ripening butternut squash

[gardendancer]

I tried to search for this, but I couldn't find the info, so apologies if this has been asked before.

I have a hughe butternut squash plant with about 6 large squashes on - so I'd really want to make sure that i give them all the chance i can get to ripen.

Will it help my squashes to ripen if I take some leaves off the plant?
Especially will it help if i take off the leaves that are over the fruit so the fruit can be in the sun?
All the fruit are off the soil already - the plant quite conviently grew alongside the veg patch on the concrete.

And finally I have a quite long leg that has no fruit on it is it best to leave it on to nourish the rest of the plant, take it off or doesn't it matter?

Thank you,
it;s my first year growing these so I'm a bit lost - in fact I don't know what I'd do without this site :-)

[zazen999]

I trim off anything in the way of the fruit, place the fruit on something so that it is elevated so that the bottom won't rot and have now trimmed off all stems after the 2nd leaf after the fruit; and have trimmed back all straggling 'legs'....I want the fruit that is there to ripen now so they will stay outside until the first forecast frost and then they are coming in. Otherwise it will put energy into leaf/new fruits that will rot and you don't want it to do that....it still needs some leaves though so don't chop them all off.

I have already taken 4 pumpkins off their plants and put them in the growhouse to catch what little sun we have left......and my banana squashes are going into the show on Sunday so they are coming off tomorrow.......

[gardendancer]

thank you
i'll go out at trim away :-)

[Incy]

Harrumph. Out of 4 plants not one fruit that looks remotely like a butternut squash and 3 plants haven't even bothered setting any fruit at all!

[zazen999]

My best squashes this year were ones that I hand pollinated......it really makes sense to give it a go as once they have the pollen in there they really seem to rocket off.

[Incy]

They have to flower first though! my 3 pathetic ones keep getting buds then nothing!