Plant record
Winter Squash
Cucurbita maxima / moschata / pepo
Winter squash is a promise you make to October. Do not squeeze it into a bed that cannot keep the promise.
Garden timing
Direct sow after warm weather settles in.
Transplant carefully and avoid root disturbance.
Space-saving method: grow with hill support.
Plant intelligence
Reserve multiple squares or an edge where it can sprawl without taking over.
foodvertical
Lifecycle: annual
Habit: sprawling
Record score
79/100strong garden record
Taxonomy confidence97Cucurbita maxima / moschata / pepo in Cucurbitaceae; 3 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness86multi-square crop with hill support.
Timing and care depth842 planting windows, 60F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down400 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence70Food crop with companion context.
Source readiness94Ready for 4 external lookup paths.
Species identity
This record covers a practical garden group; use the variety cards to narrow real behavior.
ScientificCucurbita maxima / moschata / pepoFamilyCucurbitaceaeLookup namesWinter Squash, Cucurbita maxima / moschata / pepo
Garden decision matrix
Square-foot fit4 squares per plant
Season behaviortender
Care loadheavy water
Bed ecosystem rolefood, vertical
Variety depth0 options
Companions
corn, bean, nasturtium, sunflower
Cautions
Needs serious room.
Long-season varieties may push frost in short summers.
External enrichment
Cached name: Cucurbita maxima / moschata / pepo. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.
Open enrichment JSONData layers
FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.
API source score
Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.
Michigan State University Extension
Michigan vegetable-garden timing, frost awareness, and practical garden planning.
Source referenceCornell Vegetable Growing Guides
Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.
Source referenceUniversity of Minnesota Extension
Upper Midwest vegetable guidance, cold-climate timing, and succession ideas.
Source reference