How to Grow Butternut Squash

Among the varieties of squash, butternut is one of the largest, most nutritious and easiest to grow. When ripened, the fruit can be used in pies, purees and soups or cooked and eaten alone. The first step to growing a crop of healthy butternut squash includes adequate planning for the growing site.

Materials

• Individual plant pots
• Well-rotted manure
• General purpose fertilisers
• Standard gardening tools
• Butternut squash seedlings

Planning the growing site

1. Butternut squash is a large vine crop and tends to spread out over the area it is planted in.
2. Use a plot of land that is proportionate to the number of plants you plan to sow.

Preparing the growing site

1. Mulch soil properly to incorporate enough air.
2. Mix well-rotted manure and general purpose fertiliser to give soil added nutrients necessary for plant growth.
3. Do this weekly for 3-4 weeks before sowing seedlings and it will guarantee that after squash is planted, it will have little need for fertilisers.

General planting instructions

1. Plant seedlings in warm soil with room to grow 8-10 inches long.
2. If you are planting during the cold season, plant seedlings in individual pots filled with peat and transfer them to the ground after the cold has passed.
3. Seedlings should be planted in hills approximately ½-1 inch deep into the soil, and spaced four inches apart.
4. Plant hills 4-6 feet apart.
5. Water seedlings upon planting and then every two to three days until germination.
6. Water plants regularly taking care not to over saturate the soil. Butternut squash plants thrive in moderately moist soil.
7. After plants grow 4 inches high, thin hills to three plants per hill. This will allow room for them to grow after they begin to sprout vines.

Watering requirements

1. Butternut squash is a thirsty plant and it requires much water to thrive.
2. Their leaf has a large surface area and as such, loses moisture quickly.
3. Develop a water irrigation system to ensure they are watered frequently and consistently.
4. Be careful not to over-water plants.

Nutrient requirements

1. Butternut squash requires the nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other trace elements and vitamins to thrive.
2. When buying fertilisers ensure that it contains all the nutrients a butternut squash plant requires.

Seasonal growth

1. Butternut squash ripens during the winter months.
2. To have healthy and ripe butternut squash by then, plant seedlings early in the hot months. This gives the squash time to ripen before the cold settles.

Harvesting expectations

1. If grown correctly, you can expect to harvest an average of 25 or more butternut squash fruits per vine after approximately three months.

Tips and Warnings

• Butternut squash is ripe after the rind has hardened and when there is about 2 inches of stem.
• If squash is picked before it is ripe, it will lack flavour.
• If the stem is cut while it is too short, it will not keep for very long.
• The plant should be harvested before cold settles, or it will kill the plant and damage the fruit.
• Squash is susceptible to insects and fungus. To minimise damage buy organic or non-organic products for this purpose.
• If using insecticides, wait until the evening hours. This keeps bees from being affected by the insecticides, and they are needed to pollinate your plants.

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