We have tried over two years to grow these, with little success. Last year, we lost the plants once planted out - we didn't harden them off properly. The courgette and Crown Prince pumpkins were fine, but we did lost two of the four cucumbers. The year before it took a very long time for the plants to take off, resulting in four small squashes. The largest one was 200g! Of course at those sizes, short on taste too.
So should we bother again, being more rigorous on getting everything right this time? Or even when everything is in their favour, are they a disappointing crop?
Are butternut squashes worth growing?
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pigletwillie
- KG Regular
- Posts: 723
- Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:38 pm
- Location: Leicestershire
Hi Chez,
I am based in Leicestershire like yourself and also find butternut squashes an enigma. I planted out 5 plants and lost 2 to slugs. The other three produced just 1 medium sized squash each. With that return in mind I think that this year I will use the space for Crown Prince pumpkins if I can find a nursery that stocks Marshals seeds.
The squashes tasted ok and matured well enough but were not huge and a poor yield.
David
I am based in Leicestershire like yourself and also find butternut squashes an enigma. I planted out 5 plants and lost 2 to slugs. The other three produced just 1 medium sized squash each. With that return in mind I think that this year I will use the space for Crown Prince pumpkins if I can find a nursery that stocks Marshals seeds.
The squashes tasted ok and matured well enough but were not huge and a poor yield.
David
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Sr Clare Julian
I grew Crown Prince for the first time. ( thank you, Tony T). Very tasteful and elegant. I never enjoyed pumpkin before. None of my squash germinated; courgettes were good. I may just try the pumpkins this year.
I too had a pretty usless squash growing experience last year, and the old forum suggestions were that they needed an unlimited root run (not growbags, which I had been using), and a lot of feed and water. I have been tempted to use my old polytunnel this year to have another go with them, with some local seed- if this doesn't work, I'm not sure I'll bother again!
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sally wright
- KG Regular
- Posts: 722
- Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:32 pm
- Location: Cambridge
Dear All,
butternut squashes are one of the more difficult of the squashes to grow, they need a long growing season so the following tips may help.
1. plant the seeds at least two to three weeks earlier than you would for your other marrow family members, a month is better if possible. They are slower to germinate and ste off than other kinds.
2. pot up the plants when you plant your other marrows etc.
3. Give them the sunniest spot you can and use a cloche when you do plant them out. The first month is crucial.
4. Expect no more than two or three squash from each plant and if necessary pinch out the growing tips when there is enough set.
5. If the squash are not ripe enough to pick by mid september (earlier if further north than the midlands) then they will need to be covered with some protection at night, waterproof if you are in a wet area.
Buying the correct variety is crucial. Plain butternut is not the best sort. Cobnut, butternut sprinter and there is one called Avalon I think. These have been bred for the shorter British summers and are more likely to suit the midlands and above.
Other methods include growing them on a frame against a wallor fence, (but I think this is a waste of a south wall). Or under the tomato drop in the greenhouse or polytunnel if you grow in soil.
These tips will also apply to the Turks turban squash if you have had trouble growing those.
Regards Sally Wright.
butternut squashes are one of the more difficult of the squashes to grow, they need a long growing season so the following tips may help.
1. plant the seeds at least two to three weeks earlier than you would for your other marrow family members, a month is better if possible. They are slower to germinate and ste off than other kinds.
2. pot up the plants when you plant your other marrows etc.
3. Give them the sunniest spot you can and use a cloche when you do plant them out. The first month is crucial.
4. Expect no more than two or three squash from each plant and if necessary pinch out the growing tips when there is enough set.
5. If the squash are not ripe enough to pick by mid september (earlier if further north than the midlands) then they will need to be covered with some protection at night, waterproof if you are in a wet area.
Buying the correct variety is crucial. Plain butternut is not the best sort. Cobnut, butternut sprinter and there is one called Avalon I think. These have been bred for the shorter British summers and are more likely to suit the midlands and above.
Other methods include growing them on a frame against a wallor fence, (but I think this is a waste of a south wall). Or under the tomato drop in the greenhouse or polytunnel if you grow in soil.
These tips will also apply to the Turks turban squash if you have had trouble growing those.
Regards Sally Wright.
I grew Butternut squash 3 years ago and had some really good ones. They were well worth growing because they made such delicious Butternut and potato soup. The following year I grew them again using saved seed, and they were hopeless, they either didn't germinate at all or keeled over on the plot. Whether it was me, the conditions or a combination of both I don't know!
Glad you liked the Crown Prince Sr. Clare, mine were pretty good too, again, they were from saved seed.
Glad you liked the Crown Prince Sr. Clare, mine were pretty good too, again, they were from saved seed.
Regards Tony.
I too have had trouble getting butternut squash to grow! As an American, we are especially good at growing squashes in general, but we prefer buttercup over butternut. Buttercup are dark green and round with a cup-like end opposity the stem. I have no trouble with germination or producing several large fruits on each vine (Southern England - South Oxfordshire); yes, they are hungry feeders. Planted the same time side-by-side, the buttercup will always outperform butternut every time (for me).
