[beth123]

Hi all

I really want to have a go at growing some butternut squash.  Is it possible to grow them in containers?  The reason I ask is because I have tones of black buckets, the kind you see in the supermarket with fresh flowers in.  Would these be suitable?  If not I have some raised beds that I could use.  Do I provide support for them to grow up or do I just leave them to their own devises?  Finally, when is the best time to get them started?

Thanks
Beth   

[mumofstig]

I don't think they would be happy in one of those buckets

If you haven't already bought seeds look out for 'Harrier' as it tends to be bushy rather than a huge trailing plant.

I don't usually start mine till mid April....because they usually germinate quickly and grow very fast and you can't plant them out till after your last frost.

[smc]

no to pots

yes to loads of ground loads of manure and just let them trail

i did hunter last season very pleased, just started my seeds of again, last year i had two plants and got a good 10/12 bells

baked it roast it mash it

[operabunny]

YES to black flower buckets. I grew various types of squashes in them last year very successfully.

[suziet88]

Yes and no to buckets!  I grew some different squashes in buckets last year - only because I had too many plants and yes, they did grow and produce fruits but no, because they did not produce nearly as many as those growing in the ground.

[Growster...]

I don't think they would be happy in one of those buckets

If you haven't already bought seeds look out for 'Harrier' as it tends to be bushy rather than a huge trailing plant.

I don't usually start mine till mid April....because they usually germinate quickly and grow very fast and you can't plant them out till after your last frost.

Good tip M-o-s. I want to do these at home (more water there), and was thinking of sowing this week. Probably too early in that case.

[Weston grower]

On "when to sow" here's how I gamble.

Just sown 4 seeds in pots and put in a sunny cold frame in case the frosts have finished

Have more seed to plant in a few weeks time if first dont take off or frost gets them.

Will save some more seed for end April in case the first 2 lots dont survive,etc

I only want 4 plants  - but by staging it as above I should have them growing at the earliest time pos. If I knew when the last frost will be I'd plant  them the next day

Regards, WG

[Growster...]

On "when to sow" here's how I gamble.

Just sown 4 seeds in pots and put in a sunny cold frame in case the frosts have finished

Have more seed to plant in a few weeks time if first dont take off or frost gets them.

Will save some more seed for end April in case the first 2 lots dont survive,etc

I only want 4 plants  - but by staging it as above I should have them growing at the earliest time pos. If I knew when the last frost will be I'd plant  them the next day

Regards, WG

You 'spread betting' wizard you...! ;0)

Like that thinking!






edit to clarify quote

[Benandbill]

Do they have  to be started in pots or can seeds be planted straight outside?  If outside, how far apart?  If in pots, how far apart when they're eventually planted out?  I'm guessing you have to be careful with spacing as there's been some mention of long trailing plants on here.

I don't have a packet with instructions, I have some seeds I've dried from a supermarket squash.

[Swing Swang]

Benandbill,

The first thing you need to do is to buy a packet of seed. The only butternut squash that stands a chance of ripening in my garden at least  is an F1 variety designed for our day length/temperatures. If your butternut is open pollinated then in all probability it won't be suitable to our climate, and if it is an F1 then it won't breed true. Either way you're going to be disappointed with the results.

Buy a packet and read the instructions - you're less likely to be disappointed, although I think that there are better and more reliable squash with more flavour to boot than UK-grown butternut. Finally gave up on butternut after four seasons. Even when I was 'successful', I still felt that the Anna Swartz Hubbard squash did better for example.

SS

[lucywil]

i grow butternut squash every year with really great success, i either grow harrier or hunter, both are really good, taste great and store well. i think we ate our last one from last season in february.

i always make a mound from horse manure and plant them in that, i don't worry too much about over crowding them, my philosophy is to plant as many as i have room for and then 5 more, it's worked so far.

[Robster]

I grow mine in the edge of a bed and the plant trails over a gravel path.  So it does not use up too much ground.  The path heats up and I think it helps ripening.  Too vigorous for buckets I reckon

[Swing Swang]

Lucywill - Agree with you comments on Harrier/Hunter, as these were the only two varieties that I was able to ripen. The problem that I had wioth other varieties, and to a lesser extent with Harrier/Hunter, was not so much that they didn't ripen, but that the insides never developed that really really dark, mature, sun-ripened, concentrated, full-of-flavour orange that makes them so worth eating. I couldn't see the point in letting them take up space for low yields of varying quality when the supermarket produce was better 80% of the time. I really take my hat off to anybody who's horticultural skill allows them to do otherwise.

[greenhead]

Hi, My partner (lottiegob) grew this last year, her 1st attempt.  It was planted on top of a pile of Horse manure and produced 3 squashes, the one shown in the pic was the largest.  All three were removed (end of September) and ripened off on a south facing windowsill, the largest was kept and eaten in March.  This year we are growing four plants and hope to repeat the success.

[Jonajo]

Have only just finished the last of the whole, fresh butternuts from last year (Barbara variety...), although I still have a few bags of the roasted flesh in the freezer for soups and sauces to come...

These grew a treat and easily, with many butternuts harvested - after some faffing in previous years: last year I simply lay mixed a load of compost into the bed, put weed fabric down, put the plants through the holes I made, and upturned plastic milk bottles that went deep into the soil by each plant for easy watering and let them do their magic. And a little before they got really bushy I popped a bamboo cane in the milk bottles so I could see easily where they were to be watered rahter than a mass sprinkling of water over the whole bed and some rotten fruit....as was the case previously.