General Chat

Does anyone know the secret of growing these, or is it just luck?

Some months ago I bought a small plant at a sale and planted it in the garden. It's growing really well and spreading as I expected it to and has many flower buds and has had several flowers, but I can see no squashes forming.

We live in south east England where temperatures are generally mild. In the hotter weather I watered the plant and it has at all times looked really healthy.

What am I doing wrong?
I'm no gardener, but would like to improve.

Advice please.......

Gwyn

Hello Gwyn, my cousin stuck four plants in (in the South East) and pretty much left them alone. They now cover a huge area and there is so much of the damned things we all keep getting given them. So that's no help to you at all really is it - probably luck or perhaps you need two of them?

Morning Gwen in Kent. The person you need to speak to is Wend. She gave advice on here earlier in the year when I asked a similar question to yourself. I planted one, which has one fruit on. A gallon of soup this will not make LOL
Julia in Derbyshire

Where did you buy the plant? is my first question.

If you bought it at a garden center all well and good, but if you bought it from someones gateway on the side of the road they may have saved seed from one and planted that to sell the plants. All pumpkins and squashes are bred for their good types and flavour. They don't grow true from saved seed.

I have one plants in my tunnel and have had six fruits from it already.

They need a goodish soil with organic matter added of some kind of fertiliser. I feed mine with tomato fert. during the growing season as this promotes flowers both male and female. Instead of letting the fruits get to big this year I cut them off when they were a good size and put them on a dry surface out of the rain and in the sun.

There are quite a lot of different species even in a Butternut squash and you need an F1 type seed.

I have a fruit in my kitchen that was from a plant last year.

Mel

I always grow mine from packet of seed - they are not that easy, and I normally only get about 2 to germinate out of a packet of 6 seeds.Two plants went in this year and I've got several fruits. Once they are established, they do quite well. It does sound like your plant may have been grown from 'duff' seed.

Morning all - I'm here! Julia, I can't remember for the life of me what advice I gave about butternut squash, because I'm not really an expert. I think you're a far more experienced veggie grower than me. However, I have tried growing them in my garden in the past and didn't have much success - just a couple of fruit per plant. This year, having acquired an allotment, I decided to try them there and planted seeds taken from a supermarket squash in a raised bed filled with good compost and manure and covered with that black membrane stuff, and the results have been outstanding. Loads of large fruit, which at the moment are pale green, but slowly turning yellow. I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, as they say. Having read Mel's advice, I shall have to see. Meanwhile, I'd better get over to my allotment to pick a few I think and hope for some sunshine to ripen them up.

By the way, Julia, how did your Pak Choi turn out? Mine bolted very quickly and the same thing happened to several people's on the allotment. I usually listen to Gardener's Question Time and apparently it's been a problem for many this year because of the hot weather (we did have some if you remember!) They advised to sow the seed either very early in the spring or in the autumn, so I'm going to have another go with them now.

Also, could you tell me if now is the time to harvest sweetcorn, because mine look ready. Thanks, Wendy

Edit to say 'Afternoon all' - just seen the time!

Hello Wend, this is for you when you get back from the allotment.
Yes, my Pak Choi bolted also.
We have not had a very good year on our allotment site for everybody. As usual, too much sun and not enough rain, at the appropriate time. Sound like a farmer, don't I. As to your sweetcorn, like everything else if YOU think they are ready for picking, then pick them. It is your own judgement that decides. We have some Borlotti beans on the cusp at the moment, and OH is watching them like a hawk.
It has been a bumper year for Blackberries and Elderberries, here. I am going to try making some Elderflower Cordial next year, for the first time. OH picked loads of Blackberries, and the freezer is well packed with them.
I think tomorrow, not to be outdone, I'll buy a few Butternut Squash and make soup for the freezer.
Happy Harvesting
Julia in Derbyshire

My beans (runner and french) were not good this year, but my carrots have been great! My pak choi got nibbled by something - not sure what, just loads of tiny pinprick holes in the leaves.

For anyone interested, this is quite a tasty soup recipe. Don't know if it can be frozen though.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP


Prep. Time 20 mins/cooking time 30 mins


2 chopped onions
3tbsps. Butter
500g butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 chopped apple
3 tbsps. Flour
1 tsp. curry powder
Pinch nutmeg
750ml chicken/vegetable stock
400ml milk
Juice and rind of 1 orange
Pinch sugar, seasoning, cream and chopped parsley for decoration


Soften onion in butter
Add squash and apple and fry for a few minutes
Remove from heat, add flour, curry powder and nutmeg. Stir well slowly and add stock, milk and orange
Return to heat and bring to boil
Simmer gently for 20 minutes until squash is tender
Blend in a liquidiser until smooth, add pinch sugar and season well

Serve with a swirl of cream and chopped parsley

Thanks, Julia. I haven't been to my allotment this afternoon, as had to prepare for my daughter coming down to stay for a few days with the kiddiwinks. Other types of beds to deal with, etc. They've just arrived, so I'm off to get into 'Nana' mode now, playing hide 'n' seek, doing puzzles, reading stories, changing nappies etc. - all good fun!

Wend. Good luck with entertaining the troops, and thanks for the recipe. Will give this version a try on Saturday when I do all my cooking for the freezer.
Take care
Julia in Derbyshire

Thank you for all the great replies....and recipe!

The plant was bought at a church fete, so not sure of it's pedigree, but I'll have a go at feeding it, although it had garden compost dug into the bed before planting.
There's time enough yet for it to produce something I guess.
I've not seen any bees around, perhaps that's part of the problem?

Gwyn

My hubby picks the male flower and rubs it all over the female.
He thinks that the bees are not to keen.

Ah...Thank you..maybe that's the answer...!


Gwyn

Guess what?..... There is a squash forming.!
It's small at the moment, but it's a start.

Patience is a virtue.............

Gwyn

Oh Gwen I am so pleased for you. A baby at last!!

I had one plant this year as the fruits grew to a good size I cut them off and put them on black poly. in the tunnel. So far from my one plant I have had 10 fruits.

The plant was grown in the tunnel in ground that had no manure added but a handful of growm*re. Fed with tomato fert. in well water. I have never cut the fruits off before but by doing this it just seemed to go on producing even though it had that white mould on the leaves. I must admit that I had two lots of twins with this plant. Both grew from two flowers on one leaf joint. Never had that before.

I did the same with a pumpkin also grown in the tunnel. Three good sized fruits cut off and mellowing with the squash and now it has three more fruit developing.

Don't give up Gwen, just make sure you buy fresh seed next year and when you sow them put them on their edge so they don't lay in water. Also make sure it is a F1 seed.

Happy growing!!

Mel x