A majestic winter squash with blue-grey skin and vibrant orange flesh. Crown Prince grows vigorously in rich soil, stores for months, and delivers deep, sweet flavour — a true staple for the seasonal Cornish garden.
There are few plants that feel as indulgently seasonal as a winter squash ripening through the last warm days of autumn. Among them, Squash ‘Crown Prince’ reigns supreme — with a skin like pewter and a heart of deep, glowing amber. It’s the sort of fruit you want to cradle in your arms like treasure, a keeper for the cold months, with a flavour so rich and sweet it carries the memory of summer deep into winter stews, roasts, and soups.
But to reach that regal harvest, Crown Prince asks a little more of you than some of its summer cousins. It’s a hungry, thirsty, sprawling plant — but utterly worth the space. In Cornwall, where the climate is mild and often damp, it thrives best when given warmth, richness, and a touch of planning.
Begin your Crown Prince journey under cover in April or May. Each seed is thick and firm — you can soak them overnight in water to speed germination, but they’re quite willing without. Sow singly into 8cm pots of moist, well-drained multipurpose compost. Lay the seed on its edge (not flat) about 2–2.5cm deep — this helps prevent rot — and keep them warm at 18–22°C.
Germination usually takes about 7–14 days. Once they emerge, move the seedlings to a brighter spot, but don’t let them get chilled. These are sun-lovers from the start.
If you’d rather sow directly outdoors, wait until the end of May or early June — after all risk of frost has passed. Warm the soil with fleece or a cloche, and prepare rich mounds with well-rotted manure beneath. Sow two seeds per mound, 2cm deep, and thin to the strongest seedling.
As your indoor seedlings grow, they’ll quickly outgrow their pots. Pot them on before they become rootbound. Then, when the nights are reliably mild and the soil is warm (mid- to late May), begin the gentle process of hardening them off.
Over the course of a week to ten days, move your young plants outside during the day and back in at night. This transition helps them adjust to wind, sun, and fluctuating temperatures — essential for strong outdoor growth.
Crown Prince demands space — and lots of it. Each plant needs at least 1–1.2m of elbow room (trailing vines can easily reach 2m or more). Choose a sunny, sheltered site, and enrich the soil deeply with compost or well-rotted manure. Loamy or sandy loam soil is ideal, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0–7.5).
On heavy or wet soils, planting on a mound improves drainage and warmth. Mulch generously with compost around each plant — but keep it away from the stem to prevent rot.
Once planted, Crown Prince benefits from regular, generous watering. Aim to water deeply at the base of the plant, avoiding the leaves to reduce the risk of powdery mildew. A sunken pot beside the stem can help direct water to the roots.
Feeding begins in earnest once the flowers arrive. Every 10–14 days, give a liquid high-potash feed (like tomato feed). This supports fruit development and sweet, dense flesh. If you’re growing in containers, you may need to feed more frequently.
As the plants grow, their vines will roam. You can let them sprawl freely, or train them up sturdy supports to save space. Once two or three fruits have set per plant, consider pinching out the growing tips — this encourages fewer but larger fruits, and avoids overexerting the plant.
By September or October, your squash should have fully coloured — a beautiful blue-grey skin that feels firm under your palm. They should ring slightly hollow when tapped, and the stalks begin to cork. Harvest before the first frost using sharp secateurs, leaving a short stalk attached. Handle them gently — bruises and nicks reduce storage potential.
To store well, Crown Prince needs curing: lay the fruits somewhere warm, dry, and airy (a sunny porch, greenhouse, or even a windowsill if the weather’s kind) for 10–14 days. This hardens their skins and enhances sweetness.
Store in a cool, dry, frost-free space with good air circulation — and never let the fruits touch. They’ll keep for 4–6 months, often longer if conditions are ideal.
Slugs and snails adore young squash plants — use barriers or traps early on. Aphids and squash bugs can distort growth; encourage predators or spray gently with soapy water. Keep ripening fruit raised off damp ground using bricks, pots, or straw to prevent rot.
Powdery mildew, common in late summer, can be reduced by watering at the roots, removing affected leaves, and spacing plants well for airflow.
Crown Prince is a plant of generous scale and presence. It feels old-fashioned in the best possible way — a variety that’s about feeding people through lean seasons, storing away sunlight for the days when skies darken. In a Cornish garden, especially one with space to roam and rich soil beneath, it will reward you handsomely.
And when the time comes to roast those amber wedges, brushed with oil and scattered with sea salt, you’ll taste the entire journey — from a spring sowing to a late autumn harvest. Few garden plants offer such complete satisfaction.
