Relaxed Farming - our farm in your classroom

The polytunnel year is always full of surprises, highlights and, at times, disappointments. Our parsnips have, on the whole, failed to germinate this year, and we only have eight growing - I think we will save them for the Christmas holidays!
The photos show another massive difference in growth in what should be plants at similar stages. The pumpkin on the left is ready for picking - the rind (or skin) is quite hard and deep orange and when one taps the pumpkin it sounds hollow. We will cut the stem about 10cm away from the fruit to help with storage - too close and fungus may get into the fruit and cause it to rot. We think we have about a dozen pumpkins (it is difficult to count them as the foliage is so dense and quite prickly) so we will store most in one of our spare rooms until we have time (and other vegetables) to make a lovely batch of soup to freeze in portions. For the first pumpkin of the year we will have a special treat of sausage and pumpkin roast with onions and garlic plus a few fresh greens!
Sadly we cannot do the same for the butternut squash (right photo) which, whilst planted at the same time as the pumpkin (8th April) is only just setting fruit and has a long way to go before we can pick and eat it..
Different plants need different conditions to grow, and for both these plants it was vital that all chance of frost had passed before they were planted. To grow well they need a 'rich' soil, one which has plenty of compost and other organic matter (helps to hold moisture and air which contains the non-mineral elements, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon) together with macronutrients (needed for growth and survival - nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium plus calcium, magnesium and sulphur), micronutrients (needed in very small amounts for healthy growth - copper, iron, manganese and more...) and lots of other bits and pieces which need far more space to talk about than we have here! The pH level also needs to be appropriate for the plant - some need an alkaline soil, others an acid one.
So why did the butternut squash not grow as well as the pumpkin? The short answer is that we do not know, but we hope it continues to grow in order that we get lots of fruit before the first frosts of winter!!