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Hi

This will be my first year growing produce directly into soil in the greenhouse.

I would like to get grow some squash plants...can they be grown up supports rather than letting them roam free?

I tried some butternut squash last year outside and they took over a good sized bed

Derek

Derek, for me they do really well outside, so why take up space in the greenhouse?? I would rather use it to grow tomatoes, chillies n other peppers and cucumbers rather than give it up to squash!
Try some melons  in the greenhouse or other veg that require a little extra heat!
Sorry to sound  :(  DP

OH made me a 'squash tunnel' type frame in the best scouting tradition last year! all my squashes grew well upwards. i grew 'spaghetti squash', 'blue ballet', 'becky' and 'jack be little'. also courgette 'di nice a fruit rond'.
this was outdoors though, not indoors.

Thanks for the advice..Melons it is

Kerry..I am not sure if your 'Scout' contraption meant that your squash plants grew verticle?

Derek

Squashes, like cucumbers, will climb if you give them some support and it saves a lot of space on the floor if you're a bit pushed for room.  It keeps the fruits off the floor and away from the slugs and rot as well.  :)

yep, vertical. 6ft canes as uprights and then a few canes across the top to form a 'roof'. by 'scout' tradition i mean constructed from a just few canes but made solid and tied tight with his best scouting knots (he's a scout leader)so it does not come apart easily ;).

some of the courgettes and pumpkins are 'bush', so they won't climb, but i picked those with a 'trailing' habit which save space by growing upwards.

Thanks for that information.

I grew tomatoes and peppers last year in the smaller unit this year I want to experiment with as many types of produce that I can reasonably fit in.

Derek

Sorry to hijack your thread Derek...

How heavy do the plants get? ie - how strong do the supports need to be?

Hi jack away

That was going to be my next question  ;D

Derek

supports?
i'm going to be trying melons for the first time this year. i don't know how heavy the whole plant gets, but i do see it's recommended that you need to support the ripening fruit else it will just snap the stem under its weight.
so it's a wait and see for me on that.

tomatoes-i grow cordons under glass - due to space - supported by a cane each. the cane is stuck right down into the large pots i grow in, then the top attached to some 'brackets' that fix to the frame of the aluminium, (can't think of their proper name, but catalogues like 2wests and harrod sell them) you can tie to these as they are made to support stuff. in that way the plant is effectively supported by the frame.

i'm growing chillis and peppers, but they don't generally get big enough for more that a small cane in the pot, but also this year i'm trying cape gooseberries under glass.

grew them outside last year, again, used a cane and tied them to this, so i shall be using the same method as for my indoor tomatoes.

]
Here is what I grow my squash up! Roofing batons from the local builders, (£5.00 for a huge bundle!) and nylon rope recycled from straw bales!  DP

Thanks Doris

As Mr Punch would say..."Thats the way to do it"!

Derek

I should think you will need plenty of room in the greenhouse to grow the squash - the ehat and humidity will make for rampant growth.  I grew Malabar gourds the eyar before last and they virtually took over the whole greenhouse, jsut one plant.  Very spectacular, but won't do it again.............. ;D  Strong supports for them if you are growing them upwards, either inside or out.  for melons, make little bags of netting and attach to the framework with string - can re-use onions/seed potato type bags for this.

When I had a greenhouse I grew squash on the outside of the greenhouse but trained up and over the roof. The heat from the greenhouse helped them to grow well and the squash gave great natural shading to the greenhouse. In the early part of the year the squash are too small to provide much shade, which is what you want at that time of the year (maximum light and heat), but by the time high summer was here the squash were providing much needed shelter from the strong sun. The squash grew up the west and north side of the greenhouse, and provided shading from the top but the south and east side of the greenhouse was open still allowing a lot of light in. You can also grow grape vines, planted inside the greenhouse but remove a panel of glass so that the vine can grow out the greenhouse and onto the roof, again providing natural shade but warmth to the vine. Don't see why you couldn't do something similar also with melons, giving more space to your tomatoes and peppers etc.