Butternut Squash Troubles

[Jeanied]

Haha...thats great news...will get to work!!! Have lots of seeds I bought this year so not too bothered about the seeds.

What exactly does it do to the seeds for next years veg??

The fruit the cross bred seeds produces is an unknown mixture of the parent plants and probably not too good to eat!

Do you know what, Grapes, why not just let nature take its course? I have wonderful images in my mind of farmers up and down the country running around their fields with flowers......
I bet they'll be fine in the end LOL

I do agree with you on this one - trouble is, when you only have one or two plants, each fruitlet becomes much more important! My solution this year was to plant too many - which are now merrily sprinting across my veg beds invading where they can! Fortunately the spuds are just about done and the sweetcorn is rising above the situtation!

[Irie Jan]

Hi Cat! I'm glad you put this thread on here My 2 Butternut plants are growing into giants and growing out of their bed, taking over into to the beds next to them each is already a good 6 -7 foot along from end to end and dont look ready to slow down yet! I too have a few baby squash forming on them that so far appear to be staying on, fingers crossed!! They were from seeds I saved from a squash that I bought from Tesco so I have no idea what breed of Butternut they are! Does anyone know,can I stop them by pinching out the growing tips? This is my first time trying them, I did not realise they would get quite so big Thanks in advance

[Jeanied]

I would stop your butternuts when they have set 3 or 4 fruit each, Irie Jan. If there are any more on the plant, they tend not to mature anyway.

[catkeeble]

So, do butternut squash not control themselves then? Is it worth pinching them out or will they just sort themselves out...

Still no sign on any males!!

Grr

[Jeanied]

Leave them be until you have fruit set, Catkeeble. You will have noticed that the flowers appear further down the stem each time. If none of the early ones have set, then you need to let it flower some more before you think about stopping the tips.

[Jimmy]

I tried them in my greenhouse.
They took up loads of room and only produced 1 or 2 fruits per plant.
Decided they were not worth the space plus when ready they are fairly cheap in the shops.

Jimmy

[womble]

Do you know what, Grapes, why not just let nature take its course? I have wonderful images in my mind of farmers up and down the country running around their fields with flowers......
I bet they'll be fine in the end LOL

I do agree with you on this one - trouble is, when you only have one or two plants, each fruitlet becomes much more important!

I agree too! with both of you.

The trouble is I tried it last year, trusting that nature will sort itself out, it didn't, had the worst year for squash since I've been growing them and the year before I didn't bother pollinating some of the females thinking there would be more and there never was.
I'm not taking any chances now if I had a field full like a farmer, it wouldn't worry me.

[Irie Jan]

I would stop your butternuts when they have set 3 or 4 fruit each, Irie Jan. If there are any more on the plant, they tend not to mature anyway.

Thanks Jeanied! The plants are monsters taking up way too much room in my garden! They are sprawling over into other plants teritory! It looks to me as though I might have about 2-3 small squash on each plant already. I will stop them later today when I do my rounds! I think they are side shooting as well not sure if so, I will knip them back as well. Hope it will not encourage them to bush out any more! Have a good day all!!

[catkeeble]

I seem to have loads of females that are rather chunky so far...about 10 on each plant (2 plants). I wonder, is this why the males arent coming? The plant is expending so much energy on producing so many females?! I wonder if all the females on each plant will produce decent squashes? Or will only a few be decent and the rest die out?

Thanks for everyones help on this...

On the plus side...I have a really big cucumber!! First time for that also! Really pleased (though, there is only one so far...a couple more baby ones on the way and that's it!) In fact, thinking about it...can I use the Cucumber males??

[claire70]

I have the opposite problem, loads of male flowers but no female ones. Maybe we should get together?! (apart from the 100 mile difference between us...)

[catkeeble]

Hey, the Men have arrived. Woohoo! All females are now appropriately sexed up!! The ladies are all looking decidedly perky

Claire70....Isn't it funny how these things work? I suppose shortly you will be inundated with females and all your males will have died?! This gardening lark is definately exciting, huh?