cab
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Whats the best butternut?This year I've got two butternut varieties (rugosa and harrier). And one squash from four plants.
Not a catastrophe, I've got another 64 other squashes and pumpkins ripening in the living room, more than ample to see us through till next summer when the courgettes reach glut! But its a disappointing harvest of butternuts.
Got a few more forming on the plants; two more for certain, and a few baby squashes too.
The problem with butternuts has been that they're getting fertilised, starting to grow, and simply rotting. Hasn't happened with any of the other squashes.
Whats going wrong with the butternuts, and whats the most reliable variety?
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Bebo
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I've grown cobnut this year and have got somewhere between 15 and 20 fruit on three plants.
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Behemoth
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Cobnut for the first time this year. About six off three plants. Pumpkins and squashes seem to have been a bit slow this year.
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marigold
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I read somewhere recently that butternut squash need a long hot growing season, so don't do particularly well in the UK. There are some UK varieties that may do better - google "rhs butternut squash trial" for a pdf with varieties they tested.
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cab
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Cheers guys 
I wonder where I went wrong with harrier?
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ros
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I have 2 butternuts from 3 plants  - they were Duchy original seeds someone bought me as a present - off to check out that RHS site -thanks
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Bebo
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Must admit, 6 weeks ago I didn't think that we were going to get more than one or two. They've come on really fast over the last few weeks, but most are nowhere near ripe yet.
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Pete
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Re: Whats the best butternut? | cab wrote: | This year I've got two butternut varieties (rugosa and harrier). And one squash from four plants.
Not a catastrophe, I've got another 64 other squashes and pumpkins ripening in the living room, more than ample to see us through till next summer when the courgettes reach glut! But its a disappointing harvest of butternuts.
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Blimey when did you harvest yours then ?
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Kinnopio
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I grew cobnut last year and was really pleased with the results - incredibly tasty and very sweet. i've grown hunter this year, similar yield but not as sweet IMO.
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cab
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Re: Whats the best butternut? | Pete wrote: |
Blimey when did you harvest yours then ? |
First ones harvested in July, still harvesting now. As they get to a size I want they come off the plant and go in front of the French windows to ripen, then up in to the spare room to store.
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Pete
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Re: Whats the best butternut? | cab wrote: | | Pete wrote: |
Blimey when did you harvest yours then ? |
First ones harvested in July, still harvesting now. As they get to a size I want they come off the plant and go in front of the French windows to ripen, then up in to the spare room to store. |
Do they still keep as well if you don't let them ripen on the vine ?
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cab
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Re: Whats the best butternut? | Pete wrote: |
Do they still keep as well if you don't let them ripen on the vine ? |
So long as they've started to ripen, I've observed on difference in storage. So if the stem holding the squash to the plant has started to dry out and the colour is starting to change, even a little I tend to get it in. They continue to ripen just fine, and I usually manage to keep squashes in store until the next summer (this year until the end of July).
The trick is to keep them cool but not ever exposed to frost; our spare room (two outside walls and the heating turned off) does just fine for squashes, as well as garlic and shallots. And, obviously, eat them in order that they'll spoil; marrows and some of the fat pumpkins first, then spaghetti squash and the drier pumpkins, butternuts and other bigger squashes mostly next, and of the acorn type squashes such as my favourite 'celebration' seem to last longest.
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