Butternut squash plants not growing

Hi everyone
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas what is causing my butternut squash seedlings to, well, just sit there. They’ve been in their bed at the allotment for 6 weeks now and they are pretty much as they were when I put them in. Please see photo, for scale the distance is approx 1m between plants. They aren’t dying, just not growing. They haven’t been allowed to dry out, nor get too wet.
I’ve been growing these for 5 years and this hasn’t happened before!
Thanks for any ideas.

 

HI @Cornsquashandy - I usually only grow them [or pumpkins] in containers when I do them, but I wonder if it's just the swings in weather, and cooler temps this year that's causing them to just sit there sulking.
I have that problem most years with any kind of seedlings in spring if I plant them out too early, because that's just how our climate is here, and they grow more slowly to begin with anyway, which is why our growing season is shorter.
Many areas are having that kind of weather this year, but that's unusual for them. Lots of people are finding plants are not behaving in the usual way, so if you're in one of those areas, and haven't had any problems in the past, that could simply be the reason.

 

Dont know where you are but if its the UK the chances are its just been too dull and too cold.

They may well have suffered a check in growth when planted out and they are struggling to get moving again.

 

Hi @Cornsquashandy As @fairygirl says, it's probably just down to the weather this year. If you let us know where you are, we may be able to help more.

 

Thanks @fairygirl, @pete & @BobTG,
I had wondered about the grey & cold as well, except my sweetcorn are above waist height and romping away!
I am in Essex, so in one of the supposedly warm & dry parts of the country!
Any other ideas very welcome!

 

I don't grow sweetcorn, as I don't like it, but it's possibly benefited from more rain, and the wind will have helped with ensuring pollination!

Every cloud eh...literally

I don't think sweetcorn grows easily up here anyway, due to the conditions. It would need to be undercover due to the shorter season etc.

 

I find sweetcorn a fairly easy crop, less weather dependant than the squash family, not that I grow squash.

 

Length of season is often the problem for things like squash and pumpkin here @pete, although the general weather is also a factor. I tend to grow smaller varieties for that reason so that they have abetter chance of reaching a good size.
I have to find quite sheltered spots for them, and near the house walls helps a bit as it gives some warmth, as well as protection from the prevailing weather. I don't often bother growing them though, because I don't have space in the ground, so it's containers, which has higher costs and a bit more work involved. Nice to do now and again though.

I think that length of season is a big part of the problem for sweetcorn here. You'd need a polytunnel or similar, because it's too unreliable outside - just as it is with tomatoes. Some areas will manage better than others too.

 

Out of interest I first grew sweetcorn about 40 yrs ago and it came ripe quite late.
I think lots of breeding must have gone on as last year mine was ready about the second week in August.

This year its just showing the tassles now and it's been slow.
Plus Ben the dog trashed it a couple times.

 

Hi @Cornsquashandy, the minimum growing temp for sweetcorn is about 2C lower than butternut squash (10 and 12C) so the current overnight temp of about 10C is ok for sweetcorn, but a bit too low for squashes.
My guess is this is why your squashes aren't doing well.

 

My Water melons are growing and have been since I planted them out, I think there could be a bit more going on rather than just temperature TBH.

I see water melon as fairly tender, possibly more tender than squash?
Its not been getting as low as 10 c overnight here though for any length of time, more like 12 or 13 at the lowest.