.com.

Dave Rogers

You can probably find something in your soil analysis needing improvement but most issues of squash quality IMO are more related to plant health during fruit development and nutrient uptake is less of an issue than pest stress on the plants. Downy Mildew has been reported to not affect fruit maturity or appearance but itf it hit plants early the fruit will not develop properly and will be inferior. Other fungal and some bacterial diseases cause fruit to spoil earlier. I'd correct your soil fertility but also review your disease control program.

Good thoughts, thanks for chiming in.

I'd tend to agree about disease pressure but both this year and last the squash patch was absolutely as perfect as I have ever seen it. I mean, almost weed free, fantastic growth, lush plants and excellent fruit set. A little powdery mildew towards the end, but by that time the squash were dying down during warm, dry and fantastic harvest weather. During the entire growing season, not one plant of 1000 showed any sign of disease (at least that I could see from the edge of the un-enterable patch).

Pic is after final cultivation just before vining.

Do they not have weeds in Oregon? Your field pictures are always so weed free. I wish mine would look that way. Our farm was outdoor pig lots for years, so we have a weed seed bank in our soil that never seems to run out.

Jay

Are they getting enough heat? Even here in the steamy summer in the Midwest I use black plastic and row cover up to flowering.

As for heat, I think they get enough...I can't really tell other than the plants grow great and make lots of fruit. Melons did fine this year as it was one of the warmest on record.

Jay, Nah, weeds never made it out this far west past the rockies......lol
After working at weed infested farms for years, I decided to do what I could to not let that happen to me. All my fields were pasture so I never inherited other peoples pigweed, lambsquarter, bindweed, etc: most of my weeds are clover and grasses. I'm lucky, and I try all season to get them before they go to seed. Try as I might, they still do and more are creeping in all the time.

I think it's the pasture land thats part of the flavor factor with the squash. The soil microbial life is pretty low and I can only afford to throw so much mineral on at one time. I use Azomite and it's not cheap so I have a system of putting it down every time I plant carrots. This way after 10 years of rotation I should have it applied everywhere. If I win the lottery, i'll buy a few tons.