My trial at growing butternut squash was a bust; I pulled all the plants today. The two I planted in pots and kept on my deck stayed small and anemic-looking all summer no matter the fertilizer, fresh soil or nails stuck into the dirt (for iron). The two I planted near my potatoes and peas by the retaining wall grew larger and were a darker green, but really didn’t do anything at until mid-July. Even when they started blooming at the end of July, they never set any fruit.
The mystery squash that popped up with the zucchini in my raised bed grew much better; it vined out into the yard and had some flowers and fruit. Mystery solved — it was a buttercup. However, the fruit was no larger that a shooter marble, so I decided to pull it up so that it stopped stealing moisture and nutrients from the zucchini plants.
I’ll try something new next year, maybe more potatoes or Jerusalem artichokes.
Kamp Cook said,
August 31, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Next year why not try old fashioned Hubbard Squash? They seem very hardy, they may not get as big as those grown at lower elevations but they may at least set something on. I have found them to be prolific and they keep growing until frost kills their vines! They are good keepers for the winter as well, but they are quite susceptible to squash beetles. Some gardeners grow Hubbards just tp keep the beetles away from their other squash varieties!