Plants in the cucumber family, including butternut squash, are usually planted in hills of 3 plants per hill. It's very common to see a cluster of 2 or 3 plants within an inch of each other. They will grow fine and spread out on their own. They're vines and don't usually get bushy, so there won't be much competition for space. To shorten that down a bit, it's common practice to plant several of them in one space.

You know I love pumpkins and squash. My favorite pumpkin for baking and pumpkin butter is the winter luxury pumpkin. It makes a very mild pumpkin pie similar to old fashioned squash pie. Winter luxury pumpkins don't last long--so you basically grow, process and freeze. These pumpkins can't compare to anything you find in the grocery store. When processed, they are great for low fat cooking. Pumpkin butter from these is out of this world. I use Queensland's Blue for pumpkin pie. They have a little more depth to their flavor. They are an Australian pumpkin that will last a long time in your cellar. I still have some in my basement--which is warmer than a typical cellar would be. Now if you want beauty--plant the musquee de provence. It looks like a cinderella pumpkin and is absolutely beautiful. You can cook with it--but I don't. It just doesn't compare to the pumpkins above. My favorite squash is the Potimarron. It's a French squash that has an unbelievable taste. I often wonder what it would taste like if made into pumpkin pie. We usually just eat it straight from the oven. These last a long time. Tori

Cutting them off the vine won't help. If it doesn't look like a pumpkin now, maybe it isn't. A picture would really help your cause in this forum.

Haha.. two answers and both different :) I choose to try with just a wood frame trellis. If i need to i can add the chicken wire but i was hoping for something that looks nice and functional.