Butternut Squash

[luciemule]

hi - have planted 7 BNS seeds from a squash I had eaten. I put 4 seeds in one big tub and 3 in another. Nothing happened so about 6 weeks ago, I put them on the window bench in the shed, watered and forgot about them.

Last week, went in and they are all extremely healthy plants of about 6-8 inches high but I'm now not sure whether to spearate them into their own pots or leave in the big tubs.
What should I do? I know they are very invasive and will wrap their tendrills around anything they can but was wondering how much room they need each.
I'll move them outside this week to or they won't be pollinated so my MIL says.

Squashes need as much room and sustenance as you can give them. If you can't plant them in the ground, use the biggest pot you can find (or a grobag)and feed with tomato fertilizer. They do need pollination but that won't happen until they flower.

Oh.
Right - need to find 7 large pots then! Don't think I'll put them in the ground - my SIL did that and they grew into the grass and everywhere! It was like 'day of the triphids'!
Perhaps I'll get some more grow bags - do you reckon I could put 2 in each bag?

Lol at "triffids". You'll be ok with 2 in a bag - they'll be less fuss in the ground though - you can always hack off a limb (or 5)if they get too frisky - that's what I do with mine. In fact, if you want giant squashes/marrows etc you would remove all the shoots bar one.

ooh - sounds interesting but I don't get the 'all shoots all bar one bit'.
Can you tell I still have novice green fingers?!
So when they're growing in the ground, I just lop off the stems apart from one? I can't picture it. Ah....is that so all the goodness goes to the fruit rather than the other shoots etc?

Just need to find some soil as DH has now turfed everything !

Yes - they'll be a main stem and lots of other stems will come off this.Just wait to see where the fruits form. Obviously you get less squashes but the ones you will get are bigger. Don't worry about it to much, mine get regularly "pruned" by the lawnmower and come to no harm.

will try and find some soil then!

You may well find that they don't produce true butternut squashes as curcubits (that family of plants) are notoriously promiscuous. So you may end up with some sort of courgette-squash hybrids or whatever!

That doesn't sound good. Oh well - just trying out growing my own veg for the first year. Have only done cherry toms up until now so will see what happens. My potatoes are looking fab though.

Well done Lucie, my potatoes have blardy blight!

how do i know what blight looks like?

Here and then all the plants fall over. Ho hum.

oh no porridge. is it not very early for blight?

good luck with the squash op

blimey. that's early for blight

oh no! Mine are okay so far but maybe cause they're in big bins, rather than in the ground?

Not here taffeta, we've had blight warnings. I get them by text dontcha know. . I think it's the warm, wet weather atm.

@ txt blight warnings

I'm baffled this is my map without a blemish

Cat, I get mine from Blightwatch. This reads temperature and humidity at postcode level then sends you a warning if conditions are right for blight.

Is it WAY too late to start growing squashes or pumpkins?

This is utterly fascinating- Luciemule- these seeds were just from a normal squash that you'd eaten?

am tempted, but for the lack of garden space for tendrils...

Do they need loads of water?

yeah loads of water and plenty of'food' compost etc. I love eating them but growing them!!!?

thank you!

Just read this thread with interest. I am a first time veg grower and someone gave me a butternut, which I have put in way up the garden in a big bare patch (well, bare apart from weeds). It is currently heading for the lawn and not looking too out of control, but should I turn it around and make it head in the direction of, for example, the fence? I vaguely remember someone saying that they are good heading along fences...?