Butternut squash

* Common name: Butternut squash

Butternut squash ‘Honeynut’

* Botanical name: Cucurbita moschata

* What it is: A warm-weather vining plant that produces tan-skinned, orange-fleshed fruits shaped like fat bowling pins with a nutty flavor similar to pumpkin. ‘Honey Nut’ and ‘Butterscotch’ are two particularly sweet and compact new varieties.

* Size: Allow spread of 2 to 3 feet per plant. With help, these can be grown up a support to save space. Fruits weigh 16 to 20 ounces each.

* Where to use: Vegetable garden.

* Care: Start seeds inside in early to mid-April to set outside in the garden after all danger of frost. Or direct-seed into the garden between mid-May and mid-June. Work compost into soil before planting, then keep plants consistently damp throughout the growing season. A booster dose or two of fish emulsion or organic vegetable fertilizer helps maximize production. Allow about 3 months for fruits to grow and mature fully; flavor is sweetest and flesh turns deep orange when fully ripe.

* Great partner: Squash vines will grow under, around and partly up corn.