Butternut Squash question

[tommyq1976]

Morning all,

Quick question about these butternut squash plants:


As you can see they're all getting a bit on the big side so do you reckon they're ready to be planted out on the allotment or would I be OK to re-pot them into 10in pots? I'd prefer to grow them in the back garden if possible - seems I get less pest damage at home - so if they can grow to full size in pots it's be much better... I'm tempted to get another couiple of troughs for them if that'd work?

I'm not quite sure of the size of a fully grown squash plant.

Cheers,

[Husker]

Hi Tommy. I can't offer much advice on the repotting ? because I've always planted my seed directly into the garden. The butternuts I've planted vined out 12-15' and went in all directions. They took up alot of space so I've changed to a couple of varieties of bush/semi-bush squash. Your plants look great. Good luck.

[Kio]

I have the same issue, mine are already in 10 inch plant pots and getting big. Nobody on here seemed to have any suggestions so am going to leave them in the pots and see what happens, I only have those 2 that are doing well and so don't want to kill them by transplanting them into the garden, the ones already in the garden have done nothing much at all other than stay alive in an entire month.

[vegetable-gardener]

I always plant mine in the soil. Can't see any problems keeping them in large pots as long as they get watered and fed.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Tom & Kio, where I live butternut squash need a really long growing season to get any fruit off the plants. So I would get your plants either planted out into their final positions or into containers, that need to be at least 10 inches (25cms) in diameter, to give them a chance to grow some butternuts before the first frost. B & Q sell bags of well rotted manure which I use in the containers. I half fill with compost then put a good layer of the well rotted manure in and top with compost. My squashes and courgettes seem to really love this. I decided to plant a couple of butternut squashes in the garden and they did nothing - but I didn't put a shovel full of the well rotted manure in the planting holes. The only problem that I have found growing trailing squashes in containers is that they are heavy plants and the edge of the container where the stem is resting can cause stress to the stem.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Tom, just a quick question - how much of your tomato plant has turned yellow? Because it could be the start of magnesium deficiency.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by tommyq1976

Morning all,

Quick question about these butternut squash plants:

As you can see they're all getting a bit on the big side so do you reckon they're ready to be planted out on the allotment or would I be OK to re-pot them into 10in pots? I'd prefer to grow them in the back garden if possible - seems I get less pest damage at home - so if they can grow to full size in pots it's be much better... I'm tempted to get another couiple of troughs for them if that'd work?

I'm not quite sure of the size of a fully grown squash plant.

Cheers,

Hi Tom

I'm currently growing a variety of squash including Butternut, Winter Squash and Summer Squash. I've grown all 3 varieties from bought seed from Suttons which all germinated easily and grew to seedling plants just like yours. I also planted some seeds straight out of a shop bought squash with the same success.

I recommend you now plant your squashes out in the allotment. It looks like different sqash grow in different ways. The Butternut I planted (the size of yours) has grown in a long snaking line, much like an ivy. It's taken about 3-4 weeks for this. The others have grown upwards from a central clump much like courgettes.

You need to allow for plenty of space because your butternuts will grow anywhere from 2-3 feet long to 5-6 feet long!

I have my butternuts in a very large raised planter. The others which grow upwards like courgettes are in large round pots. If you try to grow your butternut in a pot I think you will have trouble because it will just grown snake like and quickly drop over the side of the pot. A trough might do but it would need to be a big one. Better in the ground I think or grown up a trellis if you can support the heavy weight of the squashes somehow.