How to Grow Butternut Squash

[BockingBill]

We have raised 3 plants from seeds and are now into the hardening-off stage. However, upon planting out in a coldframe we are unsure if we should be providing support for them to grow up or just left to roam as per marrows.

[BockingBill]

[daileg]

well depends were there final planting place wil be either method depends on yourself can be grown up and over trellis or left to grow at its own speed and way ensure the temp is kept up soil isnt warm enough for them yet unless you will be adding fleece would wait till afeter the plants ar at least 6 inch in a five inch pot before i put mine out June is a better month for them

[GodfreyRob]

I think in the north its better to grow butternut inside - it grows really slow outside in an average summer and never develops any useable fruit.
We are planting ours directly into the greenhouse bed.

[SueK]

We were just wondering that ourselves.  We have just received some butternut squash seeds from the BBC "Dig In", which is supposed to be a UK-friendly variety, Hunter.  It would be a candidate for plants for the school summer fayre if we were confident that we could sell/donate them to grow outside - not many greenhouses in this part of Leeds!

Regards all,
Sue

[Plot69]

 I'm in Peterborough and I grew my Butternuts outside last year. Planted them out and then totally neglected them all summer. When I finally did get to the plot they'd grown about 40 foot long and the results can be seen in my gallery.

[manicscousers]

we grow ours outside, last year didn't grow them but did ok in 2007,and it wasn't a very good year  :)

[BarriedaleNick]

I start mine indoors - then to the green house and out on the plot in June.  Had a good crop last year despite the bad weather but they fuited late in the season

[shirlton]

We are growing ours up canes ths year.  Hopefully we will get some fruit without the plants taking over the whole plot. Tony has made a structure that the plants can climb up one side and down the other. Will take some pics if it succeeds

[Tee Gee]

Normally I grow mine vertically up canes under glass.

This year because I have a surplus of plants I am going to stick three or four outdoors and grow them horizontally on the ground.

My thoughts are; if needs be it will be a simple job to cover them for what ever reason.

As an experiment: this morning I rigged some four foot wide square wire mesh to a framework in the greenhouse and I plan on growing up this rather than individual canes.

I think I will be able to control/support the side shoots better this way rather than individual canes.

I will take a picture the next time I take my camera down to the allotment to show you what I mean.

[NettleNik]

Would using trellis be a good idea? Never grown anything before so taking down all the great tips! ;D
Nik

[hopalong]

I put a couple of plants, about 4 inches tall at this stage, under bell cloches on top of my compost heap today.  They are in full sun.  Never grown them before, so hope this works!  I'll also put some in the greenhouse.

[lewic]

I could tell you how not to grow them......  All of mine germinated OK but grew stunted as I think they were too cold and didnt get enough light.

[shirlton]

I think I will be able to control/support the side shoots better this way rather than individual canes.............Quote by Tee Gee.
What do you do with the side shoots . Do you stop them and if so at what stage.

[realfood]

My advice taken from my webpage on Butternuts is:-

Butternut Squash varieties, specially bred in the UK for the UK climate, and claimed to ripen about four weeks earlier than traditional varieties, are available as follows:-

Harrier F1. Claimed to be ready to harvest in 95 days from sowing, but expect longer in the North of the UK. It has sweet flesh, good storage and about 800 g or 1.75 lb size.

Hawk F1. Claimed to be quick maturing with sweet flesh, good storage and about 700 g or 1.5 lb size.

Hunter F1 Claimed to succeed as far north as Lancashire, with sweet flesh, good storage.

Having successfully grown all these varieties during a dull, cool and wet Summer in Glasgow, growing them both under cloches and in the open, my advice would definitely be to grow them under cloches in the North of the UK. Harrier F1 produced the most fully ripe fruits, as it tends to set the fruits earlier. However, they are all likely to do much better than the traditional varieties.

The cloches that I used were from Lidl. They can cover two rows of squash for the first month or so and then gently re-configured to just cover one row of squash. I left the ends of the cloche open when they started to flower, to allow access to bees for pollination.

[tricia]

I grew a Butternut plant on a trellis last year and got 6 fruit late in the season even though it was such a wet and cool summer. Unfortunately, the mice got to two of them where they were hanging in my shed.

(My next project on a warm, dry day is to clear the shed completely and block where the mice get in. Good way to have a decluttering at the same time. It's amazing what can collect over the course of a year!)

I planted out 3 strong butternut plants under fleece today - among other varieties, all to grow on trellises.

Tricia

[sandringham]

Last year I planted some seed I collected  from a supermarket Butternut Squash with reasonable success (anyone any ideas what the variety might have been?).

I started the seed in pots and then planted out on the allotment and just let them go their own way. I didn't cover them or anything or pinch out side shoot (total novice). We didn't have a great summer here in Norfolk so it wasn't warm very often. Growing them this way did take up a lot of space but the fruit off them was lovely. The Greener ones at the end of the season where just left to rippen off the plant on a warm window sill and were fine to eat.

I am learning so much from this forum so I will be trying the other methods of growing them as well this year.

Sandringham

Sandringham

[Ishard]

Im growing mine in tyres full of horse manure this year, so thats another way for you to try  :)

Dig a hole about 10 inches deep then place a tyre over the hole then fill the hole with manure and finally put the soil on top of the manure so its 'heaped' up. Plant 1 quosh.

[tonybloke]

beware of all the toxins in car tyres!! ;)

[daileg]

I have grown various types last year grew mine up a trellis they grow fine but will have to tie them in as the tendrils dont wrap around trellis, anyhow last year was a bad year for them due to the amount of rain,
there very hungary plants squash plant out after June and wait till there at least 6" tall with several leaves the hotter the better put a piece of plummers white pipe 32mm along side and into the ground next to each plant and plant on top of a mound of earth as they dont like getting there stems wet as they rot off.
water often feed weekly and plant in well rotted manure or the nitrogen will be stripped from the plant and go very limp then die if you have no manure prepare bed with chicken pellets before planting at least two weeks before .
feeding them can be done through the plummers pipe with a liqued feed weekly basis if the temp goes below 15 degrees cover with fabric
at first might flower without setting fruit or the fruit will fall from the plant this is due to temp and poor germination from the bees
to resolve this will need to hand pollinate the plants by removing the male flower the one withthe long stem remove all petals at the end of the flower will see the yellow bud insert this into the female flower by gently separating the shrowed on the female flower with a chopstick(blunt end) insert the male flower softly and give a little rub with the pollen from the male flower .
in order to collect seeds will have to secure this flower with a little cotten to prevent cross pollination of different varities.
if not collecting seed gently close female flower again and leave to set fruit once swelling starts this is the time to start feeding on a regular basis.
at the end of the season fruit will need to be removed before the first frost start place in sun for a few days to rippen or store in a dry cool area (shed) and leave at least a fortnight before consumming as this makes the fruit taste better  

PS good luck every one  ;D

[Hector]

thanks to allfor the great info in this thread