Fertile soils with adequate drainage are ideal as butternut is quite sensitive to oxygen deficiency in the soils. The ideal soils are sandy loams or silty loams which warm up rapidly. Water requirement is very high but high humidity encourages leaf disease and may affect flower production.
| Production season | Best grown in summer between August and March. | ||
| Area to plant | 1ha/10 000m2 (100mx100m) | 1000m2 (20mx50m) | 100m2 (10mx10m) |
| Seed required | 2 kg-4 kg | 200g-400g | 20g-40g |
| Plant population | 10 000-15 000 | 1 000-1 500 | 100-150 |
| Plant spacing in the row | 50cm-70cm | ||
| Spacing between rows | 120cm to 150cm | ||
| Compound D Fertilizer kg/ha | 400-600 | 40-60 | 4-6 |
| AN Top dressing kg/ha | 200 | 20 | 2 |
| Manure kg/ha | 10 000-15 000 | 1 000-1 500 | 100-250 |
| Days to Harvest | 60 to 120 days depending on the variety | ||
| Harvest duration | 30 days | ||
| Aphids, Pumpkin Fly are common pests and Powdery Mildew, Anthracnose is some of the diseases. For their control see various chemical label application options. | |||
| Irrigation | An overhead, Pivot is a suitable method. Ensure the soil is moist at all times. | ||
| Post-harvest handling | Heads are cut and harvested individually | ||
| Normal packaging | Heads/Pockets | Heads/Pockets | Heads/Pockets |
| Estimated Yield (kg/ha) | 20 000 -30 000 | 2 000-3000 | 200-300 |
What is the best time to grow butternut in Zimbabwe?
Best grown in summer between August and March. Aphids, Pumpkin Fly are the common pests and Powdery Mildew, Anthracnose is some of the diseases.
Which month is good for planting butternut?
Butternuts are planted throughout the year, but the best prices are realised from August to October. This is when supply is low, as many of the other planting regions experience frost and therefore cannot produce a winter crop.
How long does butternut take to mature?
about 110 days
Butternut squash has a long growing season of about 110 days.
How many butternuts can one plant produce?
how many squashes do you get per plant? For butternut squash, you can expect 5 or 6 fruits per plant through the growing season, for some larger squash and pumpkins you may only get 2 to 4.