Butternut Squash Question

[Alice]

MAB you can save your seeds from the ones you buy in the supermarket and they should be fine. If you want to check them out for viability put a couple of seeds between two sheets of damp kitchen paper, put it in a small poly bag to keep it damp, and put it in a warm place. Check them regularly to see if they sprout - you should see a white , wiggly growth coming out. If they do this, then the seeds are good. You can check out any seeds this way.
And yes, your plans to grow squash beside a south facing wall sound good. They like it warm and sunny. Good luck with that for next year.

[Phreddy]

Birdy Wife: that was a good link, many thanks.

[mapcr77]

Hello, I'm a newbie gardener, and butternut squash is one of the things i'm trying to grow. My question is, how do you differentiate between male and female flowers?

I've only got two flowers so far, but when the time comes I want to be ready to cross-pollinate if necessary!

Thanks!

[Alice]

Hello Mapcr77, don't worry, the plant knows which flowers are male and female. You shouldn't have to interfere with them in any way - the plant will do the doings all by itself. But if you look at the flowers the female ones have little fruits right behing the flower. They may be there now. But if they've just started to flowerm maybe not. With squashes the male flowers tend to come first, then the female flowers appear. Good luck with them. I've just noticed my squash have plenty of baby fruits appearing.

[mapcr77]

Hello Alice, Thanks for the advice. I'm concerned about them not getting pollinated as I've kept them indoors Odd as it is, I've a huge pot in the kitchen near the window, as all the plants I put outside died. So I'm afraid lack of friendly bugs could decrease the chances of pollination.

Anyway, if the sunny weather sets in I might risk it and relocate the plant to the garden.... (fingers crossed)

[JennieAtkinson]

Alice - I've got a few fruit growing behind some of my female flowers. Does that mean I don't need to pollinate them with the male flower?

Its my first success at growing squash, last two years have been miserable failures. They are in the tunnel so I've been keeping an eye on whether I need to pollinate them.

[Phreddy]

If I had any females I would pollinate them by hand it cannot hurt.
I have only 3 squash and would welcome female flowers but all I get is males.
BTW: I found a wopper hiding in the vines!

Phreddy

[momol]

Hi Phreddy,

Sorry I am a bit late in responding your thread. I just found out about a very interesting small butternut squash species. It is Ponca butternut ( C moschata ). Infact, it is not just small (1 kg ) it is also a compact vine ( reaching max 1.5 to 2 meter )and as early as 82 days but it has all it's good taste of the normal butternut squash . I just set it on my previous thread " favorite winter squash ".Hope it help,

Momol

[BigstU]

Im still waiting for my butternut squash to flower, am putting it down to the rubbishy weather
My banana squash have been flowering a plenty but so far can only get 1 fruit to set, hoping my odds are increasing now with the warmer weather, my spaghetti squash are fruiting fine as if its yet another perfect year for them...lol

[momol]

Hi Bigstu,

I notice that minimum fruit are set if the bees are no where to be seen, perhaps it will help if you hand pollinating them. It is not a 100% guarantee that you will have the fruit set ( fruit won't set if the night temperature is higher that it's optimum needed, but I forget the exact number ).For future planting, do consider about getting those early maturing type ( which I am trying to find out too ). If you have the early maturing type planted at early of spring, their fruits should be at the maturing stage by now.I mean it, I have grown 3 types, Red kuri, Yokohama & Pomme d'or. Red kuri is the winner, it set fruit early and heavy ( around 4 or 5 fruit per vine ), mine will be ready to harvest in 2 or 3 weeks time ( I will let the vine die by it self before harvesting ). Pomme d'or produce tiny single serving fruit, size 6 to 8cm across, it seems to be early too ( but I planted them 1 month later than the red kuri ), they are pretty productive too, around 6 fruit per vine. As Yokohama, no sign of real productions yet.

Cheers,
Momol