Would you recommend planting butternut squash in the grow boxes? Any
special instructions? Helen

Helen & Group: You certainly CAN grow butternut, and all other
squashes, in Grow-Boxes! Whether you're growing in containers or in
the soil the instructions are the same:

Any vining squash should be grown vertically, and T-Frames, with the
plants guided around baling twine are the best way to do that.

Plant only one row in a narrow box, with plants a foot apart, and
prune off the sucker stems.

Guide alternating plants to opposite sides of the wood, pipe, or wire
you have placed on opposite sides of the T-Frames.

Short varieties, such as zucchini and yellow squash, should again be
grown in a single row (two rows on opposite sides of a 4'-wide box or
bed). These should be spaced at least 2' apart, and pruning of leaves
that touch the ground and that compete with their neighbors should be
continued throughout the season.

This is important, so don't neglect it. The large squash leaves block
the sun, and leave a wet environment under the plant very conducive
for fungus diseases to grow. More fruit is produced in conditions
where there is adequate light, and the harvest will be much longer if
you can avoid or delay the powdery mildew that so often attacks squash
plants.

Jim Kennard