Cucurbita maxima 'Turk's Turban'

RHS Plant Profile
squash 'Turk's Turban'

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Annual Biennial Fruit Edible
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A winter squash producing distinctive, rounded-shaped fruits, mottled in shades of orange, red, white and green and topped with a knobbly green cap. The fruit is quite ornamental, but it is good for eating, the flesh golden-orange, very moist, sweet and nutty. Harvest October and November - stores well, often to Feburary

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H2

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Cucurbitaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Trailing
Potentially harmful
Humans/Pets: If crop is bitter, don't eat or feed to pets. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus
A small genus of climbing or trailing, annual herbaceous fruits. Several edible species are cultivated for food and other uses. Native to Central and South America. Solitary, star-shaped flowers are usually golden-yellow. Leaves are palmately lobed, covered with tiny, prickly hairs
Name Status
Unresolved

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moisture retentive but well drained, acidic to neutral soil in full sun. Sow indoors March to May in good quality seed compost. Sow the seeds on their side 1cm deep and maintain a constant temperature of 18-21C. Feed regularly with a high potassium fertiliser when the first fruits start to swell. See pumpkin cultivation or squash cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Flower borders and beds

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds and powdery mildews