posted
First time I planted butternut. Think it was a great success even thou it took over our front door. Question - when is the best time to harvest?
Plants: 2 | From: Mass | Registered: Sep 2003
| Seeded: 209.122.233.211
posted
Hello Charley M. It seems to me I'm a bit behind in my greetings, been a bit under the weather the beginning of the week, but I'd like to Welcome You to The Garden Helpers Forum. We're glad you found us. We have alot of very knowledgable gardeners here, all quite able to help you, I'm sure one will be coming around. And there's a bunch of nice people to chat with on the chat's and banter hall, so, don't forget to visit there and go to the Welcome Wagon, and introduce yourself, we'd love to hear from you again!!!
Now, to your question. Funny you should post that question, I tried growing that same vegetable this year for my father~in~law, that built my beautiful raise vegetable beds, but the darn 6 pk was mismarked and ended up with another 6pk of acorn squash, course, he likes those too, but for 3 years now, he's been saying, I really like butternut squash. I will grow it for him next year, by hook or by crook!!!
Now, from what I remember they look like in the stores, they are a creamy tan, cream, light~pale brown color.... And they are the size of a small football????? (alright, an hour glass shaped football!!!! Would that be about right for you? How big are they now? I'd pick the ones, that were first developed from the beginning of the vine, they'll be the oldest. The ones at the tips, will be the newest!!! I understand they are very long keepers, I have the acorn until Novemeber and December Holidays dinners!!!
Please, let us know all about your adventures in gardening. keep us posted. Weezie
Stick around someone else maybe able to give you a bit more information than I did.
You had them around your front door/????? Were you still able to get in the front door?
Our neighbor is growing those huge pumpkin things and has no front lawn left, literally!!!
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
Hi Weezie and Jiffymouse, Thanks for your response. The reason I planted the butternut near our front door was because of the sun. Our lot is embraced with large shade trees which is somewhat of a handicap for gardening some vegetables. This is my first year with an extensive garden and I did very well with leafy green vegi's but whatever requires a lot of sun I had to dream up space. Peppers, eggplant and tomatoes had to be started in large pots and placed at the end of the driveway because of the sun. Right now I have ten good size butternut from 6 to 10 inches long with a hefty girth. Much of the leafy growth is starting to dry off but I still have runs of 10 feet that look healthy with a few very small starters. The front of our house has many evergreen bushes and right now the squash plants are takeing over and growing up and over the evergreens. Looks weard but acomplishing. I just don't want to snip the fruit to early and miss my morning coffee with my chest held high.
Plants: 2 | From: Mass | Registered: Sep 2003
| Seeded: 208.59.182.218
posted
Charlie M, What zone are you in??? I'm a 5 so you've got to be around me somewheres, 6 maybe 7?? How long before fall hits your area?? Sometimes what we do here to make the crop come in faster/or ripen is clip, snip or cut off the end of the vine, then the vine will say to itself, "Self, I better get to ripening my fruit (that's the seed part of the vine) because my growing tip isn't there any more so I can't make anymore fruit, so want to ripen the ones I have" Does that make sense, I'm a gardener not a typer... If you have a time clock you must meet before the frosts would hit, you want the plant to concentrate on ripening the food/fruit it's produced already, not keep making more and putting the others on hold. Yes, I know what you mean for the growing conditions..We did bucket gardening one year for my mom, and it was kind of nice because we could move the plant to the sun instead of if it was in a garden you couldn't pick it up and move where it was sunny, it's stuck there. Our neighbor across the street every year grows pumpkins for his 4 children and he grows them in his front bed that goes around his house with arborvites, but this year he grew those pumpkins that grow to be humugo sizes, 300 (ish)lbs, when pampered properly. Well his hole front yard is engulfed, it's so cute, there's hardly a lawn left, and one of the vines grew up behind the arborvite and then came out on top of it and is now starting to come down in front of it, we're taking bets his house is next. Those pumpkins are so neat.
I'd say, the very first ones on the vines (the first ones to have been pollenated on the vine) should be ripe by now, and if you take those first fruits off you'll start to get more of the fruit that's small to get it's butt going and ripening the rest, The object as far as the plant is concerned is to make seed, not really to produce a fruit, and it will concentrate on that first fruit to ripen the seed (and ripen the fruit too much to make sure it ripens the seed.) But when you start picking fruit, it will start concentrating on the others.
I was hoping someone like Papito would give us a quick answer on the fruit, of size or shape or color to pick. I'm only firmiliar with the fruit from the supermarkets, but that would be my next guess it to go in and look at them, touch them, pick them up to fell the weight, and take a picture of them if you have to to compare back and forth. Hey what are they gonna do, throw ya out of the store for taking a picture??? Just tell them they have a pretty produce section. LOL Or if you have a local fruit stand maybe to see them there first hand. Please keep me posted, I'd love to hear how many you grew!!! Sorry about so long, I get to rambling/but I like to make sure of my info and any tid bit info I can supply helps the gardener... Weezie How did your other veggies do??
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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