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How many fruits should I leave on each pumpkin and squash plant? The pumpkins are 'Potti Marron' and the squash is butternut 'Hawk'. I don't want them at huge, prizewinning sizes, just a sensible size for family meals. This is my first attempt at either - well, unless you count the ones that were drowned in last summer's floods - and they seem to suddenly be producing lots of flowers on a very small part of the stems.
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Into each life some rain must fall........but this is getting ridiculous.
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I grow potimaron here in France and I usually allow 2 or 3 per vine. They grow to about the size of a small child's football and make a cracking pumpkin and sweetcorn soup.
I can't help at all with the butternut squash 'cause I've never grown it.
The pumpkin will keep in a cool dark place for at least 9 months and last year I was using the last one from the year before and harvesting the first of that year's. All I do is wash them and wipe over with a weak bleach solution and dry them before storing.A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)
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My butternuts (also in France) have loads of fruits on them (at least 6 per plant) - I'll count this weekend & report back. Butternut will also keep for ages if kept in the right conditions.Good food ends with good talk - G.Neighor 1993Comment
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Butternuts really like hotter weather than we get in the UK. And you're in Yorkshire
Even though Hawk's been bred for cooler climates, I would limit your plants to 2 or maybe 3 fruits each.
Wait till they start getting bigger, then nip off the smaller ones.All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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My butternut last year (Harrier, I think) managed to produce one fruit about the size of a tennis-ball This year's (Waltham) is looking a bit healthier, but I'll still be stopping it after 3, I think. And the plant is covered in fleece most of the time (I'm pollinating by hand!)
The pumpkin (my son's), on the other hand, is going great guns, and I'm going to have to seriously prune it as it's branching all over the place, has set 3 fruits already, and another 4 or 5 are about to open flowers
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