Butternut Sweet Pumpkin Seeds

Butternut pumpkin suits gardeners with a sunny patch and room for a vine that can spread 3–4 m. It can also be trained up a strong trellis to save space.

1. Sow 2 seeds per hole, 2–3 cm deep, in a raised mound with plenty of compost; keep the stronger seedling.
2. Let the vine run on the ground with straw underneath, or tie it to a sturdy trellis.
3. If small fruits keep dropping, hand-pollinate early in the morning by brushing a male flower onto a female flower.
4. Harvest when the skin turns an even tan colour, is too hard to dent with a fingernail, and the stem has dried.

Tip: fruit flies are common in lowland Malaysia — wrap young fruits in paper or fruit bags soon after they set.