I should know this but don't.
Can I allow a well dug in plant to ramble over gravel after the first 3 feet. I am extremely short of space, these days I just have my greenhouse and some very large pots like half barrels mostly. I have flower borders round the lawn but they are for the most part in shade I have a small square about 3 feet of good ground just outside my greenhouse to the right in full sun but then all round the greenhouse it is gravel.
I have 4 very important winter squash plants that I really want to grow for seed this year and am unsure as to were to put them and looking for ideas . They were originally going to my sons but he has multiple squash planned and they would cross. Currently they are in 18 ich tall pots in the greenhouse waiting to go in the ground. I did think about keeping one in there and hand pollinating it but the space it will take up is prohibitive, growing it vertically would shade the other things in there and the squash are a bit big for that..
I could grow in a half barrel along a wall with a trellis, the sun is OK but the squash size worries me. I also have a trellis with a foot wide border enclosed in stone against a side wall with extremely sandy soil, the sun changes as the day progresses but it is in shade by 2pm.
I am sort of stuck and would welcome any ideas
XX Jeannine
Hi Jeannine,
I had one too many butternut plants last year so John planted it in a very small, well manured space and let it roam along the paving in front of my apple trees. We stopped the run at about 4 meters (not allowing any branching) and harvested 4 good sized squash so I would say go ahead!
This year I've had difficulty getting Waltham butternut seeds to germinate, so am relying on the Butterfly variety, also growing Pink banana and Potimarron, growing them all on obelisks in one 2m x 1m raised bed.
Hope you are keeping well and will have a good growing season.
Tricia x
Hi Jeannine. I also think you're fine to let your squash ramble over your gravel. They try to put down further roots of course, but can manage without those, and in any case the roots can explore your gravel for moisture.
Are you also wondering how many would go into your three foot square of good soil? There I'm uncertain. Two certainly. Maybe three? Possibly all four if they can get their roots really deep and perhaps beyond the surface area of soil? Could you have one in a half barrel, and allow it to trail along the gravel with the others?
I hope yours grow well too, Tricia. I'm also trying Pink Banana for the first time (and Potimarron, but not for the first time) but it's very slow to get going. I'm hoping it will catch up.