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Butternut Squash growing like a Triffid
I have a south-facing raised area at the bottom of the garden where I dumped
the soil dug out of a massive pond. Until now I have used it to grow nettles and Buddleja for the butterflies. It also hides the compost heaps. I planted a couple of butternut squash plants there in May that I had raised in the greenhouse. I'd never grown them before, so didn't know what to expect. After a couple of weeks they looked really sick and I decided to write them off. In July something suddenly appeared growing half-way up a Harlequin Buddleja. It was one of the squash plants gone mad! It spread across an area about 10ft square, climbed the fence and up into the buddleja. Now it has seventeen squashes in various stages of growth with three full size and just beginning to ripen. Is this typical, or is it a fluke result of the fantastic summer we've had? |
Butternut Squash growing like a Triffid
In article ,
Peter Goddard wrote: I have a south-facing raised area at the bottom of the garden where I dumped the soil dug out of a massive pond. Until now I have used it to grow nettles and Buddleja for the butterflies. It also hides the compost heaps. I planted a couple of butternut squash plants there in May that I had raised in the greenhouse. I'd never grown them before, so didn't know what to expect. After a couple of weeks they looked really sick and I decided to write them off. In July something suddenly appeared growing half-way up a Harlequin Buddleja. It was one of the squash plants gone mad! It spread across an area about 10ft square, climbed the fence and up into the buddleja. Now it has seventeen squashes in various stages of growth with three full size and just beginning to ripen. Is this typical, or is it a fluke result of the fantastic summer we've had? The latter. The growth is a typical response to warm weather (always provided that the plant has established its root system by then), but the problem is we normally get only a couple of weeks of it, spread erratically over the 2 months of our 'summer'. That isn't enough to get warmth-loving cucurbits to do more than grow, so they usually set fruit badly and ripen it very poorly or not at all. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Butternut Squash growing like a Triffid
On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 07:51:27 +0100, "Peter Goddard"
wrote: ~I have a south-facing raised area at the bottom of the garden where I dumped ~the soil dug out of a massive pond. Until now I have used it to grow nettles ~and Buddleja for the butterflies. It also hides the compost heaps. ~I planted a couple of butternut squash plants there in May that I had raised ~in the greenhouse. I'd never grown them before, so didn't know what to ~expect. ~ ~After a couple of weeks they looked really sick and I decided to write them ~off. ~ ~In July something suddenly appeared growing half-way up a Harlequin ~Buddleja. It was one of the squash plants gone mad! It spread across an area ~about 10ft square, climbed the fence and up into the buddleja. Now it has ~seventeen squashes in various stages of growth with three full size and just ~beginning to ripen. ~Is this typical, or is it a fluke result of the fantastic summer we've had? ~ ~ I think it's typical for butternuts in a hot situation. I've grown them for the first time this year, and it's been a hoot. The first one that germinated shot off like a rocket, and was about 2' high by mid-May. Didn't put it out for fear of frost so popped it in a 12" pot instead. Two weeks later it was too big to move out of the north-facing conservatory I use as a greenhouse. I trained it up the walls like I do cucumbers, and I soon had my first mature squash, despite having had no male flowers! It still covers 2.5 sq yds of window and is currently on its fifth squash, not as impressive as yours but considering its pot size compared with the root run yours must have, and a visit from red spider mites, it's not doing too badly! Another one is outside growing through the sweetcorn, and has grown just one fruit. This germinated somewhat later - I think this is the key. Early sowings get more light and therefore grow faster and larger. I suspect you'd be best to cull the smallest fruits so more can ripen, now the temperatures are dropping. -- jane Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist but you have ceased to live. Mark Twain Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks! |
Butternut Squash growing like a Triffid
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Butternut Squash growing like a Triffid
"Steve Harris" wrote in message
... In article , (Peter Goddard) wrote: It spread across an area about 10ft square, climbed the fence Any clues on how to get cucurbits growing in the "right" direction? Mine have grown towards the sun which naturally is away from the wall I'd like them to grow up. Thanks! Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com I haven't tried this myself but apparently they will grow away from the first true leaf. so plant your seed in a pot, wait for the first real leaf ( not the seed leaves ) and point that away from where you want it to grow. I heard this in an interview with a specialist who grew them for competitions so I guess he knew what he was talking about. Martin |
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