Topic: How are everyones squashes doing

[gwynnethmary]

very excited today as I discovered that our squash plants have flowers and some are starting to set fruits!  How many should we allow to develop on each plant please.? They are butternuts.  We are complete squash novices!

[tricia]

What circumference can they reach?

No idea GranAnn - but today it is 85 1/2cm (33 3/4 inches on your side of the pond  ;D).

Tricia

[gwynnethmary]

very excited today as I discovered that our squash plants have flowers and some are starting to set fruits!  How many should we allow to develop on each plant please.? They are butternuts.  We are complete squash novices!

Help! someone please!

[Jeannine]

Well done, it is doubly exciting when it is your first one..don't panic.

There is plenty of time to prune if you decide to go that route, some people do, others don't so it is not crucial.

Is the plant a bush or a trailer.

I don't generally prune unless I want something big or the season has been cool and only a few are ripening and I would not prune a bush one personally, but it is a personal choice.

XX Jeannine

[gwynnethmary]

Jeannine

It seems to be trailing, at least it's going out instead of up!  I just wondered if it would have time to grow lots of fruits big enough, if you know what I mean?  It struck me that it might be better employed putting all its energy into growing a couple big enough to eat rather than lots of tiny ones.  We had a lovely spring and early summer, but July has been a bit grey with not much in the way of sunshine, and August looks like its going the same way.  I'm assuming squash need lots of sun to ripen them?

[Jeannine]

If trailing it would be creeping along like a snake, at first just in one direction, it could be quite long by now, then it might branch..If it is a bush type, it will cover an area about 5 foot span and leaves will come from the centre and grow out from all directions.

Do you know the variety and I can tell you.

Don't do anything yet. How big are the fruit and how many?

XX Jeannine

[1066]

well it looks like the Blossom End Rot that my Courgettes were suffering from is over - I picked several nice but smallies yesterday  :)

Oh and the Queensland Blue has finally set some fruit  :) But the plant does seem intent on taking over the paths and next doors plot  :D

I was also thinking its a nice international collection we all have growing - what with the Aussies, French, Italians, Japanese, South African and Americans  :)

[1066]

DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS THREAD WILL BECOME T?HE LONGEST ON THE FORUM BY FALL??

I reckon dan will have to get some extra servers in order for us to all post our pictures in October  :D

[GrannieAnnie]

well it looks like the Blossom End Rot that my Courgettes were suffering from is over - I picked several nice but smallies yesterday  :)

Oh and the Queensland Blue has finally set some fruit  :) But the plant does seem intent on taking over the paths and next doors plot  :D

I was also thinking its a nice international collection we all have growing - what with the Aussies, French, Italians, Japanese, South African and Americans  :)

Our squash in one bed stopped producing little ones for close to a month- now some new are forming but the mat of vines is so intertwined it is impossible to tell whether the new are Crown Prince, Queensland or Confection. Still hoping the borers don't get more of these high-sugar varieties <hope, hope hope>
My cucumbers have only produced two (2!) fruits all summer. How weird.

I agree it is very interesting hearing the international squash updates. Better than the weather reports!

[Wilder]

my courgettes were slow to start but thery are starting to come in nicely now. The Gris de Provence is deffo the best cropper and the disappointments are the patty pans and the yellow ones.
The crown prince and hooligan kindly dinated by members here are huge now and just starting to flower. Hoping to get some fruits before cooler weather starts in!

[gwynnethmary]

If trailing it would be creeping along like a snake, at first just in one direction, it could be quite long by now, then it might branch..If it is a bush type, it will cover an area about 5 foot span and leaves will come from the centre and grow out from all directions.

Do you know the variety and I can tell you.

Don't do anything yet. How big are the fruit and how many?

XX Jeannine

It's a Butternut (free seeds from BBC Dig In project) and it just has a few small fruits, about 2 or 3" long.  That was 3 days ago though, so things might have changed since then!

[Jeannine]

I would leave them for now. 3 inches is fine, I wouldn't worry they still have lots of time, It is amazing ho fast they grow once they get to that stage.XX Jeannine

Just checked my files, that one was a Hunter squash and it will put out vines, it is not a bush type.

[1066]

My cucumbers have only produced two (2!) fruits all summer. How weird.

Now I'm doing ok with these! They stopped producing new flwoers for a couple of weeks when it was really hot and dry but have perked up again. Originally I gave them a load of manure, planted 'em, and watched 'em grow  :P  One new thing for this year was that I used some of that sturdy mesh stuff, bit like chicken wire but plastic coated, and they are growing up and along that. Maybe I hit lucky this year  :)

[GrannieAnnie]

Picked our one and only Queensland today and yesterday a Confection.
Don't ooo and ahh too much because they both probably have borers which killed the stem and the worm may have entered the fruit through the stem end. The queensland was 5 lbs and the Confection 3 lb.

 Purple Pruden Tomato weighing almost 1 1/4 lbs. Most of purple prudens are much smaller- don't know why this became so huge. Strange.

[1066]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  :D
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  :D

Hope the Queensland Blue tastes as good as it looks

Here's 1 of mine today  :-X

[attachment=1]

A mere babe  :)

[GrannieAnnie]

but a good lookin' babe, 1066!

I'm eager to see how it tastes. I read it is supposed to taste very different than other squashes. More "green" or vegetable-like whatever that means.

[Jeannine]

Well done, they look smashing. That rotten borer must be a real pain.

XX Jeannine

[GrannieAnnie]

Well done, they look smashing. That rotten borer must be a real pain.

XX Jeannine

I tried a suggestion to defeat the borers by covering the main plant with aluminium foil.
Have you ever tried wrapping squash vines with aluminium foil!!!? ::) Even cutting it in strips was
hopeless.

I also tried mounding dirt over parts of the vines in hopes they'd root many places so even if part died, some would survive. That seemed to be reasonable and may be why the Crown Prince all of a sudden, after only having one fruit for over a month, has added three more fruits. Maybe all those extra roots to nourish it?

[Jeannine]

I would feel bound to try to out wit it but feel sure it is has all been done.I have wrapped in aluminum foil when a plant has had an accident and the stalk nearly broken through but that is all. I wonder if Saran Wrap might be doable. or the self clinging wrap you buy to put round thread reels to save the thread for tangling, that is only a couple of inches wide.

I think I would go after it with a preadatory  nematode personally.

It is something I need to eduacate myself about really as I know very little about the problems in some areas. It is on my list of to do's actually.whenever...whenever...

So pleased I don't have that problem.

XX Jeannine

[lottiedolly]

I am so pleased to see that queensland blues start out green, i was getting worried that i had mixed up some seeds. My winter bush squash has just started to fruit but looks suspiciously like a little pattypan????? i think i may have mixed up the labels on some plant pots  :o

Jeannine, my friend that has given me the crook neck squash showed me what she grew last year and when young they seem to be a courgette type of squash and then you can keep growing them and they fill out and grow a hard skin and can then be stored as a winter squash. Now, i am ready to try anything once so nothing ventured nothing gained as they say, if it does not work then "thats growing for you".  ;)

Kxx