Maybe someone can give me some pointers as to where I've gone wrong here...
Buttercups which I have stored in the garage (on a shelf in the dark, plenty of ventilation) have started going rotten, starting at the stems.
These were self sown from the compost last spring. Good vigourous growth thru summer.
The buttercups were mature when the plant died. Plant died a bit earlier than expected due to lack of watering while we were away on holiday. I cut the crop and left them on the BBQ table for a couple of weeks before putting them in the garage.
Im wondering whether the rot is due to a lack of watering in the latter stages of growth, or did I not leave them outside long enough after picking, or something else!?
The ones we have eaten prior to the rot appearing have been delicious, moist and fully "ripe".
The pumpkins have been fine so far (no rot), just the buttercups gone bad.
Any suggestions?
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I've had this problem in the past so this year I decided to see how long we could keep them. They are still perfectly good because we hung them in a net from the ceiling of the carport. Dry, very airy and hardly any contact with anything that supports them.
We only have two left now, but the way they are going we will try to grow another 10 or so for next year and hope to get them through to August
Buttercups do not have a great shelf life (compared to pumpkins) however I would suggest the 'water stress' these endured probably resulted in a poor storing item. The stem rot fungus may have entered the weak fruit while they were sitting 'flat' on your bbq with rain/moisture residing in the stem cavity , better to 'air' them on their sides.. Below is a pic of one im about to harvest (self seed mid Jan), I always put straw under them as they start to 'cork' up , this creates airflow and reduces soil borne disease attack.... however my 6 year old daughter did 'attack' this one with a skewer and 'branded' her name in it! Its a fun thing to do when the pumkins are about softball size and the skin still softish. The 'brand' calcifies over and remains bold until eaten .. creating some fun for the kids ... and hopefully an interest in actually eating the damn stuff!! Cheers
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We only have two left now, but the way they are going we will try to grow another 10 or so for next year and hope to get them through to August
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