Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Jayb on July 16, 2015, 13:29:18
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I didn't plant mine out until the 18th of June and after a slow start with the weather being so cold the plants are now coming on alright. But they do seem very slow to start flowering and so far only male flowers except for the variety Bylinka which is currently the star of the show and each plant has a couple of little fruits forming. Also butternut Sonka had its first female flowers yesterday and some more today. Hopefully the start of many!
Baby Bylinka
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i aint really checked on mine ill take a peak tomorrow and post some picks the cold nights in june did hold them back and as this is the dryest part of the country no rain and chilli nights dont do well for squashes must check and have a look
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I also didn't plant my squash out until June and they are really only just getting going really. Some are flowering but haven't put on much leafy growth as yet. Hopefully they will appreciate all the muck they have been planted in!
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I was about to ask the same thing Jayb! But my plants are behaving the opposite to yours :BangHead:. I'm growing Winter and Waltham butternuts and Autumn Crown and all three varieties have produced several female flowers but as yet not a single male. Such a shame as I don't think there are any veggie plots in the neighbourhood, let alone anyone growing squashes so it will be a miracle if any of them have been fertilized. The Winter squash plants have female embryos at almost every leaf axle but very few male buds. We've had very little rain here - it's just been very dull and overcast so I've been watering twice a week. The plants are growing like mad - I'm already taking out the growing tips where they have reached the top of the obelisks! Must take a look at last year's photos to see if they are as far behind as I think they are.
Tricia :wave:
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planted mine (butternut) late may frost hit them so killed them off i resowed and an allotment friend gave me some of his spares there coming on abit now about 4 ft long and getting some flowers starting to form no fruit yet tho
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I was about to ask the same thing Jayb! But my plants are behaving the opposite to yours :BangHead:. I'm growing Winter and Waltham butternuts and Autumn Crown and all three varieties have produced several female flowers but as yet not a single male. Such a shame as I don't think there are any veggie plots in the neighbourhood, let alone anyone growing squashes so it will be a miracle if any of them have been fertilized. The Winter squash plants have female embryos at almost every leaf axle but very few male buds. We've had very little rain here - it's just been very dull and overcast so I've been watering twice a week. The plants are growing like mad - I'm already taking out the growing tips where they have reached the top of the obelisks! Must take a look at last year's photos to see if they are as far behind as I think they are.
Tricia :wave:
Snap I'm growing a couple of Waltham butternuts and Autumn Crown :toothy10:
It's wackie isn't it. Although I planted out at the same time my butternuts and other moschata are a little behind the winter squash, most haven't started flowering yet, except for the Sonka squash, I think there are 4 or 5 of them and they all have only had female flowers, luckily I have managed to find a couple of male flowers to hand pollinate the first few flowers, fingers crossed for them. But now there doesn't look like there will be any male flowers on any of them for a while, what a waste!
With the winter squash, only Bylinka has had female flowers - no males, everything else has been male all the way!
Let us know how this years are comparing to last years.
I also didn't plant my squash out until June and they are really only just getting going really. Some are flowering but haven't put on much leafy growth as yet. Hopefully they will appreciate all the muck they have been planted in!
Mine just sat for a little while as it was still quite cold when they went out. I bet they are going to be having a party very soon :icon_cheers: I've really noticed a difference these last few days, I think for mine they must be liking this wet muggy weather.
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planted mine (butternut) late may frost hit them so killed them off i resowed and an allotment friend gave me some of his spares there coming on abit now about 4 ft long and getting some flowers starting to form no fruit yet tho
Sorry you lost your earlier sowings, it's always a bit of a gamble when to sow/plant. Sounds like your second sowing are about where mine are now.
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I forget, I think my squash went out in late May. I have some little fruits forming but only one female flower has opened so far - also with no males open. :(
My plants look really good though, to my inexperienced eyes. 6 are in straw bales, 4 in a manure heap. I have Amber Cup, Georgia Candy Roaster, Potimarron, Black Futsu, Thelma Sanders, and a mystery maxima from seeds I saved years ago but didn't label (I suppose they could have been from a supermarket pumpkin or something) which will be a complete surprise.
