On 24 Mar 2005 19:59:31 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

In article ,
vsop wrote:
I've been given some seeds but no info on how to propagate the
plants......nor can I find any data in the local library.
Can anyone offer help and advice on rearing please ?

They are just another cucurbit - treat them like marrows :-)

Nick McLaren commenting on squash culture? Yigodz!

Sow them indoors, possibly germinating them on damp kitchen roll
in a small pot covered with cling film. Sterilise everything
with dilute bleach, including the seeds and use that to dampen
the paper. Seriously. It isn't critical, but I find it helps
to avoid rot.

Last year I used Jiffy peat pellets with excellent results.

Grow them in pots until the weather has seriously warmed up, and
then plant them out. They like good drainage, ample water, warmth,
sun and (which growing) feeding. You could get anything from no
to six fruits per plant.

Somewhere I've read that squash are often set back by watering because
the water is usually cold. The solution is obvious: fill a watering
can and let it sit in the sun all day, then water in the late
afternoon.

I have never succeeded with them, because they need that little
bit more sun than squashes and pumpkins. I don't mind, because
I don't like them :-)

Aha! The truth is out! I have visions of masked men kidnapping Nick
and forcefeeding him on pumpkin pie, butternut squash soup, etc.
Quelle horreur!


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, BC, Canada
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