Butternut squash
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Beekissed
Garden Master
I grew one plant of butternut this year, not sure of the variety, and it has taken over the garden, has been ripped up by the roots after the weight of it and the fruit collapsed the trellis it was on. I plopped a part of a rotten haybale on top of the exposed, broken off root and it continues to produce. I picked 11 large squash off it already but it has three more growing and countless others were produced but died of blossom end rot in all this rain. I've never seen anything like this butternut in all my born days. I'm used to getting 3-4 squash off one vine, if that.
I planted it into a rotten haybale, that's the only difference than previous years. It formed so many different vines off that single plant and they vined out in all directions, some 15 ft long, climbing anything and everything it could, much like my pumpkins.
I planted it into a rotten haybale, that's the only difference than previous years. It formed so many different vines off that single plant and they vined out in all directions, some 15 ft long, climbing anything and everything it could, much like my pumpkins.
Last edited:
ninnymary
Garden Master
Beekissed
Garden Master
Those are much more pretty when ripened than are mine, Miss Mary! I love that orange color. Mine are the generic tan color when ripe. Just found another big one out there I missed in last count, so added it to the numbers.
Nice, dry sweet squash that tastes a lot like sweet carrots to me, so that's how we use ours....diced small and placed in salad, soups, stews, etc. I just cut off pieces as I need them and store the rest of it in the crisper drawer. Seems to store well that way so far. They are really good cut into strips and dipped in ranch dip like you would any carrot.
Nice, dry sweet squash that tastes a lot like sweet carrots to me, so that's how we use ours....diced small and placed in salad, soups, stews, etc. I just cut off pieces as I need them and store the rest of it in the crisper drawer. Seems to store well that way so far. They are really good cut into strips and dipped in ranch dip like you would any carrot.
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ninnymary
Garden Master
ninnymary
Garden Master
Beekissed
Garden Master
Too hard and too large for them to get their mouths onto it for a bite, let alone to carry it off completely, which a deer wouldn't do...they sometimes even struggle with apples that are too large and hard, just too difficult to get into their molars to cut off a bite.
Two legged thieves?
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Ridgerunner
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What did the stem look like here those squash were taken? Those are not going to separate easily from the squash. Could you tell if a knife was used? Other than a two legged critter I'd have trouble coming up with anything that would take one away without doing a lot of damage to the vine.
Mary, I'm sure there are other ways to save squash seeds and similar that get them really clean and neat, but I do like I think Seed does, at least in principle. Some details are probably different. Open a really ripe one before you cook it and separate the seeds onto a paper towel or newspaper. I try to spread then out not pile them up and don't just toss all the guts in with them, but I don't make much of an effort to separate them from the guts either. The guts will dry up. The gunk will dry up. I keep them in an outside workshop out of the weather for a week or more likely two so they are really dry, then separate the seeds and put them inside a glass jar with a good lid. That keeps moisture and things out that might eat them. If a bit of paper sticks to the seed, not a problem. If they don't dry out enough they will mold so make sure they are really dry.
Mary, I'm sure there are other ways to save squash seeds and similar that get them really clean and neat, but I do like I think Seed does, at least in principle. Some details are probably different. Open a really ripe one before you cook it and separate the seeds onto a paper towel or newspaper. I try to spread then out not pile them up and don't just toss all the guts in with them, but I don't make much of an effort to separate them from the guts either. The guts will dry up. The gunk will dry up. I keep them in an outside workshop out of the weather for a week or more likely two so they are really dry, then separate the seeds and put them inside a glass jar with a good lid. That keeps moisture and things out that might eat them. If a bit of paper sticks to the seed, not a problem. If they don't dry out enough they will mold so make sure they are really dry.