I think I've only attempted to grow winter squash once before - Burgess Buttercup, which really didn't do well - so this is all quite new to me. It'd be lovely to get a nice harvest for the winter.
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Well the plants are doing well but there isn't much fruit - got one massive plant but it is yet to produce anything to eat..
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I've not had a single flower yet on squash, courgette or outdoor cucumber. I'm still hopeful for the courgette and cucumber, but I can't see any squash managing to ripen if they even appear. There's always next year....I'm seriously considering a polytunnel, I presume that would help...
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On the other hand my courgettes have gone nuts! Must have had 20-30 already off 2 plants.
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ok as promised i had a look today and there doing good around a dozen the size of the butternut in pic and around 30 or so smaller the red kuri around 4 the pic size and another 8 or so smaller
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Courgettes and pumpkins are getting going now but the only two butternuts I managed to germinate are looking very sad.
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I did 2 sowings - one in April and one in late May/early June. The later plants look much better than the earlier ones, but don't have fruit on yet.
From the early ones I've got a few fruits already coming: 1 Shishigatani, 3 Black Futsu, 1 Burgess Buttercup, 3 Berretina Piacentina, 3 Small Sugar, 4 Potimarron and 1 Marina di Chioggia. On top of that I also have BNS, Iran, Geraumon Martinique, Sweet Dumpling, Jarrahdale, Flat White and Tromba di Albenga coming along nicely. 22 plants in total.
Melons are doing really well outside too - I have 4 watermelons set, and the Kajari melons don't look that far behind.
While it makes up for some of my failures this year so far, I'm a bit scared of this Autumn's harvest...
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had a look through them today potentially 4 butternut fruits growing think one has definitely been pollinated
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I have harvested 1x courgette from Green Bush. The Harrier butternut squash are about 3ft length, plenty of green but no squash yet. Last year Butterboy was my first real success with butternut squash. The plants this year a very healthy green about 2ft diameter and they certainly look ahead of Harrier. All 5 plants were planted outside in June with 1/3rd of a barrow of manure dug under each. No flowers yet though but doing really well.
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ok as promised i had a look today and there doing good around a dozen the size of the butternut in pic and around 30 or so smaller the red kuri around 4 the pic size and another 8 or so smaller
They look good, way ahead of mine :happy7: What variety of butternut are you growing?
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I did 2 sowings - one in April and one in late May/early June. The later plants look much better than the earlier ones, but don't have fruit on yet.
From the early ones I've got a few fruits already coming: 1 Shishigatani, 3 Black Futsu, 1 Burgess Buttercup, 3 Berretina Piacentina, 3 Small Sugar, 4 Potimarron and 1 Marina di Chioggia. On top of that I also have BNS, Iran, Geraumon Martinique, Sweet Dumpling, Jarrahdale, Flat White and Tromba di Albenga coming along nicely. 22 plants in total.
Melons are doing really well outside too - I have 4 watermelons set, and the Kajari melons don't look that far behind.
While it makes up for some of my failures this year so far, I'm a bit scared of this Autumn's harvest...
Love your list :glasses9:
Is Berretina Piacentina the one from Seeds of Italy? They look scrummy http://www.seedsofitaly.com/PUMPKIN_BERRETTINA_PIACENTINA/p1834925_8313226.aspx
Thanks for the lovely seeds, Portimarron and Black Futsu I'm growing are looking good, both are growing well, just waiting for some fruits! I think Black Futsu will be a little while yet.
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I've been harvesting these over the last 2 weeks. Plus there are other courgette's which are still growing.
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Love your list :glasses9:
Is Berretina Piacentina the one from Seeds of Italy? They look scrummy http://www.seedsofitaly.com/PUMPKIN_BERRETTINA_PIACENTINA/p1834925_8313226.aspx
Thanks for the lovely seeds, Portimarron and Black Futsu I'm growing are looking good, both are growing well, just waiting for some fruits! I think Black Futsu will be a little while yet.
They are - I have plenty of seeds if you want to try them. Seeds of Italy are so generous with theirs.
