Virtually overnight, my beautiful fat ButterNuts are developing huge splits down the entire fruit. Is it something to do with the long drought followed by heavy showers??? My only recourse will be to harvest the split ones and freeze the flesh....Not Fair... :'(
I've just found a split right down my enormous, beloved and only butternut, I shall have to pick it but it isn't ripe yet & I really don't want to waste it. What did you do DB. Will it sort of 'heal' over or will it rot? :'(
I think it will go mouldy. What a shame. I do believe it is the sudden rain we have had. My melon split, but it was incredibly ripe also so it was okay, we scoffed it.
Eat it.
A week ago I picked two BNS which have long splits in them. They are ripening on the floor in front of my patio windows where they are getting a good dose of sun each day. There is no sign of them going mouldy - in fact they are beginning to get that soft creamy/beige colour which denotes a ripe squash. So they will soon be joining two others which ripened very early and are now hanging in nets in the shed. I have 5 more which are on vines that have died back, so they'll have to be picked soon. Then I have three humongous green ones on one plant which were fertilised very late and just don't seem to realise that they should be ripening instead of still growing ::). The vine is still vigorous, though all growing tips have been cut off. They will be left to get on with it for a few more weeks. Luckily, here in the south-west there isn't much chance of an early frost. 8)
Tricia
They won't keep with splits in them, so eat them pretty soon.