Baker's Branch Butternut: Growing the Modern Open-Pollinated Squash in Kansas

Baker's Branch Butternut is a modern open-pollinated butternut, bred in central Virginia and released as an open-source variety. It is not an heirloom. Breeding started in 2017 from a cross of South Anna Butternut (three quarters of its parentage) and Chinese Tropical Pumpkin (one quarter), and selection for keeping quality, concentrated fruit set, and yield is still ongoing. The name comes from a creek near the fields where it was developed.

What you get is South Anna's eating quality and downy mildew resistance with a slightly finer texture, a nuttier rather than floral flavor, and a deep tan skin with a faint pink hue that comes from the Chinese Tropical side. Fruits average 2.5 to 3 pounds, a one-meal butternut with high sugar and dry matter. As a Cucurbita moschata it carries the solid-stemmed vine borer resistance that makes the whole group practical in Kansas.

Why Baker's Branch Fits Kansas

It was bred for humid Southern summers, so heat, humidity, and late-season foliage disease are the conditions it was selected under. The moschata stem structure shrugs off vine borers. Days to maturity run about 120 days, which is the long end of what Zone 6b comfortably allows: sow by about June 3 or start indoors three weeks ahead to keep a cushion before the first fall frost.

The vines are vigorous and fully vining. Expect 2.5 to 3 pound fruits, a classic butternut shape, and a heavy set of uniform fruit on a healthy plant.

K-State's squash vine borer guide (MF3309) covers fundamental practices for butternut types in Kansas.

How to Grow Baker's Branch Butternut in Kansas (Zone 6b)

Starting Seeds

Direct sow mid to late May once soil is above 65°F, 1 inch deep, 2 to 3 seeds per hill, and thin to the strongest plant. With a 120 day season, an indoor start 3 weeks ahead of transplanting is worth the trouble; harden seedlings off for a week before setting out.

Spacing

6 to 8 feet between plants, rows 8 to 10 feet apart. These are full-vining plants that need room. Straw mulch under the fruit keeps it off wet soil.

Soil and Fertility

Rich, well-drained soil with compost worked in. pH 6.0 to 6.8. Moderate feeder: side-dress once when the vines start to run, then let it be.

Watering

1 to 1.5 inches per week through fruit development, at the base of the plant. Ease off as the fruit finishes to concentrate sugars.

Harvest and Storage

Harvest when the skin is uniformly deep tan and hard and the stem has gone corky. Cut with 2 to 3 inches of stem. Cure 10 to 14 days in a warm, dry spot. Stores 4 to 6 months at 50 to 60°F; the flavor deepens after a month in storage. Fruit picked slightly early will still keep and eat well.

Baker's Branch in the Kitchen

Think of it as a small, dense butternut with a nutty edge. Peel and cube for roasting, soups, or gratins; the flesh holds its shape in curries and stews. Halve, roast at 375°F, scoop, and mash with butter is still the simplest way to taste what the high dry matter does.

Saving Seeds

Open-pollinated, so seed saves true to type, with the caveat that this is a young variety still being refined by its breeder, so expect a little more variation than in a settled heirloom. Save from your best-shaped, best-keeping fruit. Scoop seeds from the bulb end, rinse, dry 2 to 3 weeks. Cross-pollinates with other moschata, so isolate or hand-pollinate if you want it pure.

Grow a New Butternut

Baker's Branch Butternut Seeds ship from Newton, Kansas. Browse all our squash and pumpkin seeds.

More growing guides: South Anna Butternut Growing Guide · Chinese Tropical Pumpkin Growing Guide · Waltham Butternut Growing Guide