squash 'Butternut'

butternut pumpkin

• 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.