The Black Futsus are in the sunniest spot on my plot and get regular encouragement to go visit all the lovely free rambling space under the sweetcorn. I hope they do well for you. :) One of my Potimarrons has developed a split stem so I don't think I will get more than one fruit from that vine.
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I get more frustrated every day :BangHead:. Yesterday, two male flowers opened but were full of rain water so the five female flowers (equally full of water) couldn't benefit. This morning, in bright sunshine, seven more female flowers are hoping in vain to be pollinated since there are no male flowers open. I'm beginning to think that I won't get any squashes this year. So far I have removed a dozen or so yellowed and rotting baby squashes from my 5 plants and have, as yet, not a single one that has been pollinated :crybaby2:. Oh well! At least my water butts are full again after all that rain :icon_cheers:.
Tricia
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Yesterday, two male flowers opened but were full of rain water
Perhaps you need some little umbrellas over the flowers. :toothy2:
My tromba d'albenga are on a takeover bid. :icon_cheers: The plants are becoming huge. So far some small little squashes are forming. About an inch long :icon_cheers: But no flowers open yet. I hope the rain will get them swelling. No t d'a last year they got slugged. So gone overboard this year and they are all taking off though the mole got one. Hoping for enough for six or seven winter months until the courgettes start.
Put about four slug pellets in each plastic bottle cloche, seems to have done the trick.
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not a single butternut flower yet, healthy good plants. courgettes are steady and cucumber has started producing
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Well the Kuri are going nuts now - huge plants and plenty of fruit. However the Walnut (BNS) are small with no fruit at all but then I always think I am not going to get any off the BNS plants. They can be very late so we will see - they still have time.
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Earlier on in the year I posted a thread on how I was going to use the huge mound of weeds and stuff that came off of my new plot. The idea was to cover the mountain in black plastic, then cut holes, sink bottomless buckets into it, then plant them with cucumbers, squash and courgettes. All the Harry Enfields joined in the chorus 'You don't want to do that'. Well the plants have gone mad, the neighbours are pretending not to be in when I walk up their paths with carrier bags in my hands.
On the other hand because of illness I could not manure the bottom of the old plot, so it was left in a lumpy old clay mess. I put the rest of the plants in it just for ground cover really. The courgettes and cucumbers are just flowers, but the pumpkins and squash are producing well with good size fruits.
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17 courgettes harvested so far - 1 each from Black Beauty, Tondo du Piacenza and Gold Rush, and the rest from two Temprano de Argelia. I'll definitely grow Temprano again, it tastes really nice too.
Struggled to get Rugoso Friulana to germinate, and while I got a plant eventually it's well behind the others, not even flowering yet. Three Scallop plants are just starting to throw up male flowers but no sign of fruits.
As for winter squash, I have Amber Cup, Black Futsu, Georgia Candy Roaster, Uchiki Kuri, Thelma Sanders and a mystery maxima variety from some seeds I saved but didn't label. Most have several fruits now, with huge leaves and really long stems. I'm looking forward to autumn!
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Two butternut from sarah raven seeds. Nice spreading healthy plants but not a single flower. Mind you this has happened in previous years and suddenly I get squashes, depends on the sun for the rest of summer. Frustrating but not the end of the world
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The courgettes have kicked in, but the rest are very slow to get going... all of August yet so not too worried yet! :wave:
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They are - I have plenty of seeds if you want to try them. Seeds of Italy are so generous with theirs.
The Black Futsus are in the sunniest spot on my plot and get regular encouragement to go visit all the lovely free rambling space under the sweetcorn. I hope they do well for you. :) One of my Potimarrons has developed a split stem so I don't think I will get more than one fruit from that vine.
Thank you I'd love to, but I'm trying to be firm and grow some of the older seeds I have next year, trouble is good intentions often go straight out the window when it comes to trying new varieties!
