I recently saw a fantastic 12 foot run of squash flowers growing on a trellis about 6ft high.it had been built in a tunnel shape with the squash hanging from the centre. does anybody know the best variety and how many plants I would need to achieve this.i would like to give it a try next season.
I grow them like that, not in a proper arch, but like runner beans, with netting and a more substantial cane arrangement (rows about 5 ft apart, 2 ftish between plants)
Butternut does fine, but i don't grow them anymore
Little gem, more a summer squash, produces lots of fruit, but the vines are a little bit spindly, and don't cover the arch
Sweet dumpling has lovely small fruit, but the vine is a monster and hard to control, and late fruiting
Red Kuri is the best i've grown, fruit looks good and not too big
i'm also growing spaghetti squash up the arch this year, but the fruit is a bit too big to do again
the main thing is watering and feeding, because you're growing a lot of plants in a smaller area than is normal
< my first post >
Quote from: alkanet on September 01, 2013, 09:22:42
I grow them like that, not in a proper arch, but like runner beans, with netting and a more substantial cane arrangement (rows about 5 ft apart, 2 ftish between plants)
Butternut does fine, but i don't grow them anymore
Little gem, more a summer squash, produces lots of fruit, but the vines are a little bit spindly, and don't cover the arch
Sweet dumpling has lovely small fruit, but the vine is a monster and hard to control, and late fruiting
Red Kuri is the best i've grown, fruit looks good and not too big
i'm also growing spaghetti squash up the arch this year, but the fruit is a bit too big to do again
the main thing is watering and feeding, because you're growing a lot of plants in a smaller area than is normal
< my first post >
Welcome Alkanet!
This is very good information. Often the squash vine length is an unknown, yet it does make a difference for the space requirement, not just when growing on a trellis. At best we get the information that something is bush or vining, but as you say, there are big differences. Useful to know.
The only argument against growing up a trellis (although you have covered this with stressing extra watering and feeding) is that winter squashes often put down roots from nodes that touch the ground. These will help long vines get extra nutrition from the ground in addition to the main roots.
Again welcome and hope to read many more of your posts. We have a page for new members to introduce themselves and tell us a little more about their plot and their growing, if you would like to:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,58536.780.html
yes, the stems rooting. i didn't mention it, because the ones i grow on the ground don't do it much, which is handy for moving the vines about when they don't behave themselves and grow where they're supposed to
I meant if you were growing them on the ground they'd cover an area say 12 feet wide rather than 5 feet, so the natural rainfall would be more than double (say)