Migrating squash... help!

[JohnMac]

Think I've got a new variety of butternut squash. Every year I plant in a certain place, wait patiently, and then if I'm lucky find them growing elsewhere on the plot. Sometimes they migrate so far I never find them at all. No doubt a lucky neighbour wonders where all the butternut squash suddenly sprouting has come from. Doesn't matter if I put tags in or not, the result is always the same. My apprentice (wife Linda) thinks it's just a case of me losing my marbles.

Maybe I should tether each little seed to a stick when I plant. Any other suggestions for solutions gladly welcome!

Thanks, John

[di]

Could be you're going mad, or it could be that seeds are germinating in your compost.

[donnakebab]

Do you sew them direct into soil then? Could be squirrels or mice moving them about I suppose.

I sew them in pots indoors beginning to mid April so that you have good strong specimens to plant out after the threat of frosts. They germinate really quickly and grow like mad so just keep potting them up into bigger pots. Then if they relocate it will be somebody stealing them. Squash need a long growing season for the fruit to reach a good size and 'ripen' so this method gives them a head start.

[Florence Fennel]

Good suggestion from DK. I use that method too, although not because I can't find them!

[zazen999]

I think it's that yours don't germinate and other seeds pop up from old compost.

[Sarico]

john i think that sow them straight in the ground is not a good idea... i do like donnakebab suggest.. is better because you start in advance and they will grow better....

[sowitgrowit]

I'm going to attempt spaghetti squash this year and all the advice I have seen has recommended sowing indoors and potting on gradually, rather than directly into their final position. I will be attempting to grow them in containers, though I don't mind them trailing out.

It'll be a bit touch-and-go I imagine as to whether I can get a decent yield but hopefully with a plentiful supply of water (the pots will have a reservoir and wicking system to ensure the compost is moist) and feeding I can get something out of them. I may need bigger containers though to start with!

[Frana]

I heard that squash do not like root disturbance at all so I am following my tried and tested method from last year of sowing my pumpkins and butternuts into peat pots for direct planting out when ready.

I had good success and this year I am trying a butternut called 'Violina' so called because of it's shape.

I also always sink a plastic bottle in the ground upside down with the bottom cut off and neck right next to the roots to ensure adequate water supply.

I also use a home made liquid manure feed sparingly. All of this seems to have done the trick.

As I do like my squash and pumpkin, I am also trying 'Burgess Buttercup' for the first time this year, by all accounts this is a lovely variety.

[di]

I grew Burgess Buttercup last year, it really is good.

How big are your peat pots? I like to wait til mine are a decent size before planting out and can't imagine them in a peat pot.

[Two_Sheds]

I heard that squash do not like root disturbance at all

Oh.

I always sow in pots and transplant, and they do just lovely

[ladylottie]

Yes, I always sow in pots first then transplant, I haven't had a problem.

[Frana]

They are about three inch I think and have always done the job well - a bit messy when watering just prior to planting out but mess is manageable in a seed tray.

I have in the past - made a few large newspaper pots for the same purpose which has gone well.

I am now looking forward to the Burgess Buttercup even more Di!

[di]

If that's what works for you, great. but you save an awful lot of money by just growing them in plastic pots that you can use again and again. x

[Florence Fennel]

I can't get on with peat pots, they seem to dry out too quickly. I too use plastic pots, or make newspaper ones.

[donnakebab]

By the time I plant mine out they are usually in a 5 or 6inch pot and I haven't had any trouble transplanting them so far.