We are growing buttercup pumpkins this year. The plant are all extreemly prolific with 3-4 pumpkins about 10-15 cm in length on each plant, with several more babies on growing. The small ones are all yellow and the larger ones mostly yellow with some dark green at the top. As the large ones haven't changed much over the last few weeks and still look very happy and healthy should I harvest, or do they need more time. I thought they were supposed to be dark green in colour but they seem to be staying yellow. Even if they are very young are they useable? I have been regularly cutting back the foliage, but the plants are still producing masses of new pumpkins. How many should I leave on the plant? My other previous experience with pumpkins and squashes has taught me to only leave about 3 max on a plant at one time (depending on size) because it can't sustain any more than that. Should I be a bit more ruthless?
Tara
buttercups
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taralastair
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Just realised that I have mixed up my plants (I think!). I think the ones I was describing were the winter festival squashes and the others were the buttercups. Although still a bit confused as both are supposed to be trailing and the one I was describing was definitely bush. Serves me right. I must do better with labeling my plants!
Tara
Tara
Hello Taralastair
I think that both of these are winter squashes. The winter festival I'd never heard of before but looking it up, it seems to be a decorative gourd-type of squash.
Both these winter types should be left on the plant to ripen and harden up. When the skin has gone hard and the stalk has changed colour they can be cut and left in the sun to finally harden off. Try to keep them off the soil ie on a small board or on straw to stop damage from below.
John
I think that both of these are winter squashes. The winter festival I'd never heard of before but looking it up, it seems to be a decorative gourd-type of squash.
Both these winter types should be left on the plant to ripen and harden up. When the skin has gone hard and the stalk has changed colour they can be cut and left in the sun to finally harden off. Try to keep them off the soil ie on a small board or on straw to stop damage from below.
John
So glad to know - it's my first time with buttercups this year too, and they do swell up fast then stop! So I'll leave them be and just peek at them now and then, they're much more prolific than any of the others. There seem to be fewer squash per plant than usual this year, and I'm not doing anything different 
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taralastair
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Well my buttercups HAVE changed colour and the skins on the ones I've harvested look pretty tough so far. However, we are trying one tonight, so we'll see how they are for flavour. I started these of very early and put them out in late May after which they started to fruit immediately, so maybe they are about ready? Most of the buttercups have been trailed up a fence, supported with netting, and had good sun exposure for the last two weekes before harvesting. Also, my hope was by harvesting a few to kick start the plant into giving me a few more. So far I've had a bout 2-3 per plant, of those I've harvested one per plant. Do you think I could still get a few more.
Tara
Tara
Maybe next time you start a new topic you could bear in mind thet not everybody knows that this time it isn't about, in this case, the famous weed, but a type of squash. You had me fooled. The ambiguity of some of the postings is yet one more problem for readers to cope with. It plays havoc too with the search engine.
Allan
Allan
Not where you are at with these now taralastair, but buttercups should be dark green - with white, streaky stripes. If you harvest too early, they will not be at their full flavour potential and could be somewhat disappointing. All depends what you are comparing against, though.
Allan, I have never heard buttercup the weed referred in the plural, only in singular (unless referring to a bunch of the flowers - highly unlikely, I would have thought). Yet the vegetable is routinely referred to in plural. Hence thread content was just as I expected. Buttercups - as in vegetables.
Allan, I have never heard buttercup the weed referred in the plural, only in singular (unless referring to a bunch of the flowers - highly unlikely, I would have thought). Yet the vegetable is routinely referred to in plural. Hence thread content was just as I expected. Buttercups - as in vegetables.
The cow is of the bovine ilk
One end is moo, the other, milk.
One end is moo, the other, milk.
I with you there Chez.
I`m also growing winter festival,they sounded good on the packet,there are lots of them and they seem to be growing quickly now.Does anyone know how big they should get,they are about grapefruit size with smooth yellos skins which must change as they are supposed to be long keepers.
I`m also growing winter festival,they sounded good on the packet,there are lots of them and they seem to be growing quickly now.Does anyone know how big they should get,they are about grapefruit size with smooth yellos skins which must change as they are supposed to be long keepers.
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taralastair
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Chez, intersting what you have said about the buttercups. The ones I have left on are still only dark green with no signs of stripes. I looked on the Organic Gardening catalogue to see what they looked like, and the picture looked similar to mine so thought it would be ok to harvest. We ate one the other night and it was delicious! What I remember as real pumpkin flavour. Not watery, and great dense texture. Haven't eaten the winter festivals yet but have harvested a few as there are so many! Must be 5 or 6 of good size per plant with many more on the way. Hope they taste good!
BTW Chez. Did you say before you were from NZ? We are planning to emigrate next year, so any NZ gardening tips would be useful. And do they have slugs in NZ?
Tara
BTW Chez. Did you say before you were from NZ? We are planning to emigrate next year, so any NZ gardening tips would be useful. And do they have slugs in NZ?
Tara
Chez,Sorry I spoke, never heard of these squashes before in all my years of gardening. Now you go and tell the search engine which is which.I'll just go away and get on spraying glyphosate onto my buttercups with the small yellow flowers on before they smother my squashes.
