How to Grow Honey Boat Squash in Raised Beds with a Trellis

We tried Honey Boat squash this year in one of our raised beds, and it turned out to be one of the prettiest and most rewarding crops we’ve grown.

Honey Boat is a cousin of delicata, with tan skin and green stripes, but the flavor is even sweeter. The flesh roasts up rich and nutty, and it stores longer than delicata, which makes it a great winter keeper.

Organic Honey Boat squash growing vertically on a bamboo trellis in a raised bed garden

Training Honey Boat to Grow Up Instead of Out

If you’ve grown squash before, you know how easily the vines can take over. In a small garden or raised bed, that isn’t practical. We built a bamboo arch across one bed and trained the vines to climb. By midsummer the tunnel was covered in big green leaves and the squash were hanging down like lanterns. It looked beautiful, and it kept the fruit off the soil where it could rot or attract pests.

Soil and Planting

For the soil, we filled the bed with Coast of Maine Raised Bed Mix. It’s organic, full of compost, and heavy enough to hold moisture while still draining well. Squash are hungry plants, and this mix gave them the nutrition they needed to keep producing.

Seeds can be started indoors a few weeks before the last frost or sown directly once the soil has warmed. We started seedlings inside to give them a head start in our New England garden, then transplanted them into the raised bed at the base of the trellis.

Caring for the Plants + Vines

Honey Boat squash blossom growing on a vine in a raised bed garden

We watered deeply a couple of times a week and mulched around the base to keep the roots cool. As the vines climbed, we guided them onto the bamboo so they didn’t wander. The flowers opened early in the morning, and while the bees did most of the work, we hand-pollinated a few blossoms to make sure we got fruit.

Harvesting and Storing

The squash were ready to harvest once the skins turned a deep tan with dark green stripes and the stems began to dry. We cut them off the vine with a short stem still attached, then let them cure in a dry, warm spot for about a week. Once cured, they’ll last in storage for months.

Saving Seeds

Since Honey Boat is an open-pollinated heirloom, you can save your own seeds. Let one squash fully mature and cure, then scoop out the seeds, rinse them clean, and dry them well before storing. I shared a full walkthrough in my step-by-step guide to saving pumpkin seeds for planting next year.

Why We’ll Grow Honey Boat Again

This squash earned a permanent place in our garden. The bamboo tunnel turned into a green archway, the plants stayed healthy, and the fruits were abundant. Most of all, it was a joy to grow something so beautiful and delicious in a small raised bed.