Q&A for How to Grow Butternut Squash

It is best to let the vine grow out, as the leaves create sugars to ripen the fruit. You can turn the vines to re-direct them if needed.

In addition to the toughness of the skin, watch for the color to change to completely tan. This will tell you when the squash is ripe.

Avoid much use of fertilizers enriched high amounts of phosphorus. Instead, use fertilizers enriched with potassium, which will increase the rate of fruition.

Yes, you can determine the two flowers by their base and center. Females have lump that indicates a squash while the males don't.

To grow butternut squash indoors, you'll need to start about six weeks before the last frost in your area. Plant as you would most vegetables, in good soil in a sunny window or greenhouse and transplant to the garden after all danger of frost is past. Please remember to harden off the seedlings before transplanting

Although squash plants like to be in full sun, if you think the sun is too harsh, put mesh above them. Mesh will let some of the sun seep through, but the sun will not be as harsh.

That depends on which squash you are going to grow and how large your garden is. If you're planting butternut squash, you want to be able to leave about 3 ft between each "hill". So, if you have a 3 ft by 6 ft garden, you should be able to plant roughly two rows of three hills each.

Yes, as long as you pick them before the first frost.

The most likely cause is calcium deficiency in the soil. Add powdery lime to the soil surface and soak with water.

Wait until the squash has completely changed color (some varieties have green striping), it's no longer shiny and you are not able to leave a mark on the skin with your fingernail. Expect this from late summer to late fall, depending on when you planted it.

No, there shouldn't be a problem with that.

No! Those parts are used for support. Tendrils usually coil around a structure as the vines grow upward. Tendrils also provide better anchorage to plants when it's windy.

Yes. If you don't, they might compete with and kill each other.

It produces up to 25 fruits under good management, meaning applying required amounts of nutrients, managing weeds, having plants well spaced, pollination as well as application of water.

Each plant produces both male and female flowers. Male flowers form early on; eat these. Once the female flowers form, then leave them to bear fruit. These will have swellings at the base of the flower, which will become the squash once pollinated. Stop removing the male flowers once the female flowers form.

Squash plants grow very long. A better option would be a tall or wide sturdy trellis that will be wind resistant since the plant will surely block the wind and might fall. Check out "squash arch" for ideas.