squash!

[Le-y]

Ok so a little help if poss please?

on the advice from here, i've put down a layer of wet cardboard and a layer of manure (about 1inch thick?).

do i just plant the squash direct onto the manure or should i put a bit of compost down where i intend to plant?

i've heard about putting straw down? is this necessary? will hay do?

is the manure thick enough or does it need more?

anything i've missed??

thanks  ;D

[Le-y]

[pigeonseed]

I don't use this method, personally but wouldn't you want to cut a hole in the cardboard and plant into soil? It might help the plant tap into more moisture and protect it from the heat.

I'm guessing if you plant on top of the cardboard, you'll need a bit more depth than 1". 

Normally people grow them on mounds of compost, but in such dry weather, it's good to make a little crater, or a wall of soil around the stem, so when you water, it stays around to sink in, and doesn't just run off the 'hill' before it's sunk in properly.

But I don't use this cardboard-manure method, so I might have got it all completely wrong! Others will know more.

Good luck!

[manicscousers]

we plant ours on a hill with a cut off pop bottle next to it so's when we water, the roots get it 
I'd put a hole in the card, mound up some soil, plant into the mound and plant a pop bottle next to it  ;D

[chriscross1966]

I've just finished planting the 58 (I stopped, counted them and had to have a bit of a break) squash I'm growing this year.... Most of them are done around.... dif a couple of spadefuls of earth out, pour in about 60 litres of manure, throw on a handful of chicken pooh pellets and some organic chilli food, add back the earth to make a mound, stir it a bit with a fork, dig small depression in the top, plant in the depression, giver it a gallon of water..... tghe exceptions are some Bon-bons, Muscades, Potimarron and Rouge vif d'Etampes that I'm using as earth breakers into rather weedy areas where they've got weed fabric and are planted into their depressions through that, plus the Atlantic Giants at home are on an old bit of lawn that I carpeted over with cardboard, poured out 100 litres of horse manure (fairly fresh) and 250 litres of topsoil/compost mix into a pile, inserted a cut up 5l water bottle as a watering target, planted the pot-grown AG in the top of the mound and then plated the mound with broken roofing slates... they're getting a full bottle every day and are booming away... the slate means they're utterly depenbdant on me for water but they're losing nothing to evaporation really......

chrisc

[earlypea]

i've heard about putting straw down? is this necessary? will hay do?

I would be careful with the hay.  It depends, used some one year and it was fine, but used loads last winter and seems it was particularly rich in seeds.   By spring I had a real set-back with the grass seed all germinating in my nicely prepared,  weed-free, ready to sow beds.  You might think it's only a little bit of grass but it ends up as big tough clumps and took me days to clear - even now the seeds are still germinating.

[lottiedolly]

I've just finished planting the 58 (I stopped, counted them and had to have a bit of a break) squash I'm growing this year....

58 squash plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1066]

makes my 20 something seem positively pedestrain  8)  ;D

[Le-y]

58 squash plants!!?? you must really like squash!

right so make a hole in the cardboard/manure, theres no way i'm using the crappy soil from the plot so can i just put a hill of multi-purpose stuff?

edit: how big should the hole and mound be?

plant the squash on the top of the hill & put in a watering aid cover and leave to romp all over the place :)

i've heard about putting straw down? is this necessary? will hay do?

I would be careful with the hay.  It depends, used some one year and it was fine, but used loads last winter and seems it was particularly rich in seeds.   By spring I had a real set-back with the grass seed all germinating in my nicely prepared,  weed-free, ready to sow beds.  You might think it's only a little bit of grass but it ends up as big tough clumps and took me days to clear - even now the seeds are still germinating.

not worrried about the grass, i've got chickens on the plot who'd really appreciate a bit of grass to obliterate (better that than my carrots!!)  but its good to know i can use it.

should i cover the entire manured part with straw/hay or just where the seeds are going to be planted.



sorry for so many questions as you can tell i've not grown squash before!

[pigeonseed]

58 squash plants!!?? you must really like squash!

Understatement of the year!

Lots of really good advice. And of course the upside down bottle thing is a great idea manicscousers.

I think Le-y, if you allow the squash to have access to the ground under the cardboard, then any size mound of manure is fine - the more you give it, the better fed it will be.

And your natural soil might not be as crap as you think - mix it together with manure for economy?