Butternut squash type?

[smallblueplanet]

Thinking about getting some butternut squash seeds - Avalon F1 - but what do folk think? LJ you were praising them at one stage but then I saw a thread where you were saying you'd not got many fruits....?

[Alice]

I grew butternut sprinter last year SBP and got 4 per plant I think that was good. I'm going to grow the same again this year. If you haven't seen them before , here's some of them.

[Lesley Jay]

SBP when I first grew Avalon I got great results. The variety has been produced to perform well in our country. You get a large chunky butternut squash without the thin neck and the flavour is great. I didn't grow them last year but in 2005 the weather where we live was dreadful and I got very poor results. However, some of the other squashes that year were poor. I would give them a try.

[smallblueplanet]

OK LJ will do! T&M sell Avalon and they have sent a free £5 voucher to use on their seed catalogue - so thats just what I'll do!!!

Alice - interesting piccy, I thought they might look more 'pear-shaped'?

[Alice]

No SBP, as L J described for the Avalon they didn't have the long thin nicks They came our either more or less round or cylindrical, whichever way, they were lovely.

[Peter]

2006 was a dreadful year for Butternuts, I got about four from ten plants.
Crown Prince however was reliable as ever and I got a good number of them at good average weight.

[smallblueplanet]

Peter what was it about the weather that made it bad for butternuts?

[Peter]

Peter what was it about the weather that made it bad for butternuts?

Not sure really, the butternuts just did not make a go of it.
On another forum we had a thread on this and concensus was that butternuts were not doing well in '06.

The Crown Prince I normally grow made a decent fist of it.

Take a look at this page http://podsplot.blogspot.com/2006/09/rescue-job.html on my blog for a good picture.


My squash plot this year was 20' x 30', I planted about twenty five plants.
The butternut were a disaster, only got about six fruits.
Total harvested fruits fifty. Rest were Crown Prince and Vegetable Spagetti.

[25cowlane]

We grew Cobnuts and got a great harvest from them, in fact we still have around 8 or 9 in storage

[supersprout]

Am growing Barbara Butternut F1 from T&M this year - no results to report until the end of the year, but my guess is that the 'ultimate butternut' question will run and run!

[Sunbeam]

I saved the seeds from two squashes I ate earlier this year - I am going to plant them later in the year as per my wall chart (what a fab suprise, thanks for this it is pinned on my notice board!) but do I grow them inside or out?

[smallblueplanet]

Ah, in the end I decided against butternut this year and went for these 'Squash 'Hubbard Blue Ballet' ' for 49p in DTBrown's seed sale.

DTBrown seeds

[supersprout]

Just acquired Avalon from a swap on your recommendation Lesley, thank you, will try it this year.
Favourite squash of all? Has to be Buttercup - smooth, dense, sweet, tasty bright orange flesh, handsome dark green skin, not too big, stores well, ideal for climbing frames

[Poledragon]

Best squash I grew last year were Pink Banana. I got a few decent sized ones from the home garden, but the single plant I stuff in the corner of the lottie gave me two massive squash, each one over two foot long, and one has an 30" girth. I haven't weighed it yet as I'm in no physical condition to pick the bugger up. The small from from the garden was 8lbs.

I also got a few turks turban, a red warty thing, aobut 8 chunky butternuts and a couple Uchiri-wotsits (?). Oh and the Delicata kind of took over the Bramley apple tree. Got lots of those, but found I'm not that keen on the flavour - they're a bit bland and dry.