Here's how I get the most from my squashes and pumpkins: dig a hole the depth and width of a shovel and fill it with finished compost, then sprinkle with Rooster, or equivalent chicken manure and a generous bucket of water. Place the well-established plant - 2-6 leaves - so the bottom is touching the compost/manure mixture in the planting hole. Place a 2-4' bamboo pole next to the plant. Invert a 2-4 litre bottle with its bottom cut off down the pole so the spout is touching the compost. Pull the soil around the plant and inverted bottle and firm the soil. [this could use a diagram!] You now have given the squash, pumpkin or courgette every possible chance to thrive! The next week, I pour 2-4 litres of water in the bottle - it acts as a funnel. After that it might not need any watering.
I plant 30-40 courgetttes, squashes and pumpkins this way in a couple hours' time (getting the husband to dig the holes for me!) I am the envy of all at the allotment when the plants start growing 2 weeks later. (I put grass clippings as mulch between the planting hills 4 feet apart for squash and pumpkin, 3 feet for courgettes). Even if I get a late start (which I invariably do, as I am the one who also sells veg and bedding plants - another posting) - I get fantastic results.
This past year I grew Buttercup, Crown Prince, Turk's Turban [my 'Avitar' beneath my LakeView username], Green Hubbard, Golden Hubbard, Marina di Chioggi, Uchiki Kuri plus pumpkins Baby Boo (tiny white ones) and Jack Be Little (tiny orange) and some from saved seed that were a 'disaster' culinarily but still make great decorations. All of the above were used to decorate the Abbey in our village for Harvest Festival (almost, but not quite single-handedly!).
Seeds are available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.
My family has always served buttercup squash every autumn, especially at Thanksgiving, and serve it like mashed potatoes - peeled, cooked, drained, mashed with butter, salt and pepper. I serve it in Britain every November at my Thanksgiving buffet to 30-40 Britains who've never tried it before -- and the serving bowl is always empty at the end of the meal. Most guests are amazed how good it is and why they've never heard of it. So with 6 Thanksgiving meals served so far, I'm doing my part to spread the good word that buttercup is the best squash!
Here's how I get the most from my squashes and pumpkins: dig a hole the depth and width of a shovel and fill it with finished compost, then sprinkle with Rooster, or equivalent chicken manure and a generous bucket of water. Place the well-established plant - 2-6 leaves - so the bottom is touching the compost/manure mixture in the planting hole. Place a 2-4' bamboo pole next to the plant. Invert a 2-4 litre bottle with its bottom cut off down the pole so the spout is touching the compost. Pull the soil around the plant and inverted bottle and firm the soil. [this could use a diagram!] You now have given the squash, pumpkin or courgette every possible chance to thrive! The next week, I pour 2-4 litres of water in the bottle - it acts as a funnel. After that it might not need any watering.
I plant 30-40 courgetttes, squashes and pumpkins this way in a couple hours' time (getting the husband to dig the holes for me!) I am the envy of all at the allotment when the plants start growing 2 weeks later. (I put grass clippings as mulch between the planting hills 4 feet apart for squash and pumpkin, 3 feet for courgettes). Even if I get a late start (which I invariably do, as I am the one who also sells veg and bedding plants - another posting) - I get fantastic results.
This past year I grew Buttercup, Crown Prince, Turk's Turban [my 'Avitar' beneath my LakeView username], Green Hubbard, Golden Hubbard, Marina di Chioggi, Uchiki Kuri plus pumpkins Baby Boo (tiny white ones) and Jack Be Little (tiny orange) and some from saved seed that were a 'disaster' culinarily but still make great decorations. All of the above were used to decorate the Abbey in our village for Harvest Festival (almost, but not quite single-handedly!).
Seeds are available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.
My family has always served buttercup squash every autumn, especially at Thanksgiving, and serve it like mashed potatoes - peeled, cooked, drained, mashed with butter, salt and pepper. I serve it in Britain every November at my Thanksgiving buffet to 30-40 Britains who've never tried it before -- and the serving bowl is always empty at the end of the meal. Most guests are amazed how good it is and why they've never heard of it. So with 6 Thanksgiving meals served so far, I'm doing my part to spread the good word that buttercup is the best squash!
I can recommend a squash/pumkin (not sure how they classify them ) 'de nice a longue' from organic gardening catalogue, which were exactly like a butternut in taste but twice as long and very prolific, in fact I had so many from 6 plants last year I have been feeding them to my guinea pigs!
ps. Lakeview, did your uchiki kuri ammount to much? mine were like little cricket balls, lots of seeds and not much flesh inside.
ps. Lakeview, did your uchiki kuri ammount to much? mine were like little cricket balls, lots of seeds and not much flesh inside.
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taralastair
- KG Regular
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 7:25 pm
- Location: Manchester
I will try and remember all the useful advice. I have bough Avalon (butternut) to try as it promised better results in the north (Manchester). Sounds like I should have a go at crown prince as everyone has good things to say about it. I also picked up Winter Festival (pumpkin) in a seed sale last summer. But don't know anything about it (i.e. size, taste, etc). Has anyone tried it?