I've several fruits on my Potimarrons now as far as I can tell, it's getting a bit of a jungle where they are! Black Futsu have lots of baby female flowers which have just started opening :blob7:
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I get more frustrated every day :BangHead:. Yesterday, two male flowers opened but were full of rain water so the five female flowers (equally full of water) couldn't benefit. This morning, in bright sunshine, seven more female flowers are hoping in vain to be pollinated since there are no male flowers open. I'm beginning to think that I won't get any squashes this year. So far I have removed a dozen or so yellowed and rotting baby squashes from my 5 plants and have, as yet, not a single one that has been pollinated :crybaby2:. Oh well! At least my water butts are full again after all that rain :icon_cheers:.
Tricia
If you are still having only a few male flowers, (my butternuts have only produced I think 4 or 5 males so far and that must be from about 20+ plants!) you could try tying some flowers shut as if you were for hand pollinating, it keeps them dry inside for when there is a break in the clouds and you have a chance to dab a little pollen about or if bees are working they can do their stuff once the flowers are untied.
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Courgettes are cropping well now, I harvested nine from four plants yesterday and have started to train them vertically up canes now. The squash seem to have suddenly produced fruits, and although small are growing fast....
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I tried that Jayb, but for some reason my squash plants just don't want to play ball this year :BangHead:. There are now plenty of both male and female flowers each day and even though I have also tried hand pollinating I'm still removing most of the butternut and all of the Autumn Crown babies after a few days when they turn yellow and soft. So far, I can only see three butternuts that are growing well (three plants) - but no AC's at all on my two plants. I'm just not having a very good year with my veggies. Apart from a few Crimson Crush I have yet to harvest a ripe tomato!
Tricia :wave:
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Mine are now doing so well I have a plant that is producing those small patti pan things. Strange cos I never planted any.
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Courgettes have slowed down a bit. Still no flowers opening on the squashes. All the rain has disappeared from the forecasts this week which is a pity. Pumpkins plants now getting bigger but no sign of a pumpkin.
Long white courgette produced one really long one most of a foot long but still quite slim, but I think it must have exhausted itself because now all its flowers are males.
I planted some pattipan and they did not come up, so perhaps its one of mine. :tongue3:
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My pattypans aren't even really flowering yet, but some of the courgettes are kicking into gear now. I'm getting swamped already!
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I tried that Jayb, but for some reason my squash plants just don't want to play ball this year :BangHead:. There are now plenty of both male and female flowers each day and even though I have also tried hand pollinating I'm still removing most of the butternut and all of the Autumn Crown babies after a few days when they turn yellow and soft. So far, I can only see three butternuts that are growing well (three plants) - but no AC's at all on my two plants. I'm just not having a very good year with my veggies. Apart from a few Crimson Crush I have yet to harvest a ripe tomato!
Tricia :wave:
How dry is your soil? My squash plants are aborting some their fruit because I am struggling to keep the ground moist enough for them to sustain them all. Just a thought.
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Wow, what a difference in just 3 weeks! Everything has gone mad :toothy10:
I can only get close enough to see the plants around the edges, happily most of the maxima's look to be setting fruit, some of the butternuts too :icon_cheers:
The 3 Walthams haven't even had (as far as I can tell) a female flower yet. I won't be trying to grow them again, it seems two years on a trot they aren't performing at all.
Sonka on the other hand have some decent size fruit growing, the plants are trailing everywhere now, the leaves have a silvery pattern on them which makes them easy to spot amongst the others. I'm looking forward to trying these later on.
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My courgettes started really well and were quite prolific, however almost overnight the leaves have turned brown and brittle, the many fruits still on the plant have turned half black and drop straight off when touched. I presume this is a watering issue
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Big pumpkins being their usual mischievous selves.... after last years epic of three of us straining to get get a 173 pounder into the van I had the cunning idea of putting a pallet under each of my set fruit (in fact I plated the area around the baby plants when they went out with pumpkins and trained them over them in hope).... so what have the buggers done?.... that's it they've grown into the pallets... they're stuck and moulding themselves around their carriers..... think I freed two of them, but the biggest (sigh) is stuck fast....the courgettes are stunted by the weather we had but seem to be keeping ahead of my ability to eat them, the winter festival squash seem to be a bit Januarine.... one is a massive spreading monstrosity covered in fruit, the other one is being polite, and seems to be making fruit, then making them big, then making another one... the big, spur-of-the-moment marrow is big and getting bigger .... hopefully show-bound in mid-september...
