If you are planning to grow Butternut Squash, or you are already doing so, you are likely wondering how many Butternut Squash per Plant you will be able to harvest. 10-20 squash per plant will depend on a lot of different factors, like size, variety, and the general health of your butternut squash plants.
Depending on what kind of winter squash you are planting, you can expect to get one to 10 fruits per plant. Small-fruiting types such as Sweet Dumplings can fruit as many as ten fruits per vine, whereas larger-fruiting varieties such as Blue Hubbard will typically fruit only one or two fruits per plant. Generally, varieties that yield smaller squash will yield many more, whereas varieties that yield very large squash will only support a handful of fruits per plant.
Variety
Some varieties produce large amounts of smaller squash, while other types produce larger squash but only a few fruits per plant. If you are looking to get a larger number of squashes per plant, you should select the variety that grows best in your area.
The more leaves, flowers, and vines a plant has, the better chance it has to produce lots of squash. Using a balanced organic fertilizer will create bigger, healthier vines and more flowers, which leads to more squashes per plant. Use fertilizer suited for the plants you have so they will produce stronger, healthier vines capable of supporting plump squash.
Small plants will only yield a handful of butternut squash, whereas larger plants that have lots of vines, leaves, and flowers will yield as many as 10 to 20. Acorn squash, for instance, can yield as much as 24 pounds of fruit per vine, whereas butternuts produce just about six.
While nearly all squash vines can spread out over a large area, they differ in how much fruit they can bear. There are so many varieties of squash, some growing as big as small squash, some as big as cricket balls. That said, there are a few standout bush-type squashes that can grow in the smallest spaces or containers, such as cloth bags, and still produce respectable crops.
Home Grown Butternut Squash
Small-space or urban gardeners tend to avoid growing winter squash, which has a well-earned reputation as being a space hogger in the garden. Butternut Squash is traditionally grown on hills or the back rows of a garden, where it can spread out and get away from more nicely-behaved vegetables. Squash is tougher than some plants and should flourish if the soil is rich in humus and has good drainage.
Squash will likely attach itself to a kind of strong structure and will bear the brunt of plant weight and fruit upon it — rather than crushing through your other plants. Butternut Squash bugs lay eggs on the bottom side of the leaves, and when they hatch, they will suck sap from the plants themselves. Squash vine boring bugs will attack any squash plant and burrow down into the main stem, sucking the juices out and eating the plant.
Butternut squash plants keep very well without refrigeration or canning, and a single vine will produce between 10-20 squashes when maintained correctly. Butterbush butternut squash grows little more than three feet, making it the best butternut squash variety for container gardening and smaller gardens. A type of winter squash, it grows in spring and summer, but it can survive into the winter on your pantry shelf.
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Winter Squash
Winter squash is easy to preserve in the home as root cellar or cool rooms and provides the family with several vitamins and minerals through its delicious, versatile flesh. Lakota is an heirloom winter squash that makes an excellent late-summer addition to a garden, but it can be grown as a summer squash, too. Delicata is a simple-to-grow plant with vines producing abundant oblong, cream-colored, green-striped fruits.
This big, peanut-shaped squash has a brown skin thinner than some of its fellow varieties and occasionally has lighter stripes running down the length of the fruit. This ornamental variety also benefits from smaller seed cavities and fuller form, producing more flesh per fruit.
The plants can grow big and bushy, with attractive blooms that draw bees and butterflies to your yard. You will usually find there are many more male flowers than female flowers on your plants, so chances are good your vines will be spared some.
Make sure you are giving your plants plenty of room to grow, particularly because vines from squash plants spread quickly, taking up space as they go. Using a sturdy trellis to support your squash vines allows the squash to hang from the vines, saving a bit of garden space. With less edible flesh to work with, you will want to save a little extra space in your garden for growing more of this slightly ugly variety.
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Transplanting Butternut Squash
Transplant the transplants into larger pots once they are big enough for handling, and then transplant them outdoors in rich soil once any risk of frost has passed, starting from late May. Plant three-inch biodegradable pots in the soil as soon as soil temperatures are at least 65 degrees F. and all threat of frost has passed. Biodegradable pots naturally decompose as they are planted in the soil, ensuring that plant roots are unharmed.
Each plant needs at least an inch of water a week in the initial growing stage and 1 to 2 inches after the larger fruits are established.
Squash needs to be planted approximately 1.2 meters (4 feet) apart on a site, but they are perfectly happy growing in large pots, provided they are fed properly. Some plant diseases may spend the winter in the soil, coming up in the following growing season to infect your butternut squash, along with your other garden plants. While it may only take you 110 days or so for your butternut squash plants to get going, it does require about two weeks of a sunny environment for it to heal if you plan to keep it, so count backward from the first freeze to ensure that you will get plenty of growing time.
When To Plant Butternut Squash?
