The vining types of pumpkins and other squash are usually around 10 - 12 feet long when they start setting fruit so yes it is normal. I am actually surprised they are doing so well in only 5 gallons, especially 2 plants. In the future you could try some bush varieties in containers.

OH, my... I had no idea they got that big. I just planted six of these myself (first year gardener) for the fall. What on earth can you do with all that vine? I was going to build a trellis, but that is way higher than I want to be off the ground. What do you do if you have a six foot trellis? Just let it drape over? Or, do you cut off the vine after it hit 6 foot high? If I cut it off, would it still produce squash?

~Angela

I just found a neat site with info on building simple trellises. You might like to look at these.

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-1482,00.html

The vines don't need to grow vertically in a straight line most trellises aren't more than 6 feet high. Once a vine gets to the top of the trellis you just make sure it grows along the length of the trellis and once it starts getting to one end you can gently redirect it to go back the way it came. If you want to cut the tip off the vine you can, but there is no need to.

Here are some of my ornamental gourds on a 6 foot high trellis.
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WeirdTrev - Those are beautiful plants! Thanks for the info. I'm glad I won't be feeling like Jack and the beanstalk. LOL

Aulani - I really like that trellis. It seems like a very easy design. I will give that a whirl and later on let you all know how well it works out for me. Thanks!

~Angela

Kitchenette - Please do report back how the plants do now that they're more than 10 foot long. I am also wondering if it's because you planted 2 of them in one bucket, but it seems like to me if you had room for the vines to grow that it shouldn't matter. Do the roots really need more room than a 5 gallon tub would provide?

Kitchenette,

My first year growing butternut I planted 6 plants in a raised bed. The vines ran and ran and I was going crazy trying to figure out how to control them. They hadn't set a lot of fruit at the 6 foot stage and I worried that they'd be a bust.

I found out that the plants need to mature a bit before they can handle fruit set. They are well designed "machines" and will set fruit when they can sustain them. Growth of the vines slowed some when they started supporting multiple fruits. At the end of the season I had vines anywhere from 8-14' long and harvested close to 70 lbs of squash.

Let them grow as naturally as you can and they'll reward you with lots of yummy squash. I do feel your pain as I was a balcony gardener for many years.

Happy Growing!

That's really good to know about container growing. Thanks for your input.

You know, I've heard of butternut squash, but I somehow bought buttercup like this post is about and was wondering what is the differences in these two? Are they growing and tasting about the same, or are they a different squash altogether?

~Angela

I like the buttercup the best. It is my standard winter squash, although this year I added a couple of blue hubbards after hearing a few rave reviews. They are similiar to butternuts, but I was raised on buttercups so I may not be that impartial.

I wonder if day and night temperatures are a factor in the squash fertilization process, like they are with tomatoes? My butternuts were producing squash within 20 days of planting out (at the 4 true leaf stage). Some withered and dropped, but most stayed.

Just ate a dinner of sauteed butternut squash, pole beans, tomatoes, garlic, basil (from garden) and pine nuts, cauliflower and corn. Tasty.

Thanks, Vtgreenthumb, for the info.

Dicot, that is REALLY interesting. They were producing withing 20 days? Wow! That's pretty encouraging to me.

~Angela

I'll second the observation of Whynotme; squash vines (like most cucurbits) will often fail to set fruit from their first female flowers. It may be that the vines will abort blossoms until they have reached the bio-mass necessary to support a growing squash. I have a theory that squash vines blossom before they are ready (usually with pollen-heavy male blossoms) to attract pollinators in advance, so pollination is assured when the plant is ready.

I haven't heard much about high/low temps effecting squash production. I have noticed that blooms seem to open early in the day and close by evening. It has become my habit to pollinate by hand to help the plant along. I also plant flowers next to my squash bed to attract helpful insects.

Butternut and buttercup are different types of winter squash. They are in the same family but are very different in size and shape.

Butternuts have a much higher flesh to seed cavity ratio. Their long cylindrical shape and smoothness tends to make them easier to peel as well.

Buttercups are smaller, rounder, ridged and have a "cap" at the blossom end. The flesh to seed ratio is a bit better than an acorn squash.

Both have a nice flavor.

Hope that helps.