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I bought new Butternut squash seeds this year can`t remember from where or name as pkt is in the lotty shed ,,,, their growing well and have fruit but they are round, is that usual for them to start round then become the proper shape later.... as i cant remember them doing so in previous years
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Shape does vary a bit for butternuts, here's some of mine with different shapes, Barbara F1, Hunter F1 - they are quite blocky shaped and Tiana F1.
But I wonder if yours are Autumn Crown? http://www.dobies.co.uk/Garden/Vegetables/Vegetable+Seeds/Squash+Seeds/Squash+Autumn+Crown+F1+Seeds_438706.htm
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Big pumpkins being their usual mischievous selves.... after last years epic of three of us straining to get get a 173 pounder into the van I had the cunning idea of putting a pallet under each of my set fruit (in fact I plated the area around the baby plants when they went out with pumpkins and trained them over them in hope).... so what have the buggers done?.... that's it they've grown into the pallets... they're stuck and moulding themselves around their carriers..... think I freed two of them, but the biggest (sigh) is stuck fast....the courgettes are stunted by the weather we had but seem to be keeping ahead of my ability to eat them, the winter festival squash seem to be a bit Januarine.... one is a massive spreading monstrosity covered in fruit, the other one is being polite, and seems to be making fruit, then making them big, then making another one... the big, spur-of-the-moment marrow is big and getting bigger .... hopefully show-bound in mid-september...
Oops, funny I was thinking of putting something under mine, wouldn't have thought they would grow into a pallet!!!
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My squash are also behaving oddly......not much leafy growth, but many more fruits than I usually get! I have made a concerted effort to water them thoroughly, giving them a really good soak with a watering can full once a week, and they are all planted in a pile of well rotted manure. Some of the smaller ones have already changed colour! I've never had this happen before so early......
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I had 3 flowers ready to pop open this morning and it was :BangHead: :BangHead: raining.
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Getting some nice big Tromba. The plants are getting quite big, seems to be a race to see which plant gets to the edge of the plot first.
They had a bucket full of manure each to start with and then a large pot of compost (not potting compost the real thing) beside each plant. I found this on a US site about growing zucchini and it seems to work well. Unfortunately I cannot find the site again.
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With our warmer sunnier summer this year, and not much rain (except storms every now and again) our Waltham squash have done really well. They started late, with no help from me as we were in UK for a month), some planted out as small plants on the manure heap, others just sown direct. I've no idea how many plants I ended up with therefore, possibly a dozen. Despite their late start they have romped along, the first flowers appearing end July, and now there are at least 60 fruit, most of them much larger this year!! I don't water them, just leave them to get on with it. The last two weeks I have cut loads of shoots back as I don't want any more to form!
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As far as I can see, I have only five butternuts maturing on two plants - none on the Waltham - maybe four on one of two Autumn Crown plants, but none on the other. Very poor showing! The rain has stopped so I've been out removing lots of shoots in the hope that the remaining females will get pollinated tomorrow (sun is forecast!). I've lost count of the number of aborted and yellowed fruit I've removed over the past few weeks. :BangHead:. I tried hand pollinating with a soft paint brush after tieing the flowers closed, but obviously that didn't work very well. Oh well - I guess I won't be distributing squashes from an over-abundance this year.
Tricia :wave:
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had a count up today before the rain started got around 30 butternuts from 5 plants most around the 2 kilo mark another 2 are massive 3 kilo plus i reckon so they are not as good as last year but i did have 15 plants but got 211 1 kilo to 3 kilo squashes so yes its been a poor year
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not been worth it this year. 4 butternut on two healthy plants. Not bothering next year on my small plot I can get better value for the space
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As long as they all mature and none of them fall off I will have:
4 small black futsus, 1 shishigatani (off 2 plants!), 1 berretina piacentina, 4 sweet dumpling, 2 flat whites, 1 jarrahdale (again, 2 plants), 2 geraumon martinique, 1 marina di chioggia, 1 tiny not worth it burgess buttercup, 2 trombas, 3 potimarron
Most of them are much smaller than they should be, there is only usually one per plant (22 plants!) and no butternuts at all on the plants. It's been a dismal year for them, like Tricia I've had umpteen aborted fruits. I was hoping to be giving lots away, but that's just enough for us over winter.
