Topic: Tips for squash/pumpkin please!

[Tora]

Last year I grew Butternut and Baby Bear (one plant each) and got only one fruit each! :-[ I imagine they were supposed to give at least two or three fruits...

This year I'm growing several kinds of winter squashes and pumpkins. I'm already dreaming of lots of fruits. 8)
I really could do with some advice on growing squashes. I haven't planted them out yet so tips on planting/preparing soil would be great.

Every input is very much appreciated. :)

[Squashfan]

Hi Tora,
Squashes looooooove compost and manure. Get yourself a big bucket, dig out the well-rotted compost from the bottom of the compost bin, into the bucket, and plop it in a mound in your garden. Now, plant the seeds into the pile. I usually do 2-3 to a hill. I space the hills about 4-5 feet apart in the allotment. I usually plant about 12-14 plants. About 6 or 7 hills in total.
Water well. Continue to water throughout the season. Once seedlings appear, mulch the hill. around them. You should get pretty good yields. Last year was kinda funny, but I did well with waltham butternut and musquee de provence. This year, it's waltham again and crown prince, plus Long Island cheese squash and a New Zealand blue. Plus the summer guys.  Good luck!

[queen of the cobs]

I've germinated seedlings in the greenhouse and planted them out (they've got about 5 leaves). What should I use to mulch around them? Could I use grass clippings?

[Squashfan]

Hi QOTC,
Um, I've not tried grass clippings, but have had decent results with bark chippings and hay. I think if the grass clippings are pretty dry it should be fine. You just want it to keep as much moisture in as possible, really. Water, then put your mulch over it. I'll be using bark chipping myself this year but that's generally because it's usually on offer and I am too lazy to mow my lawn. Too busy coddling the squashes instead...  :D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Grass clippings work fine with squash, just don't put them right up against the stem or they might start it rotting. I put the clippings down first, then clear a few square inches (that's all it takes) where I want to put one in.

[Tora]

Thank you for the very good instruction, squash fan!  ;)

I definitely didn't give them enough compost or manure last year. ::) I'll make sure they get plenty of them.

Can I use carpet as a mulch? I have a space of about 5x6m covered with carpet to supress weed. I wonder if I can plant squashes there through the carpet?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Yes, but beware of all sorts of chemicals in most carpet these days.

[Tora]

Thanks Robert. :) Very good point! That didn't cross my mind. These days so many things are full of chemicals, aren't they! ::)

[SueSteve]

I have just noticed that 2 carnival squash and 1 sweet mama squash that I gave up on have germinated!! But now I dont know how far apart they will need to be planted. Does anyone know?
Thanks

[STHLMgreen]

I found this site helpful for squash and courgette, as it even has video.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/crops/marrow.asp

[sand]

I've read that squash and beans are compatible. It's my first squash year and  I'm wondering if I could plant my squash in the middle of the runner bean wigwam where it has been well prepared with compost and train it out and up a nearby trellis.  Please tell me if this will be ok and not do my OHs prize beans any harm?

Sand

[Jeannine]

I have to say that the link to the squash site shown may seem OK but it is vague and gives insufficient information,the written part is contradicted by the video too.
On the whole I did not feel this link was helpful at all and I think it is potentially harmful for a newbie, it does not take into account the variations of squash that have different needs,and I would even argue with a couple of points in it.
The amount of space shown for between plants is way too small for most varieties if you want a decent harvest.
 Space between in the written version is wrong, they suggest 2 feet between bush plants and 3 feet between others, they change that in the video to three feet and at least 4 feet,thereby contradicting themselves,
 They say to pinch out the growing tip at 2 feet, pinching out is a left over old fashioned idea adopted by the UK from the days when inside melons were pinched out.
It is not only unnecessary to do this to squash it is downright wrong. The only time you would ever pinch out a squash vine is towards the end of the season to prevent more vine growth, this will then hasten ripening on fruit that is there.
While I understand that squash growing is relatively new to the UK I am surprised to see this article with so many glaring faults.

The biggest mistake  made with squash is crowding plants,if you are stingy and the link suggests it is OK to be so, you will lose yield, size and are asking for disease problems.
I am adding in here, that crowding melons is acceptable as it can boost yields, and the UK have been growing melons under glass for centuries, squash are not melons and have very different needs.
Canopy overlap and shading of adjacent plants,reduced leaf area per fruit,and competition for food,water and light willreduce the number of female flowers,the same way excess nitrogen does, and thus the number of fruits,they ones that do form will be of poorer quality.
Ideal space between is 10-12 feet between vining plants and 5-6 between bush.
I realise that most of us don't have that much space, but the suggestion  of 2 feet between a plant that needs 5-6 is asking for trouble, and to suggest 3 feet between plants that need 10-12 is ludicrous.

My bush plants get 4 feet, by vining plants get 6 feet, even that is not really enough. Bear in mind that the spread on a bush plant is at least 4 feet so if planted 2 feet apart they would be on top of each other.

I am mindful of the source of the link and  feel they should know what they are talking about but also bear in mind I have been a very passionate grower of  squash for 40 years,I grow approx 40-50  differnt varieties each year and also feel I have a voice here.

I realise I am being contradictory to a well known establishment who I respect but on squash growing I am sorry but they are not giving good advice.

XX Jeannine

[Tora]

I'm so glad I checked this post this morning!
I was going to plant vine squashes this morning and looking at about 3-4 feet space between plants. ::)
I noticed huge size difference between seedlings (all are vine). Some (Butternut, Shishigatani, Sweet dumpling etc.) are quite small and others like Crown Prince are huge. Should I give much more space for bigger ones?

Pinching out: I always wondered which was correct - to pinch or not to pinch! Now I can stop worrying about this.  8)

Thank you very much for this, Jeannine. :)

[Jeannine]

Tora, think about  the size of pumkins and their variations.

Jack be Little grows to tennis ball size, whereas an Atlantic Giant can grow to hundreds of pounds.

If someone was growing very large squash on three foot places, they would have a forest of leaves, very prone to disease amd a;; trying to get the same water and nourishment from the soil.

No one would plant brassicas on six inch spaces and expect to get good results, so why  cut down to so low a spave on squash, it simply doesn't make sense.

Off to work, in haste, will look when I get home XX Jeannine