Days to Maturity: 90 from direct sow
This single-serving acorn squash is just the size of a teacup. Ultra-flavorful and heavy bearing, it's a winter squash that holds well after harvest, but looks and tastes so good that you may never discover how long you can keep it.
Sweet Dumpling lives up to its name with cute, slightly flattened fruit of rosy beige with dark green striping. Deeply ribbed, the hard shells conceal succulent, bright orange flesh with some of the best flavor of any winter squash.
And Sweet Dumpling is productive as well as delicious and attractive. You can expect 8 to 10 fruits on the average plant, and the squash is ready just three months from sowing. Disease resistant and vigorous, it's a good choice for gardeners in a wide range of climates.
Grow this winter squash like summer squash (sow the seeds 1 inch deep after all danger of frost), but space the plants 4 to 6 feet apart. Harvest it when the plants die back or just before frost. Cut and cure the fruit in a well-ventilated area, then store at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
