growing butternut squash

[crudenbayveggie]

Having introduced this to my gown up kids, skins on roasted, they did not enjoy sunday lunch without it. Took the seeds from some shop bought squash and cultivated it. My goodness so many took. Problem being is that all this greenery grew and eventually some fruits gave me the excitement that I had done something right. Problem being is that they grew to about 3 inches long then withered and dropped off. Read a tip that I should take off the flower once it had died down to try and eliminate rot from the flower spreading to the fruit... Nothing worked....Just when I thought I had to discard all this vegetation to the compost heap found 2 growing under an umbrella of leaves and vegetation. Why is it that ll the others withered and died???? I am growing them in a polytunnel. Months and months of tendering only to produce 2 fruits not really a productive time. Any help gladly appreciated as looking to grow them again next year.

[amandaandherveg]

Hi and welcome

If your location is the same as your name then yours suffered the same fate as mine. It just wasn't warm enough for us up here this year. This was the second year that I attempted them - next year is my last try as like you guys, we just love them - yum!

If you edit your profile to show your location Grapes will be able to help you better.

PS Just noticed that you were growing them in the tunnel - did you have lots of insects and ventilation?

[PAULW]

CBV
Putting your location may be helpful as people in your area may have had the same problem, personally I never take any flowers of the plants but then again I grow about a dozen plants in a big clump and I would end up breaking more vines than it was worth for my trouble.

This was to be posted before amanda's but I lost conection this is why your location is asked for again.

[SarzWix]

It might be lack of pollination, could be worth doing it by hand whenever you notice a male & a female open at the same time. I usually break the male flower off, peel off the petals and then poke it into (technical term?! ) any female flowers that are open enough. I got 4 fruits this year doing it like that, which I'm quite pleased with as they were grown outdoors.

[bubblewrap]

Just a question crudenbayveggie how well did you water the plants?.
Had no problems with mine had some nearly a foot long & I still have some "growing" had one(part) to-day with dinner weighed around 6lb.
I always plant mine on a bed of manure.
I'm glad I only had 4 plants any more & they would have taken over the lottie.

[OllieMartin]

I'll echo Sarz's advice. I only managed 3 small squash off 4 plants, mainly because I planted them too late. But I too had a few issues with rotting small fruit and have put it down to them not pollinating.

[Two_Sheds]

I've had a good crop: about a dozen fruits off about 6 plants I think (labels lost, again).

I sow them April/May, grow them outside, bit of BFB at planting time (June), mulch with newspapers to conserve moisture, water as needed. I leave pollination to the bees.

Butternuts need more warmth than other squashes, so aren't very successful oop north, even with special cool-climate varieties like Hunter, harrier, Hawk etc.

[rustylady]

My butternuts were pathetic this year. Planted a bit late, weather too dry. Try again next year.

[di]

Our butternuts weren't too bad...it was the rest of them!
We always grow a big variety of squash/pumpkins & normally get a great harvest for very little input.This year however,I got loads of male flowers & not a female in sight on most of the plants.

Yesterday,when digging over the patch,I think I may have possibly worked out why...whilst enjoying how perfect the soil was to dig...started off last year as heavy clay...I realised it was because of all the bonfire ash.Could that have played a part in my crap squash year?It's the only thing I can think of that was different from other years.?

[Hans Mum]

my BNS were pathetic, what i dont understand is i planted them at the same time as one of my fellow lottie holders, albeit at the other end of the site we are not talking miles!!!! put them out at the same time, and they've had dozens and i;ve had 3.......2 of which are no bigger than my fist and 1 i might just get to eat they were planted in well rotted poo, fed seaweed extract, mollycoddled and all for nowt.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Hi CBV, I'm just wondering if (in addition to lack of pollination - which is the top culprit for fruitlets falling off), you may have struggled because you were using seeds from a shop-bought BNS. Squashes and Pumpkins are notorious interbreeders, and the offspring rarely bare any resemblance to the parent plants, and being a 'commercial' fruit, it was probably an F1 variety, which you don't really want to save the seed from.

Next year I'd get myself some proper seed (something that will fare well in your climate), and follow all the other grapes advice on watering, manure and pollinating. Hopefully you'll have more success.

[Mac]

Hi CBV, I had exactly the same problem. This was my first year growing and got really excited when I saw the little ones starting. I tried the hand polination stuff, but to no avail. Don't think we ever got a long enough hot dry spell.

[Brengirl]

Every year I try butternut and other squashes but after watching them develope and hold fruit I have to pull them up because of the fluffy growth on the leaves. Is this mould and if so how do I prevent it please?

[Pumpkin Becki]

Every year I try butternut and other squashes but after watching them develope and hold fruit I have to pull them up because of the fluffy growth on the leaves. Is this mould and if so how do I prevent it please?

Do the leaves go sort of greyish too? If so, then it powdery mildew. Most Squashes and Pumpkins are prone to this but still manage to produce a crop, though it will weaken the plant too much eventually. If you don't want to spray, you'll need to take a few preventative measures, such as good ventilation (so plenty of space between plants, and open doors and vents if you are a greenhouse/polytunnel gardener), and try not to let water splash over the leaves when you are watering, as this can increase the effects. Failing that, you could try growing varieties that are more resistant to powdery mildew (seed catalogues will point this out in the description), but they will all succumb to it at the end of the season.

best of luck for next year.

[PAULW]

46 butternut squash from 10 plants and some of these were industrial sized, no faffing about grown in a block, rootball marked with canes, watered early on then left to it, if it gets really dry aim the hosepipe at the canes.