Butternuts

[Pies]

Hi all,I have a couple of BNS growing quite nicely.They both have quite a few fruits on them all about 2-3" long.My question is do i let them all grow or do i nip some of and limit the plant to just a few

[SarzWix]

Whereabouts are you Pies? Depends on how long your season is I guess. The most I've allowed one plant to grow is 2, but they didn't set fruit til late and we have a shorter season here than you would get further South...

[Pies]

Im in the south,does limiting each plant to 4 or 5 sound about right,id rather get some decent ones than lots of bits, there are currently about 15 fruits at the moment

[Alice]

I've grown BNS in the west of Scotland - sunny, south facing slope. I got 3 to 4 decent squash per plant. After the plants had set 4 fruits I stopped the runners . That seemed to work well enough. You're a good bit further south. Maybe you could let the plants do more.

If you go into Personal Profile you can enter your location and it will show in your posts.

[Droppey]

Oh I didn't realise that you have to take some of the flowers of a butternut squash plant. Do I nip them off just below the flower?

Gawd this gardening malarky is an absolute mind field eeeek

[bluemoon]

Yes, Droppey, just nip them off. You might like to let a few grow for a week or two and then select the best, allowing them to space out along the plant if you can. The reason for this is because occasionally you get one which hasn't been pollinated and it drops off... depressing when you've just culled all its neighbours! Try to space them along the plant so that there are plenty of surrounding leaves to feed each fruit. You're in a similar area to me and I leave 3 - 4 on each plant, but a lot depends upon the variety too, I tend to grow 'Harrier'.

[sgrech]

I've grown BNS in the west of Scotland - sunny, south facing slope. I got 3 to 4 decent squash per plant. After the plants had set 4 fruits I stopped the runners . That seemed to work well enough. You're a good bit further south. Maybe you could let the plants do more.

If you go into Personal Profile you can enter your location and it will show in your posts.

Hi I am new to growing butternut squash, in fact I am a virgin with regards to growing any vegtables!

I have just returned from a week on holiday and found there are quite a number of fruits on the two plants I am growing, most are about 2" in lenght. So I am going to wait another week or so to see which fruit develop best before removing the others.

I have given the plants any feed as yet, so persumably i should begin now? I was planning to use my tomato feed?

I have also noted that some of the leaves have begun to exhibit a tinge of yellow, is this becuase of the lack of feed or some other issue?

Finally once I have choosen my "special" fruit to continue there life how do I stop the runneras?

Thanks in advance.
Simon

[BarleySugar]

Mine haven't even flowered yet, let alone set fruit

[GrubbyGirl]

Mine haven't even flowered yet, let alone set fruit

Must be a Kent thing, mine haven't either. They are good and health and for ages have had what looks like they could bust open as flowers but they never have, they are still green and have been there ofr about 3 weeks now, in the meantime it's growing quickly. I wish I could encourage it to flower

[Pies]

Must be a Kent thing, mine haven't either.

Mine have

[GrubbyGirl]

Mine have

You do realise there is an old Kent proverb which says "In Kent, (s)he who has squash, must share with those that don't"

Better start praying we get flowers soon!!

[Droppey]

Mine haven't even flowered yet, let alone set fruit

And there I thought it was just me. Well almost I have one iddy biddy fruit on one of the 2 that I have but there are loads of flowers on both plants.

*watches and waits to see if anything else happens*

[sgrech]

don't think it is a Kent thing, as I am in South Essex so climate is pretty much the same. I am growing 2 plants in a large container.

Anyway is someone able to answer the questions raised in my previous email?

Thanks
Simon

[w33blegurl]

Also in Kent...and also flower and fruit-less They are in the same bed as the sweetcornm which sems quite happy. Mind you, nothing seems to be doing quite as well this year as it did last year!!

[gorgeousgrower]

As a Kentish lass I feel compelled to add to this thread. My 3 plants have all started to set fruit! Not heard of that old country saying though Grubbygirl!