Growing Butternuts

Most cultural aspects have been covered in previous articles on cucurbits, but there are various noteworthy aspects.
Butternuts (Cucurbita moschata) tend to have better natural disease resistance than other cucurbita species. They’re also more heat tolerant. It seems they’re gaining in popularity on the market due to a good texture and taste, and a good shelf life which benefits the farmer, end user and those in-between. They come in various shapes and sizes from mini-conventional butternuts to huge watermelon shapes, round shapes and even normal pumpkin shapes.
What’s planted is determined by what our market accepts. In some countries they plant totally different looking fruit. The tan skin colour, which we associate with butternuts, can also be yellow, white mottled or even green mottled. Patterns vary between varieties which need to be taken into account. The ever popular open-pollinated Waltham variety tends to spread fruit fairly uniformly. Some hybrids tend to set a higher concentration near the crown and then continue growing without setting more fruit.
About 20 years ago I planted rows of different cultivars and left them until the leaves died back. It was then easy to see the different bearing patterns. What was remarkable is that Waltham was more uniform than the hybrids used then. It also held its own on yield.
I have also noticed that a few fruit are set near one another on each vine, followed by a gap after which young fruit are aborted before setting again. It seems the plant considers it has generated sufficient leaves to safely start again. In such circumstances, it pays to bring the rows closer to only harvest from the first setting period. This maximises yield per hectare and contributes to uniformity. Whatever variety is planted, we need to take careful note of what happens in the field to fine-tune future spacing. There is also a seasonal influence that needs to be taken into account.
In frost-free areas, butternut is often planted in winter to catch better prices in late winter and spring. If they grow too much into winter, the fruit is smaller and the yield lower. Though price may justify this planting, one can plant earlier when fruit development is normal and hold them on the land until the price is right. A dry season can make this practical. – Bill Kerr ((016) 366 0616 or e-mail [email protected]).     |fw