For a number of years, I lived in the South Island of New Zealand. The seasons were different and you had to apply different techniques to succeed with certain crops. However, as is often the case when you live in a different country, you find that the diet is very dependent upon what can be grown locally and in New Zealand pumpkins and squashes often replace potatoes as the main winter vegetable.

I never really accepted pumpkins as an alternative to potatoes. However, one vegetable that I did discover was an ideal replacement was the butternut squash. As you can now obtain a strain of seed for use in this country I can recommend it as a vegetable that you should try.

Cultivation of Butternut Squash.

Squash will succeed in a wide range of soils, provided there is no shortage of moisture and plenty of organic material has been dug into the bed.

The time to sow seed is when both the air and the soil have noticeably warmed up and the risk of frosts is very low. I have found that if I sow at the same time that I sow courgettes and treat the early stages of growth in exactly the same way as for courgettes, I seldom have any trouble. Plant out 3-4ft (90-120 cm) apart.

During the growing season it is vital to ensure that the plant never dries out. If it dries out when in fruit the first thing that will happen is that it will shed its fruit. Do be careful about over watering though - too much water will cause the fruit and the plants to rot.

An application of a good liquid, general fertiliser when the plant is in fruit, is essential in order to obtain good sized fruit.

Butternut squash has a trailing habit and is very prolific. I tend to pinch out the leaders when they are about 2-3 ft (60-90 cm) long in order to encourage the production of fruiting laterals.

In New Zealand, I often got between 10-12 fruits per plant. In this country, mainly because of the shorter growing season, I restrict it to 2-3 fruits per plant.

When harvesting (late September or before heavy frosts) the fruit should be cut from the vine with the stem attached. You can tell when the fruit is ripe by the texture of the skin. It becomes very firm, golden in colour and will easily resist the pressure of your thumb nail. Also, like a melon, it "rings" when given a good rap.

Storage is as for all vegetables of this type - a clean, cool, dry place and they should store for 4-5 months. They are susceptible to mildew, so store on slats an do not let them touch each other. When I examine my onions I look at the squash at the same time.

Cooking Butternut Squash

I said earlier that squash is a replacement for the potato. Because of their long, dry, hot summers, it is far more difficult to grow good potatoes in New Zealand than here in England. Consequently, in England, we only use butternut squash as an extra vegetable. Our preference is to have it as an extra roast vegetable along with either roast or creamed potatoes.

To prepare, cut off the bottom of the bulbous end of the fruit (rather like you would with an onion). Then cut off a complete slice about 1 1/2 in (3 cm) thick. Take out the centre if it is soft (you tend to find that a ripe butternut is only soft in the seed cavity). Leave the skin on and cut into 1 1/2 in (3 cm) cubes. Roast as you would potatoes.

The texture is smoother than potatoes and the taste is distinct, not unlike that of roast chestnuts. Certainly worth a try if you feel adventurous.

Site Map | Home | About NVS | Grow & Show | Web Links | News & Events | NVS Shop | Contact | Access | Privacy

Copyright © National Vegetable Society 2006-2007 Design WebOneUK Problems with this site - email
Registered Charity No. 1088979