Rubbish butternut squash plants

[w33blegurl]

Am growing butternut squash hunter for the second year in a row. This is its last chance as they were really rubbish last year. I thought at the time it might just have been the weather as some other things didnt do so well that had romped away the previous year. So....I have 4 plants growing sown in March (I think) as well as a load of courgettes and pumpkins sown some time later. Courgettes and pumpkins are going great guns with lovely thick stems but the butternuts are all spindly and rubbish looking. Is it just this variety? Am I cursed to never be able to grow a decent butternut squash?
Two years ago I'd bought plants from the garden centre - different variety -but they grew great and looked nothing like this.

Please help!!!!!

[ginger ninger]

O dear you do sound feed up!... where about's have you had your seedling's, do they get plenty of natural light/sun? Are they too warm/cold?
Some time's if you sow them too early they never seem to grow very well unless you have heated green house's and perfect conditions like nursery's have.
Try popping a couple more seeds in new damp compost, put them in on a windowsill that get's plenty of light and see what happen's, when they germinate they'll soon catch up...I find that these kind of seeds just want to grow for you. Good Luck I hope this help's.

[vicky]

Mine sound like yours! They sit in the greenhouse next to lovely healthy squash, cucumber and tomato seedlings looking pathetic!
I did pop some more seeds in last week but those haven't appeared yet.
S'pose we just have to cross our fingers that this rubbish weather warms up....

[Florence Fennel]

Yep, sow again and keep your fingers crossed, or I noticed at the weekend that Wilkos have some very healthy butternut squash plants for sale.

[chriscross1966]

Hunter is pretty thin stemmed.... at least my ones were last year, but then all the cucurbita moschata's are to a certain extent, it's only some of the pepo's and the maxima's that get really thick stemmed usually. Also March is way way too early to be sowing them in a year like we're having this time round.... I haven't sown my squash yet , later this week probably.... They don't like being potbound, they don't like being repotted and they hate cold with a passion.... last year mine stopped growing for four to six weeks after I planted them out..... just cos it was a bit colder and they didn't like being moved.... they'd been hardened off properly....

chrisc

[cazp]

As an experiment I decided to sow 4 seeds from a Morrisons supermarket squash in to small peat pots in a propagator, and three were up in a about a week... I am repotting them at the moment as they have outgrown their pots. What they will turn out like eventually is anyones guess and I have never grown squash before.. but a few years ago I gave some squash seeds from another supermarket bought squash to a friend, and the plants went mad on his allotment, which is what gave me the idea to try it myself.

I am going to pop one in a gro bag at the end of the month and see what happens... nothing to loose, except a grobag I guess.... !!

[Sanjo]

I sowed a few Hunter seeds from a free packet and two survived, one doesn't look particularly healthy. Like Capz I am experimenting.
I was roasting butternut squash at my daughter's house a few weeks ago and as I scooped out all the seeds I wrapped them in some kitchen roll and popped them in my bag to bring home.
My grandson who happend to catch sight of me doing it obviously thought I had lost my marbles even when I explained what I wanted to do. "Why not buy a packet of seeds nan?"
Anyway, came home, didn't dry them or anything, just stuck the seeds in a little bit of compost in a plastic bag, popped them in the propogator that was on with something else in it and blow me if they weren't virtually all chitted within days. Ended up with loads of them! I have potted up about 10 of them.
Goodness knows where i shall put them but I am determined to try. I am going to "borrow" some space on my daughter's compost heap which she thinks is seriously weird! She being posh and growing hers in her very large space.
I have already grown Cobnut for our daughter who had great success with pumpkins last year and they are currently hardening off.
It will be interesting to see if my freebies compare with the £3.99 packet

[womble]

It will be interesting to see if my freebies compare with the £3.99 packet

It will be.

I think it worth pollinating at least one (and then marking it) flower as if you mean to save the seed, then if it does come good, you can save some seed.
I think realseeds have details online if you need to know how.

[Nik]

I am also growing some plants from seeds I scooped out of a butternut squash bought from the supermarket - they're coming up nicely in pots. I've kept most of the seeds. I'm going to plant out three plants and see what happens, and if they produce anything half way edible I'll use the rest of the seeds next year.

[Jimmy]

I grew them in the greenhouse for a few years, but only ever got one off each plant.
Not worth the effort. So abandoned them this year.
Also they get quite cheap in the supermarkets, eventually.
Jimmy

[Noodles]

I've never bought butternut seeds, I'm on my second year of growing them from seeds I scraped out of a squash I bought from Waitrose. I planted late last year as I didn't get my allotment until after Easter but still managed a crop of about a dozen decent sized squash from 6 plants. The seeds have been planted again and are going great guns in the conservatory so I'm hoping for more this year

[w33blegurl]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll try sowing again and see how it goes. The reason I sowed in March, cold or not, was I was told they need a long growing season so should do it earlier rather than later!
Will be interesting to hear how the supermarket butternut saved seeds get on! might try it next year instead of buying another packet as the hunter seeds are nearly all gone!!

[Sanjo]

It will be.

I think it worth pollinating at least one (and then marking it) flower as if you mean to save the seed, then if it does come good, you can save some seed.
I think realseeds have details online if you need to know how.

I might give that a go Womble, if it worked I'd feel like a REAL gardener!!
I sowed sweetheart melon this year and last. Last year they died, this year they are about 3" tall and very sorry looking specimens. HOWEVER, again as an experiment, the saved seed from last year's Emir pretty well all germinated so now have to find room for them as I hate throwing them out.

[kentvegplot]

I have only just put my seeds in - and because of the weather, they are in a heated prop. (don't normally need this). If they are warm enough, they will romp away.

Yes, they do need a long season - but in my case, that meant not harvesting until late September and early October. By the way, I still have one in store from last year,will probably make some warming soup with it this week

[Elise]

Hi all
Butternut Squash. **sigh** I fear, may have given up on life on this earth!!

It started well, to be fair. It has grown since I planted it out. I have covered it in the frost and watered it when it's dry. Naturally there's no squash yet - it is just a plant - but it is slowly turning yellow! Well. It was slow when it started and now it's yellow all over! I picked up another seedling to let me compare and now the yellow appears *very* vivid.

I don't want to feed it yet as there's no squash there. I think the frost may have gotten to it. The raspberries and corn are flourishing and they're only feet away. The mange tout have started to turn yellow - the colour creeping from the bottom up. Again, they were doing very well.

Any one any ideas? Or do I just have to take this one on the chin and start again?

p.s. One of mine is from seed from dinner (the slugs made light work of the other three) and two are nursery bought. I'll let you know how it goes.