Topic: Climbing Squashes

[lottiedolly]

Help I need your advice. I have a number of squash seeds that i want to grow and i do not have enough space, i am thinking of letting some of them climb, now Jeannine or Chrisc or anyone else, what squashes would be the best ones for that, i was thinking of uchiki kuri and sweet dumpling as two types i have loads of other squash seeds and you cannot always find enough info on the web for the ones that i have.

Help please  ???

[Digeroo]

I found that uchiki kuri looked very attractive with their fruit dangling down from a cane.  I am going to grow some in my front garden this year for decoration.  I did not find them particularly vigourous.  The fruit is red/organ from the beginning. 

[plot51A]

I've found that butternuts are happy to climb.

[Wilder]

I'm going to try this as well, seems to be lots of advice on here about squashes!

[artichoke]

One year my pumpkin climbed a six foot hawthorn hedge to escape from the compost heap where I had planted it, and set a large pumpkin in the sun on the flattish top of the hedge. Quite difficult to retrieve when the time came.

I have also set squashes to climb into my old, gnarled apple tree, starting them off crawling up an old piece of trellis like a ladder, with the occasional bit of string to guide them.

[chriscross1966]

Bonbons will climb, and Seminole are famous for it.... pretty m,uch all cucurbits do to a degree anyway.... if you can spare some checken wire it shouild be easy to get almost any of them to scrable up that...

chrisc

[lottiedolly]

last year, i only grew turks turban and a few butternuts, i have collected the seeds for the following and any ideas which ones of these would be good climbers please

Uchi Kuri
wee b little
pottimarron
shark fin
golden nugget
delicata
winter festival
sweet dumpling
hooligan
I appreciate any advice
regards k ???

[Squash64]

I've grown Uchiki Kuri up canes and it did really well.

[attachment=1]

[tomatoada]

I've grown Uchiki Kuri up canes and it did really well.

[attachment=1]

What did you use to tie the stem to canes?  I tried last year with some small round courgettes but the ties cut into the stems and I had to put them down along the ground.

[Squash64]

What did you use to tie the stem to canes?  I tried last year with some small round courgettes but the ties cut into the stems and I had to put them down along the ground.

I use that soft brown twine they sell in Wilkinsons.  Might be a good idea not to tie them too tightly so the stems have room to grow.

[Squash64]

Just looked at the photo again and you can see how it is fastened to the cane, to the left of the squash.

[plot51A]

Grew Golden Nugget last year and would say they are bush type, not climber. Quite compact and productive though.

[lottiedolly]

thanks guys for the advice, much apreciated

regards

K

[GrannieAnnie]

These climbed to the top of a holly tree, then as the gourds became larger and heavier they slowly pulled the top of the tree down to reaching height- sort of a collapsable trellis and never needs painting. ;D