On The Menu This Week... Butternut Squash

The butternut glut has kept us fed all through winter and we are now enjoying the pleasure of homegrown squash on the menu in spring.

Last year I grew ‘Sweetmax’ and since it performed superbly yield-wise and tastes delicious and sweet, I am growing it again this year. ‘Sweetmax’ is surprisingly easy to grow. It has been bred to set fruits early and to make the most of any sun our capricious British weather cares to allow us. Simply pop a seed on its side in a 3” pot between March and May, cover with 1.5cm (0.5”) of compost and keep it warm (I use a heated propagator). Harden plants off during May and plant out after the last frost in May or June. 

Squash hate wind, but they love sun. They need soil which is rich in organic matter, so add well-rotted manure or compost and once they are watered-in, mulch with compost. This helps to retain moisture in the soil, but plants will still need to be watered during any hot, dry spells. I give them an organic high-potash feed every couple of weeks too.  

The downside of ‘Sweetmax’ is that it needs space, so plants should be placed 90cm apart. The upside is that you don’t need many of them since one plant should produce 2-3 socking great fruits. Apart from enjoying the harvest, I like growing squash because their leaves suppress weeds in the kitchen garden which cuts the workload for me and should a weed make it through the soil I have to look very hard to spot it (yes, there is at least one in the photo above).

I lift the fruits onto old tiles to keep them from rotting on the damp soil and harvest them before the first frost in autumn. Once they are removed from the vine, I place them in a bright, cool place to continue to ripen for 10 days or so, after which they will keep for months.  Butternut squash offer great value for little cost and effort. They may take up precious space in the kitchen garden, but in return give us so many hearty meals over the colder months that I wouldn’t want to be without them.