Variety field guide
What to expect from Cherokee Candy Roaster Winter squash Seeds
Cherokee Candy Roaster Winter squash seeds produce orange winter squash, 10-20 pounds, on vining/climbing plants.
Read the complete product descriptionTraits, flavor, garden use, variety notes, and the full catalog record
Cherokee Candy Roaster Winter squash seeds produce orange winter squash, 10-20 pounds, on vining/climbing plants. It is best suited to productive warm-season beds, trellises or sprawling vines, kitchen use, and seed saving. ‘Cherokee Candy Roaster’ produces elongated, pink-orange fruits with blue-green tips and dense, golden flesh that’s exceptionally sweet and flavorful. Cherokee Candy Roaster Squash Seeds produce appalachian heirloom with long, pink fruits and sweet, smooth flesh perfect for pies.
About Cherokee Candy Roaster
Cherokee Candy Roaster is an annual winter squash with orange color, 97–120 in mature height or spread, and a vining/climbing habit. Harvest form or size: 10-20 pounds. Botanically it is Cucurbita maxima Duchesne. Maturity or first bloom: 90-99 Days; germination: 7-10 Days at 75–90 °F. Best for productive warm-season beds, trellises or sprawling vines, kitchen use, and seed saving. ‘Cherokee Candy Roaster’ produces elongated, pink-orange fruits with blue-green tips and dense, golden flesh that’s exceptionally sweet and flavorful.
History and provenance
Cherokee Candy Roaster is a long-fruited winter squash name strongly associated with Cherokee and southern Appalachian seedkeeping and cooking. Commercial lots sold under the name can differ in shape, color, and size, and the current lot has not been independently authenticated by a Cherokee community. The variety is valued for dense, sweet flesh, roasting and pie quality, and storage. The documented regional association is retained without claiming an uninterrupted custody chain, and stronger community-specific provenance should be added only when supplier and seed-lot records support it.
Growing facts
| Scientific name | Cucurbita maxima Duchesne |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Annual |
| Maturity / first bloom | 90-99 Days |
| Germination | 7-10 Days at 75–90 °F |
| Seed depth | 1 in |
| Plant height / spread | 97–120 in |
| Growth habit | Vining/Climbing |
| Spacing | 36 in between plants; 72 in between rows |
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Soil | Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5 |
| Water | Moderate |
| Support | No-Support |
Starting Cherokee Candy Roaster from seed
How to grow Cherokee Candy Roaster Winter squash
Botanical identity: Cucurbita maxima Duchesne. Life cycle: Annual.
Sow 1 in and use a seed-zone temperature near 75–90 °F. Expected emergence: 7-10 Days. No stratification; direct sow into warm soil or start briefly in biodegradable cells and transplant young
Plant during Late Spring. Space plants 36 in apart with 72 in between rows or planting bands.
Provide Full sun, moderate water, and loamy near pH 6.0–6.5. Support: No-Support.
Garden performance and care
Give Cherokee Candy Roaster enough room for its vining/climbing growth. Direct irrigation to the soil, keep developing fruit on dry mulch or boards where rot is common, and leave seed-saving fruit on the plant beyond the eating stage. Expected emergence is 7-10 Days; the listed maturity or bloom timing is 90-99 Days.
Harvest, bloom, and uses
Cherokee Candy Roaster is best for productive warm-season beds, trellises or sprawling vines, kitchen use, and seed saving. Harvest form or size: 10-20 pounds. Color at the principal harvest or mature stage: Orange. ‘Cherokee Candy Roaster’ produces elongated, pink-orange fruits with blue-green tips and dense, golden flesh that’s exceptionally sweet and flavorful.
Saving seed
Seed saving for Cherokee Candy Roaster Select several healthy, true-to-type plants so the saved lot represents the variety rather than one unusually early or large individual. Squash and gourds are insect-pollinated and cross readily with other varieties of the same species. Confirm the species identified for this crop, then isolate by distance or controlled hand pollination. Mark seed fruit and let it reach full biological maturity; summer squash must become large and hard, winter squash must develop full rind color, and luffa or hard-shell gourds must mature well beyond the edible stage. Cure sound fruit before extraction when the crop benefits from curing. Remove, wash, and dry seed to a hard, storage-ready condition. Maintain several representative plants and record species, population, isolation, fruit selection, curing, cleaning, and test date.
Common problems
Watch Cherokee Candy Roaster for cucumber beetles, squash bugs where applicable, aphids, powdery or downy mildew, bacterial wilt, crown rot, poor pollination, and fruit damage on wet soil. Rotate cucurbit crops, provide airflow, water at the root zone, protect young plants before flowering, and remove covers when blossoms need pollinators. Do not work wet vines.
Frequently asked questions
When is Cherokee Candy Roaster ready?
90-99 Days from warm direct sowing or equivalent established transplant
How long does germination take?
Expect 7-10 Days near 75–90 °F; actual emergence changes with moisture, seed condition, and soil temperature.
How large does it grow?
About 97–120 in with a vining/climbing habit. Support: No-Support.
Can it grow in a container?
Best in open ground or a large raised bed; mature vines require substantial horizontal or vertical space.
How is it used?
Primary uses: productive warm-season beds, trellises or sprawling vines, kitchen use, and seed saving. ‘Cherokee Candy Roaster’ produces elongated, pink-orange fruits with blue-green tips and dense, golden flesh that’s exceptionally sweet and flavorful.
Can I save seed?
Yes where the crop biology allows, but keep compatible varieties isolated, use several healthy plants, wait for full seed maturity, dry thoroughly, and label the lot.
Minimum Seed Count:25 seeds
