Butternut squash

[Logunner]

How do I ripen these squashes? Will removing surrounding leaves exposing them to more sunlight help?



First time growing them.

[burnie]

I do thin the leaves a bit, but I grow mine in the greenhouse, so maybe more heat helped mine ripen last year, this year are a bit smaller than yours.

[lottie dolly]

Ones both son and i have grown ripen at differing stages,the leaves usualy die of as the season progresses,they will also ripen when pulled off the plant,placed not touching each other,window cill,shed,anywhere dry and frost free,if you do cut em of to stoor,make sure you cut it off with a birt of the stem,soyou end up with a T shape,it helps keep longer.

[Logunner]

Thanks.

Thats not the biggest on the plant so may ripen this at home

[ameno]

You've got until the first frosts, so there's no rush. Best to leave it on the plant as long as possible.

[Snoop Puss]

Is that a Barbara squash? If so, they're a bit green still when ready to pick, not like other butternuts.

[bikermike]

oooh, I have BSQ in the same state, so I am taking notes.

What is a Barbara squash? Is there any way of telling from the planted version?

[Mark_Riga]

They don't ripen off the plant. If you pick it now, you'll be sorry. They need as long as possible till they turn light brown and plenty of patience. Cover with fleece if they still need more time and frost threatens.
Also should be OK on gravel but keep a check on the underneath as, if on soil,skin n be damaged and rot can set in. I usually but tiles underneath them.

[Snoop Puss]

They don't so much ripen as grow sweeter in storage, as the starches turn to sugar. It's a bit of a guessing game, as you don't want to leave them so long that they end up splitting, which is what happened to a lot of mine the first year round.

This is a Barbara butternut squash:
https://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/pro...veg133-p-20416
https://www.plantsofdistinction.co.u...rbara-f1-0313b

I've never bought Barbara squash seeds from either of these places, so these aren't recommendations for particular suppliers. The seeds are ridiculously expensive in the UK. I bought mine from a French supplier and there are enough seeds in the packet to see me right for a few years yet.

They're F1 I'm afraid, but they do well for me so I've decided to grow them. When I pick them, they're a pale green, a bit paler than the colour in Logrunner's photo (as it appears on my screen), with only slight touches of a pinker colour between the green stripes. Nowhere near as dark in the two seed suppliers' photos.

[john4576]

Can anyone report on there real world experience of growing Hunter butternut and or Hawk butternut. Both were developed by Tozer seeds for UK growing and climate. Meant to be very early.
In the rhs award of merit trail the hunter f1 seemed expectional for them. 60buttercups at Ave weight of 860g. From a 3.6m double row with 75cm and 90cm spacing.
In real world am I going to get a viable plant and reasonable harvest growing outdoors in Scotland anywhere close to that trail.Further more the Tozer breeds had a hardiness rating for growing outside unprotected compared to 14 other varieties in the test

[Teds Mum]

Can anyone report on there real world experience of growing Hunter butternut and or Hawk butternut. Both were developed by Tozer seeds for UK growing and climate. Meant to be very early.
In the rhs award of merit trail the hunter f1 seemed expectional for them. 60buttercups at Ave weight of 860g. From a 3.6m double row with 75cm and 90cm spacing.
In real world am I going to get a viable plant and reasonable harvest growing outdoors in Scotland anywhere close to that trail.Further more the Tozer breeds had a hardiness rating for growing outside unprotected compared to 14 other varieties in the test

I grew these last year, they are early because they are smaller than most butternuts, however this is still big enough that you only need one squash per meal.
Only concession to protectiveness was I planted through a ground sheet. Watering happened during the very dry spell but was otherwise haphazard.

Overall they grew well and produced a decent crop. I want bigger squashes though so I'm growing a different variety this year.

[john4576]

Sounds promising that hunter. Any problems with pigeons or rabbits or other pests. Looking for alterative to cabbage which have been disatar for me. Few that passed the pigeons full of tiny holes

[burnie]

Got quite a few of these on the way in the greenhouse.

[toomanytommytoes]

Got quite a few of these on the way in the greenhouse.

Which variety is that? They look more compact than our two Walthams which have clambered out of the raised bed, half way up the lawn one way and weaving round the back of the garden the other. The vines must be 7 or 8 metres long!

[goodolpete]

I’ve just bought some Waltham BNQ seeds, and because of lack of space, would
like to grow them vertically. Has anybody done this and could give a description
of what they did please?