Buy butternut squash or Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut' squash 'Butternut': Delivery by Waitrose Garden

squash 'Butternut'

butternut squash or Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'

butternut squash or Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'

Position: full sun
Soil: fertile, humus-rich, well-drained but moisture retentive

A highly popular variety of winter squash grown for its heavy, elongated pear-shaped fruits, each one weighing several pounds when picked. The hefty, vigorous plants scramble over the soil, with each plant producing several honey-coloured fruits per plant. Leave in the sun to ripen before picking and they'll keep for several months. Squash makes an excellent companion plant: grow them under sweetcorn, where its large leaves will suppress weeds and help keep moisture in the soil.
Growing Instructions: Sow two seeds to a 10cm pot in late spring in a greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill. Pot on seedlings as they grow, then harden off carefully and plant out in a sunny, sheltered spot once all threat of frost has passed. Leave 60cm between each plant and protect from slugs.
Sow: April-June
Harvest: September-October
Approximate quantity: 15 seeds.