We have been growing squash for many years and love cooking with them, especially the butternut type which have a lovely flavour.
The problems come when they trail all over the ground, some reaching great distances. The fruit first has to be found, the large leaves do a great job of hiding the fruit.
The early green colour of most fruits and indeed the mature colour of many varieties is a great disguise amongst the green leaves.
Many varieties will mature to a range of orange and red, indeed some blue too.
It is important to raise the fruits on a brick or some straw to keep them from being damaged, causing rot.
This however provides a lovely plate for the slugs to both hide under and to come onto for a nice squash dinner.
For several year we have been experimenting how to train the squash up.
No real solution until this year, success at last!
In May, with the help of friends, we constructed a frame using old fruit cage poles and attached jute netting across it.
The plants needed at bit of encouragement to climb up. tying in for a bit. But then, up they went. The fruits hang down through the net, over the slope, keeping them clear of slugs and the sun can shine on them helping the fruits to mature.
