Chicken picking at feet

[emmamakeup]

I started growing butternut squash (used the seeds from a butternut squash in the kitchen). They grew great then shortly after planting outside they started to wilt. One is currently surviving. I've sprinkled some organic slug pellets round the area to keep slugs at bay but am not sure if it's anything else. The soil is always very moist so they don't look to be under hydrated. Could it be they are too hydrated?

 

Any tips on this veg?

[chickencam]

It may be that they got too cold. they shouldn't really go outside until June or the weather forecast is warm enough, no cold nights. they also do rot off quite easily it is always worth having a couple of spare plants.

[emmamakeup]

Thank you for your reply. Yeah i guess it's a learning curve with me this year. Never grown squash. I have one that I'm protecting with all my might and it's in a sheltered position. I also have a surviving one at the front which seems to be holding together - it's sheltered there too so cross fingers.

[chickencam]

They are great to grow and once they start there is no stopping them.

 

They like the same liquid feed as tomatoes and it is an idea to stop some of the shoots that they throw out before they get too long in order to encourage the fruits to set. They won't start to grow long shoots until they really get going.

[Milly]

I'm growing them for the first time too - how big do they grow? None of the seed packets say how big plants get, just how far apart you should plant them. It would help me to decide where to plant them out.

 

I have also found a couple growing in the raised bed already, they must have been in my compost

 

Milly

[Valkyrie]

If you have plastic squash/water or fizzy bottles to hand, cut off the bottoms and use them as mini cloches - should put off the slugs and snails too. Little monsters sneaked in my greenhouse and started munching my largest seedling - found 'em and they are no more - for the time being. Sadly some of my dwarf French beans outside have been cut through the stem by slugs.

The mini cloche should give it an extra boost while the squashes acclimatise to being outside - and hot when it is sunny (which they love), remove when they are established.

[Tara.F]

I'm growing them for the first time too - how big do they grow? None of the seed packets say how big plants get, just how far apart you should plant them. It would help me to decide where to plant them out.

 

I have also found a couple growing in the raised bed already, they must have been in my compost

 

Milly

 

well, they are quite variable but usually pretty large sprawling plants.

If I am growing just in the ground I give them about eight feet (pumpkins) or four feet (courgettes)

However, if you are growing on manure, on your compost heap or in a well nourished raised bed you can get away with much closer spacings.

they do tend to tangle up together and if you are growing a winter squash it's best to limit the fruit per plant to about three. This is very hard to do if they are all in a tangled mess.

 

ones with smallish fruits like butternuts for instance can grow up trellises to save space...also helps lessen slug attack!

 

And they really don't like to be planted near potatoes

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I planted 6 butternut squash seeds today so all this advice is very useful - thank you .

[Milly]

I gave one of my spare butternut squash plants to a colleague. He said he only wanted one, as he has tried growing them before and has only managed to grow one squash. Ever.

 

Which is a bit disappointing! Have any of you had a crop? The seeds I bought said they were suited to growing in the UK, so maybe I will have more luck than he has had.

 

Milly

[Matthew]

last year I grew

 

hundredweight.. restricted to one fruit and got a 35lb

 

Two butternut squash and cropped about a dozen

 

Two harlequin and cropped about 20

 

One crown prince.. 2

 

Couple of turks turban... 1

[chickencam]

We didn't have such a good year last year but the year before we had loads and I have great hopes for this year

[Milly]

Thanks - I have had my hope restored! Just need to find somewhere to plant them out now, I seem to have filled up most of my space already.

 

I was thinking, if my colleague grew them from seed that came in a squash he had bought and eaten, they may have been a variety more suited growing abroad.

 

Milly

[redhotchick]

I've tried to grow Butternut Squash for the last few years but the plants have struggled and (to be fair) I haven't really nurtured them. Last year I got the start of a fruit, but it wasn't to be. I have just put 2 very young but healthy looking plants out. They are not protected but they are in lovely rich soil, in a good sunny spot. It's nearly June, so fairly mild....

Feel free to remind me to check on them!!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

How much room does a butternut squash plant take up? I've got 6 seeds (3 are just peeping) but am running out of room in my raised beds . How many squashes would one plant produce (assuming it did!)

[Cinnamon]

There was a super article in last months gardeners world about how they like to scramble up a frame & can be grown in a pot,so that is what I have done.

I bought a gorgeous little willow obelisk on eBay (only £5) & am training it up,rather than across the ground - going well so far!

[Aga n Chickens]

I'm having a problem getting my seeds to germinate.

 

I planted 6 seeds 4 weeks ago in individual pots and placed them in the plastic mini greenhouse expecting to see shoots in a week, but nothing came up. I checked the pots and all the seed had rotted

 

Thinking that the green house was too hot I started off another 6 seeds and put them in the porch, still nothing growing, perhaps too cold

 

Last week my Dig In seeds arrived and I planted all 6 and left them in the potting shed....still nothing growing

 

I'm running out of time if I want to have butternut squash plants out in the garden for Summer.....will it still be worth trying again with a new packet ?

 

Anyone else having problems getting their plants started this year ?

 

Christine

[C&T]

I bought my squash plant from a garden centre...

 

Started most things from seed - but the squash plants were only £1.50 and looked so healthy - seemed the sensible thing to do, rather than trying to get them to germinate!

 

I planted it out into it's growbag at the weekend - hoping it will do well in the greenhouse! But is my first year growing one - so do only have one plant as a test...

[Cinnamon]

Mine all failed to germinate too, so I ended up buying a plant in

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I put 5 seeds in individual pots on our bedroom window. They all came up bar one and are all about an inch high already . Haven't investigated the one that hasn't yet.

[Blackrocksrock]

Mine has about 5 leaves already and I see in the same pot another one has germinated just recently so it has taken weeks and weeks so dont give up yet

[Milly]

Some of mine germinated much more quickly than the others, so don't give up. If you were nearer I would offer you some - if they actually produce anything I'm going to have a year's supply!

 

Milly

[redhotchick]

I planted 2 butternut Squash seeds in little pots and popped them in to an electric heated propogator. I took them out as soon as they germinated, grew them on in the house.

They went into a raised bed last Thursday and are looking good so far! In fact they look healthier than the courgettes I germinated the same way.

This is my 3rd year trying to grow these. Maybe 3rd time lucky!

[Matthew]

I bought my squash plant from a garden centre...

 

Started most things from seed - but the squash plants were only £1.50 and looked so healthy - seemed the sensible thing to do, rather than trying to get them to germinate!

 

I planted it out into it's growbag at the weekend - hoping it will do well in the greenhouse! But is my first year growing one - so do only have one plant as a test...

 

Hope your greenhouse is big they do need a lot of room

[C&T]

I bought my squash plant from a garden centre...

 

Started most things from seed - but the squash plants were only £1.50 and looked so healthy - seemed the sensible thing to do, rather than trying to get them to germinate!

 

I planted it out into it's growbag at the weekend - hoping it will do well in the greenhouse! But is my first year growing one - so do only have one plant as a test...

 

Hope your greenhouse is big they do need a lot of room

 

 

I wondered that... Struggled to find how big the plant would grow! It's the only chicken proof place left in the garden though now - so it's there or nowhere!!

 

Went a bit overboard this year with the veg - I blame this forum

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Went a bit overboard this year with the veg - I blame this forum

 

Snap .

 

So how much room do butternuts actually need . I might have to buy a huge planter .