[Snoop]

I'm growing Thelma Saunders for the first time and am a bit overwhelmed by their vigour (they're far outstripping the Waltham butternut squash in the race to take over the world).

I know that in theory you're supposed to nip off vines five leaves after a fruit forms, but I never do on my butternut squash. However, the TS vines are a getting quite long and I've noticed that a few have more than one as yet unpollinated fruit on them.

So do I pinch them off once a fruit has formed or just leave them be? If I let them go, how many fruit should I allow to form per vine before snipping off the growing end?

I should add that the plants suffer a bit in the heat but pick up when it cools down in the evening. They're well watered and fed, though recent hail has done quite a bit of damage to the leaves.

[sunshineband]

I grew them for the first time last year, and just let them run. I had some huge fruits from the first ones set, and some much smaller ones that set later in the season.

One plant escaped un-noticed into the derelict plot next door, and one stalk had four large squashes that we found at the start of the Autumn 

This year they are growing on the other side of the plot, and attempting to climb into the thornless blackberry ... I am just letting it do its own thing.

[Snoop]

Thanks sunshineband. I'll just let them go. At the moment they're extending through the French beans I sowed not that long ago. The beans are all up but only maybe 10 cm or so tall. According to the box, they will grow 60 cm tall, so I'm hoping they'll be able to cope. Bit late now if they can't!

[mumofstig]

I always leave them to it. Any fruit that they can't support will just drop off the stalk.

The biggest yield I had from one plant was 7 - but your climate may suit them better 

[Snoop]

Thanks MoS. I hand-pollinated another three this morning, but it's impossible to tell which vine comes from which plant, as they've got themselves in a right tangle. I don't think I'll get anywhere like as many as you as I didn't start them off till 6 June as a somewhat speculative experiment. At best I hoped for a dozen squash all told from the total of four plants that have survived digging toads (one butternut and three TS). I'll keep feeding and watering but otherwise leave them to it.