Tara
Tara
PLEASE take notice of my advice. Get an Unwin's catalogue (or go online)and order butternut sprinter seeds which are that much faster growing. Start them in pots, early to mid May is right, harden off as the get to a respectable size then grow as usual. The bog-standard varieties are just too slow-growing for this country. Remember too that they are specially suited for storage so it should not matter that the harvest is somewhat late whatever you do, if you want that sort of thing early then grow courgettes.My sprinters gave all the fruit that we could deal with, the last ones are still in store. We are going to try a bush type of vegetable spaghetti this year, will report on that in due course.
Allan
Allan
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Guest
One year I sowed a few seeds out of a supermarket squash. Started them off indoors in February and planted them out in June as I recall. All failed except one which gave me 4 fruits. Since they were free I didn't worry too much about the failures but I'd have been hopping mad if I'd paid for seeds!
Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated!
We were trying to grow the ordinary butternut squash and based on the advice received, will either try Butternut Sprinter or 'de nice a longue. Or not bother again.
After all, our Crown Prince was fantastic in yield and flavour, so I guess we don't need to get too hung up about butternuts. I grew up eating Crown Prince, so I am biased! There is another common NZ pumpkin, that I cannot remember the name of. It has a dark green with white fleckled skin, with flesh the orange colour of Crown Prince. It is of similar shape, but smaller than CP, but also has a superb flavour. Will have to ring home on that one, unless there are any Antipodeans online who can remember its name?
Lakeview - in NZ (where I am from originally), we routinely eat pumpkin - boiled, mashed and roasted too. Soup is common too, but only from about the 80s. I was surprised that pumpkins just don't feature in meals much here, but it makes sense given they have not really been grown for culinary purposes until recently. Having said that, in NZ they don't (or didn't) have Halloween pumpkins. As a child, I always wanted an orange pumpkin to carve and they simply weren't available. Deprived childhood! We have Buttercups as well and you are right these are great too. Crown Prince appears to have not been around that long in the UK (I had asked my mother to send some commercial seeds over, but fortunately didn't need to in the end), so hopefully Buttercups will find their way here soon.
Now all of that has just prompted me on another favourite recipe of ours 'Deep Pumpkin and Potato Pie'. All typed out now, so will put this under 'Recipes' in the next few days or so.
We were trying to grow the ordinary butternut squash and based on the advice received, will either try Butternut Sprinter or 'de nice a longue. Or not bother again.
After all, our Crown Prince was fantastic in yield and flavour, so I guess we don't need to get too hung up about butternuts. I grew up eating Crown Prince, so I am biased! There is another common NZ pumpkin, that I cannot remember the name of. It has a dark green with white fleckled skin, with flesh the orange colour of Crown Prince. It is of similar shape, but smaller than CP, but also has a superb flavour. Will have to ring home on that one, unless there are any Antipodeans online who can remember its name?
Lakeview - in NZ (where I am from originally), we routinely eat pumpkin - boiled, mashed and roasted too. Soup is common too, but only from about the 80s. I was surprised that pumpkins just don't feature in meals much here, but it makes sense given they have not really been grown for culinary purposes until recently. Having said that, in NZ they don't (or didn't) have Halloween pumpkins. As a child, I always wanted an orange pumpkin to carve and they simply weren't available. Deprived childhood! We have Buttercups as well and you are right these are great too. Crown Prince appears to have not been around that long in the UK (I had asked my mother to send some commercial seeds over, but fortunately didn't need to in the end), so hopefully Buttercups will find their way here soon.
Now all of that has just prompted me on another favourite recipe of ours 'Deep Pumpkin and Potato Pie'. All typed out now, so will put this under 'Recipes' in the next few days or so.
Hello Chez
I grow my squashes in a 3 - 4ft wide layer of straw much in the same way as you would grow strawberries. This suppresses weeds and seems to give them that bit of extra warmth to help in the development and ripening of the fruits. Don't plant them out too early as they will sit in the cold soil and be reluctant to start growing when the warmer weather comes - late May round here is a good time to plant out. I also grow my plants on to a good size using 8 - 10in pots before planting out.
As others have said butternut is not as easy to grow successfully as other squashes. Uchiki Kuri is always very reliable with excellent flavour and texture.
John
I grow my squashes in a 3 - 4ft wide layer of straw much in the same way as you would grow strawberries. This suppresses weeds and seems to give them that bit of extra warmth to help in the development and ripening of the fruits. Don't plant them out too early as they will sit in the cold soil and be reluctant to start growing when the warmer weather comes - late May round here is a good time to plant out. I also grow my plants on to a good size using 8 - 10in pots before planting out.
As others have said butternut is not as easy to grow successfully as other squashes. Uchiki Kuri is always very reliable with excellent flavour and texture.
John
Re my last mailing, the other half who takes over harvesting and marketing says that there were a large number sold but she doesn't know what to do with the others, smallish or marked, even the biggest which had a split which healed over and is usable. She now wants to know how to use them up and wants recipes to enhance the flavour which is very mild. Perhaps a few URL pointers would be helpful. It does go to show that using sprinter seeds in UK is very worthwhile if it's fruit you want.
Allan
Allan