Allan
Allan
How exciting taralastair, off to NZ! Do you know which bit yet? Yes, I am a Kiwi - came to UK in 1998. From Auckland, so what follows applies to the North Island more than the South. Colder in the south. You won't know yourself gardening in NZ. You will be able to grow loads of things outside without having to think about season length. Even tomatoes can be sown direct outside and you won't need to stop them at x number of trusses either. Melons grow easily and well outside too. You will be able to grow wonderful-tasting watermelon. And Hass avocados grow extremely well (some people even have their own trees). If not, you can often buy a bag of 10 for about £2 dollars (67p) from a roadside seller - may have gone up a bit from that after 7 years, but still very cheap. Cape gooseberry bushes grow all year round. Passionfruit too. Grows well and no reason not to grow your own and many do. Rhubarb doesn't die down over winter.
Mum has an orchard which includes the usual apple trees, etc., but also peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, navel oranges, mandarins, limes and lemons. You will not think anything of going out to pick a lemon of the tree as needed. Plums too. The dark-fleshed ones have the best flavour (sadly I have not seen dark red fleshed plums here) - they have the most intense flavour. George Wilson is a variety to look out for. She also has a large fig tree, which just keeps on keeping on. And grapes of course, for all that wine. In summer, if you head out to the country a bit, you will find orchards selling cases of plums, apples, nectarines and peaches at good prices. This is where people go to get their fruit for bottling/preserves. Golden Queen is standard peach variety for this, but still great eaten fresh too.
There are two other fruits that come to mind, that you may not be familiar with. Both grow on trees and often in gardens. Feijoa - white-fleshed, green skinned oval fruit. Nice eaten straight from the tree, but makes good jam too. And Tamarillo (tree tomato) - orange/red skin, with dark, pulpy flesh. Wonderful mashed with sugar and poured over ice cream. I really miss the latter. Do try these.
Some differences re flowers. It isn't cold enough in the North Island to grow Peonies - always a great disappointment to me, so I was delighted to be able to do so here. Tulip bulbs need to be lifted every year - they don't last in the ground over summer, due to a bulb fly that destroys them. Yet dahlias, gladioli, muscari and daffodils (as here) remain in the ground all year round. Zinnias grow large and beautiful. So does bouganvillia (all colours). Arum lilies are often seen growing wild. And freesias - once you have a few bulbs they will spread well (often seen at the base of hedges) and you will be able to pick masses of them. Don't lift these either.
Wow, got a bit carried away there. And that is just what I can remember as I type. If you think of anything you want to know, feel free to PM me. When yoo get there, make sure you buy the 'Yates Garden Guide'. This is the NZ gardening bible. I still have my copy from before I left - an essential reference book.
And NZ has slugs too!
Mum has an orchard which includes the usual apple trees, etc., but also peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, navel oranges, mandarins, limes and lemons. You will not think anything of going out to pick a lemon of the tree as needed. Plums too. The dark-fleshed ones have the best flavour (sadly I have not seen dark red fleshed plums here) - they have the most intense flavour. George Wilson is a variety to look out for. She also has a large fig tree, which just keeps on keeping on. And grapes of course, for all that wine. In summer, if you head out to the country a bit, you will find orchards selling cases of plums, apples, nectarines and peaches at good prices. This is where people go to get their fruit for bottling/preserves. Golden Queen is standard peach variety for this, but still great eaten fresh too.
There are two other fruits that come to mind, that you may not be familiar with. Both grow on trees and often in gardens. Feijoa - white-fleshed, green skinned oval fruit. Nice eaten straight from the tree, but makes good jam too. And Tamarillo (tree tomato) - orange/red skin, with dark, pulpy flesh. Wonderful mashed with sugar and poured over ice cream. I really miss the latter. Do try these.
Some differences re flowers. It isn't cold enough in the North Island to grow Peonies - always a great disappointment to me, so I was delighted to be able to do so here. Tulip bulbs need to be lifted every year - they don't last in the ground over summer, due to a bulb fly that destroys them. Yet dahlias, gladioli, muscari and daffodils (as here) remain in the ground all year round. Zinnias grow large and beautiful. So does bouganvillia (all colours). Arum lilies are often seen growing wild. And freesias - once you have a few bulbs they will spread well (often seen at the base of hedges) and you will be able to pick masses of them. Don't lift these either.
Wow, got a bit carried away there. And that is just what I can remember as I type. If you think of anything you want to know, feel free to PM me. When yoo get there, make sure you buy the 'Yates Garden Guide'. This is the NZ gardening bible. I still have my copy from before I left - an essential reference book.
And NZ has slugs too!
The cow is of the bovine ilk
One end is moo, the other, milk.
One end is moo, the other, milk.
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taralastair
- KG Regular
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 7:25 pm
- Location: Manchester
Wow. You have gotten us even more excited!!! Still have a year to go though. Thanks especiallly for the tip re the gardening guide. We will be most likely moving to the So. Island (Cantebury/Christchurch area) and are keen to get a bit of space and land to try all those lovely things you suggested.
Tara
Tara