In Southern regions, butternut squash can be planted up until the beginning of July because the winters are milder, and plants are protected from the first freezes. The seeds will sprout better with the soil temperature at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people who have limited space wait to plant butternut squash after the first spring crops, like lettuces and peas, are finished.
Planting butternut squash in spring
It is best to begin planting your butternut squash seeds in early spring and then transplant them outside after the final spring freeze of the season if you live in zone 7. Butternut squash requires cool weather to sprout and grow, so you will begin seeing them around two weeks after planting your seeds. If you live in cooler, northern areas, you will want to plant early, in late May, because if you wait too late, it will be too cold for your butternut squash to be harvested.
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Planting butternut squash in winter
Because winter squash requires a longer growing season (usually 75 to 100 days without a freeze), seeds are typically planted in late May in northern locations and, in extreme south states, in early July. Once you have your seeds, you can either begin them indoors to start early in the season or wait until the danger of frost has passed to sow directly outside. Direct-sowing is easiest in a garden, but starting seeds indoors may help those who live in areas with shorter summers.
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Seeds can be directly planted where they will grow outdoors during the latter part of May, but putting them indoors for four to five weeks gives them an early start. If you have a shorter growing season, it is possible to begin seeds in tray-style pots, squash seeds are generally planted immediately once the soil has warmed up to around 60 degrees F. Form soil into hills, spaced at a distance of about four feet, and plant two seeds each, about one-inch deep. Plant in an organic seed starting container, such as peat potting soil, so you can transplant organic seed starting containers to your garden without having to pull delicate butternut squash roots out of tight containers.
Feeding Butternut Squash Plants
Remember, you will have to feed container-grown plants more frequently than you would ground-grown plants because butternut squash is such a heavy feeder, and nutrients will leach out of containers faster than out of the ground. A good heat is absolutely critical since butternut squash plants are delicate, and the young plants will mostly freeze at the tiniest freeze, while seeds only sprout in warm soil. Butternuts only remain viable after the frost hazard has passed and the day has reached 70 degrees F.
While Butternut squash plants may take just 110 days or so to grow, they will actually require two weeks or so of ripening in the sun if you plan on keeping them, so count backward from the first freeze to ensure that you will get plenty of growing time. It is also best to plant winter squash far away from plants that attract the same pests, like cucumbers and melons.
How To Plant Butternut Squash?
When planting your butternut squash seeds, use soil that is rich in nutrients, keep your soil moist all of the time, and give the seeds at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. The growing season of butternut squash is approximately 110-120 days to maturity, so if you have a shorter season, it is best to start the seeds indoors to get them off to a fast start. Young butternut squash plants are relitively easy to handle thanks to their larger foliage and bushy stalks, but handle them gently when moving them into your garden or orchard.
Remember that you will have to feed container-grown plants more frequently than ground-grown ones, because butternut squash is a very healthy feeder, and nutrients are more quickly drawn out of containers than out of soil. Once you have planted the butternut squash transplants, add a little soil amendment by using a little compost around the planting area, as well as some mulch at the base of the plants to help keep their roots moist. The ideal space for growing butternut squash plants is in the hilly parts of your garden, and so if you have several small hills in your yard, plant 4 or 5 seeds in each one.
Where to plant your butternut squash
Choose a planting area that gets part or full sun, has well-drained soil, and has at least 50 square feet to grow the squash. You can begin seeds in tray pots if you are having a shorter growing season, and generally, squash seeds are planted right after soil has warmed up to around 60 degrees F. Form soil into hills, spaced at a distance of about four feet, and plant two seeds, about one-inch deep, in each.
Transplant the young plants to larger pots when they are large enough to handle, and then transplant outdoors in rich soil once any risk of frost has passed, starting around the end of May. You should plant like you would most vegetables, in a good soil in a sunny window or greenhouse, and transplant into your garden when all risk of frost has passed.
Plant three-inch biodegradable pots in the soil after soil temperatures are at least 65 degrees F. and all threat of frost has passed. Plant them in an organic seed starting container, such as peat potting mix, so you can transplant organic seed starting containers in your garden without having to pull the delicate Butternut squash roots out of a tightly sealed container. Good heat is absolutely critical, as butternut squash plants are delicate, and the young plants will mostly freeze at the tiniest freeze, while seeds only sprout in warm soil.
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Butternut squash soil temperature
The seeds will sprout better with a soil temperature of about 65 degrees F. Some folks who have limited space wait to plant butternut squash until early spring crops like lettuce and peas are finished. While butternut squash plants may only need 110 days or so to grow, they will require about 2 weeks of sunlight for curing if you plan on keeping them, so count backwards from the first freeze to ensure that you will get plenty of growing time. Butterbush butternut squash grows to just over three feet, making it the best butternut squash variety for container gardening and smaller gardens.
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