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  • Re: Ripening a Big Squash

    From Bob F@21:1/5 to Home Owner on Sun Oct 2 14:37:31 2022
    On 10/2/2022 2:18 PM, Home Owner wrote:
    In June I planted some seed for Butternut squash, variety Argonaut. They're supposed to get really big but I didn't expect that much out of it. But buried in the vines and chile plants I have three fruits, one of which might be 15 pounds. The other two
    are pushing ten each.

    I've had some problems with squirrels this season and want to bring these big guys in but they're still mostly green with a little orange beginning to show. I think they're supposed to be all orange. Can anyone tell me how to cheat on this? I've been
    misting them with water and dusting with cayenne pepper but I just know those bushy rats going to open them up if I leave them outside.

    thx.

    Our butternuts become tan on the outside when ripe.

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  • From Home Owner@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 2 14:18:16 2022
    In June I planted some seed for Butternut squash, variety Argonaut. They're supposed to get really big but I didn't expect that much out of it. But buried in the vines and chile plants I have three fruits, one of which might be 15 pounds. The other two
    are pushing ten each.

    I've had some problems with squirrels this season and want to bring these big guys in but they're still mostly green with a little orange beginning to show. I think they're supposed to be all orange. Can anyone tell me how to cheat on this? I've been
    misting them with water and dusting with cayenne pepper but I just know those bushy rats going to open them up if I leave them outside.

    thx.

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  • From David E. Ross@21:1/5 to Home Owner on Sun Oct 2 19:48:09 2022
    On 10/2/2022 2:18 PM, Home Owner wrote:
    In June I planted some seed for Butternut squash, variety Argonaut. They're supposed to get really big but I didn't expect that much out of it. But buried in the vines and chile plants I have three fruits, one of which might be 15 pounds. The other two
    are pushing ten each.

    I've had some problems with squirrels this season and want to bring these big guys in but they're still mostly green with a little orange beginning to show. I think they're supposed to be all orange. Can anyone tell me how to cheat on this? I've been
    misting them with water and dusting with cayenne pepper but I just know those bushy rats going to open them up if I leave them outside.

    thx.


    Try scattering some blood meal around the plants. Squirrels will not go
    where they smell blood. Furthermore, blood meal is a great mild
    fertilizer.

    Just be careful to get a bag and not a box. Blood meal is a very fine
    powder and will often leak out of a box.

    --
    David E. Ross
    Climate: California Mediterranean, see <http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html>
    Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>

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