[Weston grower]

AL78

If its ground cover you want why not use butternut squash or pumpkins. Same amount of foliage but less prduce to pick/store/give away?

Regards, WG

[gavinjconway]

Looks like MissMoneyPenny has gone off to make movies - never posted again since they started this thread!!

Not to sound harsh but.... I sometimes wonder why we bother with answers..!!

[NewSteve]

Slightly off topic but speaking of mass growing there is an old boy who rents/owns a massive what looks like a greenhouse on a industrial estate he grows hundreds and hundreds of tomato plants in there every year.

Rumour has it he doesn't eat or sell them.. weird

Are you sure they're tomatoes? He might be doing something else with them

[spuriousmonkey]

Slightly off topic but speaking of mass growing there is an old boy who rents/owns a massive what looks like a greenhouse on a industrial estate he grows hundreds and hundreds of tomato plants in there every year.

Rumour has it he doesn't eat or sell them.. weird

I can relate to that. I would do the same if I had a big greenhouse. I just like growing tomatoes. I would eat what I can eat, but you can't just have enough tomato plants.

I made an official count of my seedlings this week: exactly 100. (not counting about 12 which haven't been -repotted to their own individual pot. They don't count if they are together in one pot).

I think I could have harvested several buckets more last year, but I got overwhelmed in the end. Still, that didn't discourage me to grow even more of them this year.

[al78]

AL78

If its ground cover you want why not use butternut squash or pumpkins. Same amount of foliage but less prduce to pick/store/give away?

Regards, WG

Mainly because I did use courgettes last year but don't eat butternut squash or pumpkins, and I found an interesting round variety on the Real Seeds website which was said to have a sprawling habit.

[missmoneypenny]

Hi everyone and thanks for all your answers. Just wanted to report that I pre germinated on wet kitchen roll inside a tupperware and it worked really well. Now have 5 healthy plants which I'll be planting on later this week.
Have been away for a while due to family illness but now managing some time back in the allotment. Thanks again.

[Snoop]

Mainly because I did use courgettes last year but don't eat butternut squash or pumpkins, and I found an interesting round variety on the Real Seeds website which was said to have a sprawling habit.

Don't let the round ones get much bigger than a tennis ball. The texture's not that fantastic when they get large.

Out of interest, have you ever eaten butternut squash? Might be worth swapping one or two courgettes for a squash plant or two. You'd need to be able to store them for winter use rather than eating them straightaway (they improve when kept for a weeks after picking). My OH was convinced he wouldn't like them but they're now a winter staple for us. Another advantage is that they're a bit less prickly round your legs if you're growing them for ground cover.

[al78]

Mainly because I did use courgettes last year but don't eat butternut squash or pumpkins, and I found an interesting round variety on the Real Seeds website which was said to have a sprawling habit.

Don't let the round ones get much bigger than a tennis ball. The texture's not that fantastic when they get large.

Out of interest, have you ever eaten butternut squash? Might be worth swapping one or two courgettes for a squash plant or two. You'd need to be able to store them for winter use rather than eating them straightaway (they improve when kept for a weeks after picking). My OH was convinced he wouldn't like them but they're now a winter staple for us. Another advantage is that they're a bit less prickly round your legs if you're growing them for ground cover.

I have tried it but wasn't that keen on it, but that may be down to the rather plain way I cooked it.

Is it too late to sow butternut squash?

[Snoop]

I have tried it but wasn't that keen on it, but that may be down to the rather plain way I cooked it.

Is it too late to sow butternut squash?

According to my seed packet instructions, now is not too late at all.

Butternut squash are very slow growing in comparison with courgettes, so perhaps one reason why you didn't like them is that you picked them too early. Also, they need to be picked and stored for a few weeks before the flavour develops fully.

There are lots of butternut squash fans on this site and they've often been discussed. If you do a search on the site, you'll find plenty of recommendations and advice on growing them.

As for cooking, there are all kinds of ways of using them. I bet you'll find lots of recipes in the cooking area of this site. Personally I usually roast them in the oven to give them a slightly caramelised flavour before using them in soups, purées and risottos. They're also fantastic in vegetable curries. Come the severe cold and wet of winter, they're a real taste of summer sweetness.