This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Butternut Squash
mickcarruk
Posts: 10
in Fruit & veg
Only my second year growing veg and first year growing butternut squash. Ive a few plants started from seed which I transplated about 4 weeks ago into final growing position but they havent done a great deal of growing. Still only about 6-8 inch high, does this sound about right or should more be happening? Courgettes are flowering, was expecting them to grow at same pace.
0
Posts
Hi mickcarruk, have your butternut squash plants put on some growth in the last 10 days?? I find that butternut varieties are always much slower to get going than my other squashes..
Your plants should be sending out a main lateral growing stem by now and have some clear flower buds forming, even if these are male flowers. Especially given the warm weather the UK has been experiencing recently.
Stuart
P.S. There are not many plants that can compete with the rapid growth and early fruit production of a happy courgette!
I put mine outside 3 weeks ago and they have just started to grow this week. I think they are just slow to get started.
I put mine out a few weeks ago and they didn't grow at all for a week or so, but in the last 7-10 days they've put on about 18" and there are flowers and little squashlets
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I planted 4 bush courgette plants out just before the recent hot spell. They have got away well and have lots of sterile flowers. Is it best to leave these flowers or pinch them off? No sign of embryo fruit yet. I am waiting in anticipation.
I also planted out 2 melon plants in a cold frame. Slow to move initially but starting to move now, a first for me but looking forward to at least one melon. Same question for melons, should the sterile flowers be removed?
I don't know re. your melon, but leave the male flowers on the courgette.
The female flowers with the little courgettes behind will start to show soon and the male flowers are already there to pollinate them.
Mine started off only producing female flowers and no male flowers. The courgettes started to form but then shriveled and dropped off. As soon as the male flowers appeared the courgettes are forming properly and looks like I'm going to be looking for '1000 recipes for courgettes'!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Thank you.
I have just been to check and the first fruit have begun forming so courgette cake, pie, salad etc. etc. I was amazed last year when a friend said she had never thought of eating them raw. Warm and freshly picked to chew on when working in the garden. What better?
There are no flowers on the melons yet. I know they are not the easiest of fruit to grow as so much depends on the weather but down here in balmy Cornwall I might get one or two. Must go and check the raspberries before the birds wriggle into the fruit cage, looks like a reasonable picking of blueberries as well. Yum.
I picked my first courgette yesterday.
Hi all
Well that time has arrived when you get at least twenty a week from the courgette plants, which are doing very well with the help of my comfrey feeding.
Also butternut and gourds growing also which are doing well
Happy gardening
Thanks for all the replies, not had chance to get out much lately but just checked them and theyre coming on nicely now. How many squashes can I expect per plant?
Alot going on in my raised bed, keep meaning to buy a trellis to grow them vertically, anyone had much success with that?
Last edited: 26 June 2017 16:16:28