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Garlic seeds or butternut seeds?

General    Witbank

Please advise - I want to start growing either garlic or butternut under cover. What would you suggest. Where will I get the seeds from? Which of the above is the best?
Thanking you
Margaret


Posted by: Margaret (1 point) Margaret
Posted: January 14, 2014


Peg Boyles commented,
Margaret, please tell us more about your soil, how much planting area you have, and the kind of "cover" you plan to use. There's a real possibility you might be able to use the same space for interplanting these two crops, taking advantage of their differing planting & harvesting cycles and growth habits.

Butternut squashes spread over a large area, but garlic stays put, with the bulb simply expanding a bit in the hole where you inserted the clove. In my part of North America, I'm harvesting garlic (planted in October, harvested in mid-July) just about the time the squashes start to "run" (begin spreading their vines in all directions.

Of course, you'll need some help from experienced growers to carry out such a plan, especially regarding soil fertility and water requirements. Both do best in a rich, loamy soil (each would thrive in a soil with a pH of 6.0) and squash needs lots of water.

about 10 years ago.



Answers

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Hi Margaret
Do you mean Butternut squash?The scientific name is (Cucurbit moschata) Local names in South Africa are leputshe (Setswana), botterskorsie (Afrikaans).

It is grown from seed. Pumpkins are warm season crops that require a long growing season. The seeds and seedlings are very sensitive and will be damaged by cool soil or frost. They will grow best if placed in a position that receives direct sunlight for at least 6 hours a day and in a well draining sandy loam with a low clay content. They should not be planted until the ambient temperature is consistently reaching 21°C (70°F). Pumpkins can be propagated from seed which should be sown to a depth of 2.5 cm (1 in). It is beneficial to hill the soil before planting and plant 2–3 seeds per hill. Trailing varieties should be planted 2–3 m (6.5–10 ft) apart, while bush varieties require only 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) between plants

Here is a short video showing ground preparation and planting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjV6iv...

Here is a detailed answer from another plantvillage post https://www.plantvillage.com/posts/299 which has a lot of extra details

Here is something for South Africa http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochure... and here http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochure...


About Garlic: This can grow from from seeds (see Lindsey's link below) but mostly they are grown from cloves

In South Africa planting is from February to May . Here is a nice guide to growing in Sth Africa from Peg Boyles replying to a related question http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/Brochure... the question is here https://www.plantvillage.com/posts/1436


About which is best. You will notice that both documents suggest checking the soil PH. That is especially so for garlic which is a heavy feeder. It also matters what you want to do with the crop? Sell it? Is there a local market. Do many people grow either garlic or butternut nearby? Can you get seeds/cloves. Have local farmers had problems with disease or poor growing conditions.

let us know and we can help some more


Posted by: David Hughes (66 points) David Hughes
Posted: January 14, 2014


Lindsay McMenemy commented,
Garlic can also be grown from seed...
http://garlicseed.blogspot.com/p/grow...

about 10 years ago.



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In the US, this book Growing Great Garlic is the Garlic bible. It is also available on Amazon) ... Among other things, the book reclassify's some of the traditional garlic, taxonomy, discusses strains that are viable in warm climates, cold climates and in between, as well as provides detailed, direct experience with growing the garlic.

http://www.filareefarm.com/seed-garli...



Posted by: Roger Gray (6 points) Roger Gray
Posted: May 25, 2014




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I like both but for butternut squash i use highmowingorganic.com. Nine are thriving in zone 9 this spring...


Posted by: Erika Haines (1 point) Erika Haines
Posted: May 28, 2014




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