Here are some of my Waltham Butternut squashes- there are still about 8 left on the vine that aren't ready yet. They are all well over 5 pounds. It's my first time growing them and I am really happy-
Butternut squash harvest
OH, MY GOODNESS!!!!!!
I LOVE Waltham Butternuts, and you've got to tell me exactly how you grew them, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!
I actually have some off the rack seeds and maybe some I ordered from either Baker Creek or Johnny's.
Please post the particulars, like when you sowed the seeds (temps), your planting medium (what you grew them in), fert?, light requirements? trellising? etc.
GREAT Job, Jo!
Maybe it was just beginners luck- I have a 5x10' plot in our brand new Community garden- I had planted corn, cucumbers and pole beans-all of which sprouted then died- everyone came to the conclusion that the compost the city used was too hot (fresh)- So after all else died, I just got a package of seeds at Lowe's and put some in there. 3 plants prospered and filled up the entire area. Maybe they are more tolerant of fresh manure? All I know is that they grew wild! I really don't remember the date details- sorry. It was late because I had planted the other seeds first. They were in full sun, and I watered about every other day. In my opinion the soil was crappy- I will spend the off season amending it and getting ready for next year. They need LOTS of room to sprawl!!!
Jo,
Thanks for the feedback. I'm still working with the fact that most of the vining veggies need "LOTS of room to sprawl". I'm trying to lay out my veggie garden, and want to grow some squash and melons and cukes next year, but I'm concerned about where all these sprawling vines will go. I'm not into that jungle garden look, at least not yet -- not with my new fence!
Where did you plant yours in your neat garden?
They didn't go in my garden at home- it is way too small for any type of squash! That's why I signed up for a plot at the Community garden. And if the other stuff had survived I probably wouldn't have done the butternuts-I just wanted something to make use of the plot. It was supposed to be my corn patch-didn't work out! So from my experience, plan on 5x10' for 3 plants-I will get about 15 squash total-each about 5-6 pounds. That's good in my opinion.
That's REAL good! Thanks!
My landscape design calls for a backward, upside-down "L" shape in the southwest corner for a squash patch. The dimensions are 4x3 on the west side, and 4x? on the south. Here's that corner.
This message was edited Oct 6, 2011 2:42 PM
Looks good- From the looks of my vines they wouldn't adapt to vertical supports- the squash are waaay too heavy! I was surprised that I didn't have any insect problems at all. Maybe it was because the plot was new-?
Yeah, I've been told that as soon as word gets out in the insect kingdom that there's a new "smorgasbord" in the neighborhood, it'll be open season on the veggies!!
And, yeah, I've heard the heavy squash are too heavy for normal vertical supports. Which is why I'm gonna be working on designing some sort of tall, square, wrought iron tower (18x18?) with "shelves" upon which I can place the fruits as the vines wrap around the structure. It won't go anywhere -- certainly won't collapse under the weight!
Those are beautiful squash! I grew butternuts, spaghetti and delicatas this year. The bugs got way more of them than we did, tho we've had a few. Our biggest problem this year was cucumber beetles which spread wilt disease, then the pickleworms (which are apparently a southern thing). Now many of the squash have mildew. I'm amazed that any hung in there as some did. I put nylon socks over the squash trying to keep the bugs out and it worked for awhile. But the pickleworms have figured out how to go through the nylons now. I grew them in a shallow bed, pushed the vines back into the bed, tucked rocks under fruits to keep them off the soil. Quite a few grew on the fence and there's a huge spaghetti squash hanging off my wire fence growing just fine. I got a couple earlier this year like that - they were ~4 pound squashes - I was amazed that the stem didn't break, but they hung in there.
I LOVE butternuts! Tell us how you cook them please!
I read somewhere that the bugs don't like to climb, so that could be why the ones hanging off the fence weren't disturbed.
Yep. A squash tower is on the list...
Linda - the ones on the fence were actually more munched by pickleworms. The eggs are laid by a nocturnal moth. I need burlap sacks I guess. :( I can't wait to see your squash tower!
Butternuts are great cooked any way! I usually slice them in half lengthwise, scoop seeds out, rub with butter,salt & pepper,then bake til tender and scoop out. They can also be peeled, cut into cubes and steamed or boiled. Or stuff with whatever you like and bake. In New England we used them for pies instead of pumpkin.
Here's a link to a photo of a pickleworm
http://www.gardeners.com/Pickleworm/5293,default,pg.html
Some of mine climbed the cattle panel fence last year... only 1-2 fell off (the stems are really tough!), but then I read you can support them with old knee-hi pantyhose tied to the wire grid.
Yep. Cattle panel curcubit tower...
HoneybeeNC, maybe you already saw this, but Calalily gave me this tip on my thread about picking squash: to control the pickleworm, remove the old flower off the growing squash as soon as it can be removed with a gentle tug.
Darius, do you have any photos? Sounds interesting! I'm always looking for vertical ideas-
LiseP! I am going to try that - well, next year- thank you! Those pickleworms truly did in my cucumbers this year - very, very frustrating. They seem to come in waves - I'd see no worms for about a week, then nearly every cucumber more than 1 foot above ground were loaded. I tried using some Neem, but that didn't help much. And I worry about killing the bees...
Jo, my butternuts this year bombed before they got much growth... so no pics on trellis with or without knee-hi's.
Jo, the picture of your squash looks so good. I remember my mom baking them in the oven with butter, cinnamon and sugar. She's a terrible cook but she could cook those. They made the house smell so good.
LiseP - thanks for the tip regarding removing the spent flower blossoms on squash. I didn't know this :)
Hubby is making good headway in the removal of the running bamboo that's taken over part of our back yard. I'm planning to raise squash there next year - they'll have lots of room to roam!