Butternut Squash

[di]

Think the same jeanie. Indeed divine.

[donnakebab]

I haven't had a lot of success with butternut squash so am trying Uchiki kuri this year. Wanted to try Crown prince but couldn't get the seeds locally and didn't want to pay for postage of one packet from elsewhere.

[di]

I really like Crown prince but haven't been able to get them to germinate two years on the trot...admittedly the same batch of seeds, maybe the year to buy some new in.

[Two_Sheds]

The last time I had a good harvest of butternuts was in 2005 (the last warm dry summer I remember). They need a longer warmer season than other squashes.

My advice, grow some other squash types. Butternuts are notoriously hard to crack whereas a nice sweet squash would grow better and probably mean you can omit the sweet potato in the first place.

I totally agree with that. Gold(en) Nugget is a bush type, prolific and early ripening

I think I have read somewhere that they dont transplant well. So try seed straight in the ground.

Squashes do very well from transplants If you sow direct into the soil, you risk poor germination and slug attack, plus you can't sow them until May.
If you start them off at home, you can get them growing in April, so they're already quite big when the soil's warm enough for them to go out in late May.

[realfood]

Realfood here! Forget butternuts this far North, even with cloche protection they are slow and difficult and require a longer growing season. But you should have success with Winter squash as given above on the link, if you follow the advice given. Onion squash, Bonbon, Crown prince are the best, and are better than sweet dumpling which are a bit slow in comparison. Do not sow the seed directly in the ground as the growing season is too short. Sow in pots and plant out under cover in late May or June. Forget about sweet potato. Have tried in a greenhouse and it is not worth the effort this far North.

[susiewoosie]

Darn and I've just bought Waltham butternut squash seeds.

[bethduckie]

Plant them... you may as well try. If they don't grow, you'll know better next time won't you?

I grew Hunter last year, mainly because I had some free seeds left. They grew OK, not many per plant though and they needed a lot of space.

Trying some different butternuts as well this year (Harrier and Hawk, as well as Hunter) as well as Black Futsu, Buttercup and Vegetable Spaghetti. And oregon sugar pumpkin.

I'm not entirely sure *where* I'm going t be planting all these, mind... wherever I can 'squash' one in I guess.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Will be sowing a Gladys the BNS mark II. If a farmer in worcestershire can get them in his field, and 'lotment neighbour can have them on our site, I can only try. Perhaps not
Six foot tall and leafy this time.

[Currysniffa]

I haven't had a lot of success with butternut squash so am trying Uchiki kuri this year. Wanted to try Crown prince but couldn't get the seeds locally and didn't want to pay for postage of one packet from elsewhere.

Try D.T. Brown's its free P&P on seeds