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If I had a small plot I wouldn't bother with cucurbits at all I think, pumpkins are a decoration at the size I grow them, and winter squash take up way too much space for what in a bad year will be a disappointing yield.... thankful that I have space
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yes I agree with the disappointment.I have done my planting plan for next year and am leaving squash out altogether. Cheap enough to buy if I want one and if I am very very honest with myself, I never go `wow I have a squash to eat` nutritionally good and keep well but I don`t really like them.
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Bit frustrated my tromba are rotting at the end, so they will not keep.
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Squash was a bit of a pointless thing until I discovered naan loaf... now I need plenty of squash to make the curried roast squash soup that I eat with the most delicious bread I have created...
ANd it's pretty easy.... replace the water in a normal bread mix with milk and add some yoghurt, butter instead of oil and plenty of black onion seeds and cumin seeds, otherwise treat as normal bread..... it is like eating a well made white loaf but it tastes like naan bread.... perfect with curried soups, and there's few as simple as cream of curried roast squash...
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yes I agree with the disappointment.I have done my planting plan for next year and am leaving squash out altogether. Cheap enough to buy if I want one and if I am very very honest with myself, I never go `wow I have a squash to eat` nutritionally good and keep well but I don`t really like them.
Mebbe you've just not found the right ones for you? I am working through a huge list and so far have found a few that are amazingly like chestnuts or hazelnuts and they are being grown year on year. For me they are worth the risk of a short season.
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I've had a lot of aborted squash fruits too. It's weird, because there's been lots of bees buzzing around.
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Mine have been aborting prior to opening. After much googling I've put it down to temps or moisture issues or a combination of both. :BangHead:
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yesterday saw my first ripe butternut of the year yippy :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:
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It was very cold this morning so I hope they will not mind too much,
I am now hoping that this return to warmer weather will get them excited. There are a huge number of small female flowers, just not sure there is enough time to get them mature. If not lots of immature ones to eat in November.
I hated last winter without any tromba. I left some gently frying, and they make delicious crisps. I have given up on butternut, skin too hard. I either seem to get nothing or a huge thing most of which gets wasted.
Looks like I will have to go and water.
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I think I might cliche mine tomorrow, been outside tonight and it feels very chilly!
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The squash I planted are all sorts of shapes, some plants have loads on some just one or two. Pumpkins have started to colour, but not very large which suites me as they are really just for the kids at Halloween. Courgettes are slowing down, fed up with them now anyway, but the ridge cucumbers have gone mad after the rainy period. Found a recipe for cucumber, ginger and vanilla jam so they will be in the pot soon.
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pumpkins doing ok
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17 courgettes harvested so far - 1 each from Black Beauty, Tondo du Piacenza and Gold Rush, and the rest from two Temprano de Argelia. I'll definitely grow Temprano again, it tastes really nice too
Hi
Silverleaf ,I have tried to find T de Argelia in the UK but can only see a seller in Spain. Can I ask where you found them.
Everyone, I am torn re whether to try Butternut again....in wet Wales...Harrier or Waltham?
Thanks all :)
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I think they were from the Seed Circle (2014) "Temprano de Argelia – (translates to ‘Early of Algiers’) courgette. An early green courgette, which did well in the garden and was productive. Seed was from Jeannine’s parcel." http://seedsaverscircle.org/seed-circle/a4a-seed-saver-group-2014/
I'm not very far from you, Barbara F1 did well last year, nice large fruits too. Also productive was Sonka and Tiana F1. Harrier produced several good fruits but not as many as the others listed. Waltham produced a lot of leaf here and only a few smallish fruits towards the end of Summer.
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Sorry missed your reply JayB, thanks for that. I've planted some Harrier...so will see how they do. I'll keep those varieties you mention in mind next year.