I've just started growing butternut and pattypan squash on our allotment and I'm wondering, given reasonably good conditions and attention, how many squash are we likely to get per plant?
Also, although we have a reasonable amount of space, do other readers find it preferable to grow their squash up wigwams? Do the fruits require any sort of support themselves.
Cheers!
Squash per plant - growing tips please?
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter, Chief Spud
Hi Meldark
I grew patty pan sqaush a couple of years ago and you get loads from each plant. They just keep on growing. Shame really cos i hated eating them and kept trying to give them away to work colleagues.
I think they grow in inverse proportion to how much you like them. If you do like them then dont let the plant know or it will stop growing
I think Chantal will back me up on this theory - she hated them too
Seedling
I grew patty pan sqaush a couple of years ago and you get loads from each plant. They just keep on growing. Shame really cos i hated eating them and kept trying to give them away to work colleagues.
I think they grow in inverse proportion to how much you like them. If you do like them then dont let the plant know or it will stop growing
I think Chantal will back me up on this theory - she hated them too
Seedling
Hi Seedling,
Unfortunately my partner doesn't really like them much either- I let him see your reply and he said that perhaps he should have planted them instead of me!
Still I do and I've promised my foodie work colleagues with loads of free organic veg when it's ready.
Unfortunately my partner doesn't really like them much either- I let him see your reply and he said that perhaps he should have planted them instead of me!
Still I do and I've promised my foodie work colleagues with loads of free organic veg when it's ready.
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Chantal
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I'm with Seedling all the way on the subject of Patty Pan squash. I was picking half a dozen a day from each plant and they were horrible. I was giving them to a vegetarian friend by the bag full, even she was sick of them by the end of the summer. Never again. 
Chantal
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Colin_M
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Luckily there are plenty of other tasty squash.
The yield seems to vary according to a number of factors:
- Making sure plenty of nutrients are available
- eg. filling the planting hole beforehand with well rotted compost or manure helps
- Regular watering & feeding
- Available space
- Weather & growing conditions
As a result, any guidance on possible numbers could be a little out. Also, with some varieties you may actually want to stop production of fruit beyond a certain number, otherwise there's a risk that you'll get several immature fruit, rather than a smaller number of better ones.
For the butternuts I've had as little as one per plant, to a brilliantly warm summer (2006) where each plant produced 3-4 v.large fruits, then after I'd picked these in the Autumn, each went on to produce 2-3 more which I harvested some time in October.
It's getting late to be starting others, but not impossible if we get a warm Autumn. Other smaller varieties such as Sweet Dumpling are quite productive and taste fantastic.
The yield seems to vary according to a number of factors:
- Making sure plenty of nutrients are available
- eg. filling the planting hole beforehand with well rotted compost or manure helps
- Regular watering & feeding
- Available space
- Weather & growing conditions
As a result, any guidance on possible numbers could be a little out. Also, with some varieties you may actually want to stop production of fruit beyond a certain number, otherwise there's a risk that you'll get several immature fruit, rather than a smaller number of better ones.
For the butternuts I've had as little as one per plant, to a brilliantly warm summer (2006) where each plant produced 3-4 v.large fruits, then after I'd picked these in the Autumn, each went on to produce 2-3 more which I harvested some time in October.
It's getting late to be starting others, but not impossible if we get a warm Autumn. Other smaller varieties such as Sweet Dumpling are quite productive and taste fantastic.