split butternut squash

[matowakan]

I have quite a lot of butternut squash growing but 5 at least have at least one split in them,a couple have 2. Could this be down to too little or too much water. I thought i had been watering them enough in the dry weather.
They have all appeared in the last week.
So far we have had no frosts,first one due tonight.
I have collected 6 and put them on the windowsill to ripen albeit that 5 have splits in.
Should I be throwing them or keeping them?
Also will they ripen on a sunny windowsill?
I have read somewhere that frosts will kill them off but the plant is far too big too cover with anything I have got.
I seem to be in a bit of a quandary with it all at the mo!!!!

[gregorach]

Frost will definitely knacker them completely in no time flat. The least touch of frost will cause the fruit to go soft and then rot.

Splitting is probably a result of inconsistent watering - if you let them dry out a bit, then water heavily, the fruit can swell rapidly and split.

[Henwoman]

You could always cook the split ones and freeze them for use in soups later. I had twenty-six this year and none with splits, but for some reason I only got one pumpkin off four plants. Last year the pumpkins were meandering all over the veggie plot.

[Millymollymandy]

I often have splits and strange brown manky patches on the skin, but it doesn't stop them ripening on my sunny windowsills or their keeping qualities.

Do not chuck them!!!

[matowakan]

Thanks for the replies.
I now have many split ones on the windowsill ripening!
Hopefully they will grow better next year and I will try to water more consistently.