Squash Guru needed (Jeannine)

[Plot69]

Help!

Been away for the weekend, first thing I did when I got home was to go into the greenhouse to water.

Arrrrgh!! All my courgettes, butternuts and Pati Pans are flowering. They're not open yet but most if not all have tiny flower buds appearing. What do I do? Leave them for a while or is it safe to plant them out at the allotment? Too cold, borderline or maybe OK?

They're all in 1ltr pots, should I pot them up if it's too cold or will they be OK for a while?

They've all doubled in size since Friday... It's all go this time of year isn't it?

Also  noticed my butternuts are staring to form side shoots, do I let them grow, pinch out after a certain amount or pinch out completely?

If it was a tomato or an onion I'd know what to do.

Thank you.

[Plot69]

[redimp]

I just checked mine and they are still in the seed packet ;D  Sorry, not much help that was it :-[

[Plot69]

Sorry, not much help that was it :-[

Not really what I was looking for, no.

[manicscousers]

just planted 3 squash out under glass cloches, the ground had been warmed before and they are on hot mounds ..ours are self saved seed from our butternut squash last year  ;D

[Plot69]

I've already prepared the mounds for them at the lottie. Plenty of manure underneath each mound. I may just have to chance it.

[cambourne7]

My courgette has a cluster of litle flowers i am hardening them off at the moment from the mini greenhouse and as i am not going to be going to the lotty till monday (providing i can bend down to plant them ;))

We have nice days forcast so it would be good to get them in the ground just got to watch for frosts and cover with fleese and take slug protection.

Cam

[Doris_Pinks]

I just keep potting mine up until I can get them outside....trouble is the bigger the pot, the more space it takes up! ;D

I am in the South East and wouldn't chance putting mine out yet unless well protected, and like Manics, the soil had been warmed, and can be kept warm.

They do grow at an amazing rate, turn your back and they are feet longer! ;)

[redimp]

I'll be a bit more constructive this time.  If you really need to get them out, cut the bottom of some clear plastic juice bottles (at our house, the smallest clear plastic bottles we now buy are 4litres (5 litres if its water)) and place these of the plants as improvised bottle cloches.  I was thinking I might get mine out a week or so early this way and by that I mean mid to late May.

[manicscousers]

my cloches are demijohns with the bottoms cut off, found the tip in wiki on here  ;D

[Plot69]

We have nice days forcast so it would be good to get them in the ground just got to watch for frosts and cover with fleese and take slug protection.

I may just do that. I may hold one of each variety back just in case. I got 975 Sq yds of allotment I'm growing for but my greenhouse is only 1% of that area.

They do grow at an amazing rate, turn your back and they are feet longer!

Your certainly not wrong. I only went away for two days.

[Plot69]

I'll be a bit more constructive this time.  If you really need to get them out, cut the bottom of some clear plastic juice bottles

They're far too big to get in a bottle, bucket maybe but I don't know where to get clear plastic buckets.

[Suzanne]

The 5litre water containers are good for bigger plants - otherwise you maybe investing in the round bell cloches. Or you could try making a frame out of wire or chicken wire and covering with clear plastic if the plants are realy large. I have used this successfully before as temporary cloches.