| All About Allotments |
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| A website about growing fruit and vegetables based on my lifelong experience and cultivating an allotment plot since 2006 in Liverpool in the North West of England. |
| By Dr George Cook |
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| Growing Butternut squash |
| How to grow butternut squash successfully in pictures. |
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| Only a few years ago Butternut Squash were considered an exotic vegetable and certainly not one that could be grown easily in the North of England, both under cover and outside as I have proved in Liverpool. Provided that the young plant is given protection against frost they appear to be pest free, (slugs, birds and insects are not attracted to them). My wife in particular loves the blemish free, clean, versatile and easy to prepare and cook vegetable. I start mine in a heated propagator in March or April and grow on in the greenhouse until large enough to plant out under cover in May, or June in the open. |
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| 2.69Kg grown outside |
| Butternut squash is a member of the curcubit family which includes pumpkins, marrows, gourds, melons, squashes and cucumber. They are mostly of sub-tropical origin and are intolerant of frost preferring a minimum temperature of 10C (in Liverpool this is not usually reached until early June, frost arriving in late October). The squashes are usually split into two types, Summer squashes, which are picked and eaten in the Summer and early Autumn, courgettes (or zuccini) are the best known, and Winter squashes which are left on the plant to ripen until picked and stored for use over Winter, such as butternut squash. |
| Sow the large seeds on their sides into 5cm pots 1cm under the surface (in this case I have used fibre ones but any will do), in a heated propagator in March or April. Germination is usually 5-7 days and about two weeks later move the seedlings to 7-8cm pots when the third leaf is starting to form. Those on the right are 3 weeks from sowing. They are large robust seedlings and easy to handle. |
| Keep the plants in the propagator for as long as they are not too big and then move onto the greenhouse staging. If frost is threatened, either provide heat, cover in fleece or bring indoors. You will need to water daily so you cannot leave them unattended. Growth is rapid and I move them up to 12cm pots otherwise they become crowded. If you are growing different squashes, label them as they |
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| Plant in their final beds when all danger of frost is past. I have raised beds and these are covered to protect from cold and wind. A recent innovation has been my dedicated "squash houses" which have made the cultivation easier. |
| I have mulched these plants with rotted wood shavings from a stable to conserve water and keep the squashes clean, but this is not really necessary although weed suppression before the plants provide their own ground cover is an advantage. |
| The plants soon spread in all directions and rapidly fill the bed, requiring large volumes of water preferably on a daily basis. I alternate waterings with a feed of comfrey although Miracle Gro is an excellent substitute for your own product. |
| This is just one plant growing outside. It was moved in early June and eventually covered an area in an adjacent plot of mine approximately 6x4metres. It produced 6 large squashes, half the number of the two plants in the raised beds of 2.4m x 1.2m. |
| 28th June and the young fruit are growing rapidly. I have never had to hand pollinate as the insects do it perfectly well. This is the time to feed as growth of both squashes and leaves is rapid. Ventilate to avoid fungus and help insect access. |
| The same squash 3 days later on 1st July and it has doubled in size.. Some fruit start to develop, and then turn yellow and die when about 5cm long. They are not diseased but probably not pollinated properly. |
| This squash shown in late August is turning yellow. They can be eaten at this stage but are rather tasteless with pale flesh and none of the eventual sweetness. Cut off excess plant growth to allow the sun to get to them. There is not time to develop more fruit. |
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| By late September most of the squashes will be ripe. Leave them on the plants for as long as possible until they have turned a uniform colour. Any slight pale green stripes mean it is not ripe, and once cut off the plant ripening stops and they will not store well. |
| This is the 2007 crop less a few that have been eaten already. The stalks have been cut about 5cm from the squashes. It is important to make sure that they are ripe and very dry before storage. The skins must be free of damage. Wipe with a damp cloth to clean. |
| The 2007 squashes hung in the shed. I drilled a small hole through the stalks and inserted a wire which enabled me to hang them from the roof over winter. I was lucky as the weather was mild and the shed remained frost free. |
| The 2008 crop was heavier as I used my purpose built squash houses for the first time. There was a more marked size difference as they seemed to develop in two distinct batches, probably due to a cold spell in mid July reducing the insect population |
| I did not want to risk frost so I stored the squashes in my attic, just laying them on the insulation. It was a good job as the Winter was much harsher and frost would have devastated them in the shed. The last squash was not eaten until July! |
| How my squash houses developed. |
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| My raised bed system allowed me to add modules as I went along and they were all based on the 1.2m X 2.4m standard bed size. I started with 1.2 x 1.2 squares, some of which were blank for raising the height, others were covered in polythene or net. The picture shows a later development with two 1.2m x 2.4m blanks. There were no hinges and bricks were used to allow ventilation - very rough and ready! Another downside was that the sides were opaque and the plants continually reached for the sky and a better method was needed. The principle that they had to be movable was adhered to as rotation of crops around my plot was important. |
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| I started by laying a 2.4m x 1.2m blank module on my raised bed and screwed 6 uprights using 5cm X 7.cm timber, with the centre ones joined by a further piece of the same size, as the two lids are next to each other at this point. |
| Using 2cm x 3cm timber from now on I Joined the tops of the uprights together and made two hinged lids. The next I painted with wood preservative (Cuprinol Fence Life). Polythene is stapled into position and the unit is attached by hinges to the raised bed Since this design I have modified it using all 2cm x 3cm timber and having the front lower than the back so that the roof slopes. |
| This photograph shows how the squash plants cover the ground and are starting to push leaders upwards, eventually filling the whole space. Where the polythene is stapled to the outside of the uprights, I have screwed 7.5cm x 1cm timber to help keep it in position and to improve the look of the structure. This is optional and is not really necessary. My present experience is that the polythene will last 3 seasons before it has to be replaced. After the squashes are cropped, the houses are used to grow overwintering peas, broad beans and salad stuffs very successfully. Most of my beds produce 2 different crops a year and it is easy to keep a rotation record. |