[Elm street]

Hi All,
I'm a complete novice so hopefully you will all bear with me   
I hope to be planting out my Butternut squash this weekend.
I have two plants currently hardening off outside along with my two courgettes, they are all going into an 11' x 4' bed that has been manured and covered with fabric to keep the weeds down.
Is there anything else I need to do other than plant out?
Can you train the squash into spirals on the ground rather than just letting it wander?

Thanks for any help!

Mel.

[mumofstig]

Is there anything else I need to do other than plant out?
Can you train the squash into spirals on the ground rather than just letting it wander?

Just plant them  You can train them in spirals, if you really like things neat - but I just let mine get on with it! I have plenty of other jobs to do 

[simonwatson]

The stalk of the butternut will be pretty flexible to start with and they can be pretty easily trained just by putting them where you want them. The stalks go quite hard after a couple of weeks.

[Headgardener22]

I train mine up pallets with chicken wire on them to get the fruit off the ground away from the slugs.

[Lardman]

I train mine up pallets with chicken wire on them to get the fruit off the ground away from the slugs.

Mine are also being trained up heavy duty vertical trellis to save space and to make it easier to find where to water / feed.

[Yana]

I train mine up pallets with chicken wire on them to get the fruit off the ground away from the slugs.

And the weight of the fruit doesn't cause the stem to break?

[Elm street]

Thanks very much for the advice, most appreciated!

[Headgardener22]

I train mine up pallets with chicken wire on them to get the fruit off the ground away from the slugs.

And the weight of the fruit doesn't cause the stem to break?

No, the fruit are supported on the pallets which are at an angle (not vertical). For very large fruit it would be possible to tie them loosely to the pallet but I haven't ever had to do that.

[JohnB47]

If you've manured the ground and then kept it covered, its probably a slug and snail haven. You need to consider what to do about that before you plant out. Otherwise they'll devastate your young plants.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

And the weight of the fruit doesn't cause the stem to break?

I've seen a cottage garden where they grew pumpkins and squash up and over and archway. They supported the fruit by putting the toe end of a pair of tights around it and tied it off to the archway. It worked amazingly well!