[Markjp]

I am growing Winter Squashes for the first time in one of my raised beds. I had some free seeds from a magazine and I am growing the following varieties:-

Butternut Hawk F1
Vegetable Spaghetti
Sweet Dumpling

I have 7 plants in my raised bed and the foliage now virtually covers the whole bed, now I know why it says space each plant 3ft apart!

My main question is how many squashes should I allow to mature on each plant? Or should I just let the plants do there own thing and see what I get?

[mumofstig]

I always just let them get on with it, til the end of the season, and the weather starts to change.

Then, when there is really no chance of baby ones getting big enough -  I will take them off.

[AnneB]

Like MoS I just let them get on with it.   Last year I grew Boston squash.  It was a very vigorous plant and threatened to invade next door's plot.   It produced lots of baby squash, but the plant decided to limit how many reached maturity by itself.   Three huge squash developed fully, but the rest decayed and dropped off without any intervention from me.

[Nobbie]

I just let them get on with it, any that clearly aren't going to ripen come september I just pick and use in casseroles like courgettes, but they have a better texture.

[sunshineband]

I just let them get on with it, any that clearly aren't going to ripen come september I just pick and use in casseroles like courgettes, but they have a better texture.

Snap 

[jaydig]

They do tend to run amock once they get going. Like everyone else I let mine get on with it, but now and then you have to treat them like children, and gently take them by the hand (end of the trailing stem), and guide them to where you want them to grow, otherwise they'd end up two plots away.

[Markjp]

Thanks for the replies.

Another question if I may regarding pollination.

The Vegetable Spaghetti seems to be getting pollinated ok but the Butternut and Sweet Dumpling do not.

With my courgettes I usually help pollination along by picking a male flower rubbing the pollen off on the female flower.

Now with 3 different varieties of Squashes does it matter which plant the male flower comes from if I want to pollinate the female flowers?

[Madame Cholet]

No as long as you aren't saving the seed to replant next year.

[surbie100]

Thanks for the replies.

Another question if I may regarding pollination.

The Vegetable Spaghetti seems to be getting pollinated ok but the Butternut and Sweet Dumpling do not.

With my courgettes I usually help pollination along by picking a male flower rubbing the pollen off on the female flower.

Now with 3 different varieties of Squashes does it matter which plant the male flower comes from if I want to pollinate the female flowers?

There are different families within the curcurbits. Waltham is in c.moschata, Sweet Dumpling is c.pepo. My understanding is that moschata and pepo varieties won't cross with each other.

But the spaghetti squash is another pepo, and that will happily cross with the sweet dumpling, so you could use male flowers from that to pollinate the sweet dumpling females.

[Markjp]

Thanks for the replies.

Another question if I may regarding pollination.

The Vegetable Spaghetti seems to be getting pollinated ok but the Butternut and Sweet Dumpling do not.

With my courgettes I usually help pollination along by picking a male flower rubbing the pollen off on the female flower.

Now with 3 different varieties of Squashes does it matter which plant the male flower comes from if I want to pollinate the female flowers?

There are different families within the curcurbits. Waltham is in c.moschata, Sweet Dumpling is c.pepo. My understanding is that moschata and pepo varieties won't cross with each other.

But the spaghetti squash is another pepo, and that will happily cross with the sweet dumpling, so you could use male flowers from that to pollinate the sweet dumpling females.

What is Waltham? Do you mean the Butternut?



edit to clarify quote

[surbie100]

What is Waltham? Do you mean the Butternut?

Yes I do. Sorry. I'm growing Waltham butternut, not you. D'oh.