trellising vines

[canesisters]

I have vastly overestimated the planting space in my little garden. :/

I've seen something about using trellises for cucumbers - can summer squash and zucchinis grow that way too? I've got a space about 1'x5' in an arc between the tomatoes and the edge of the garden. Could I plant these three along that edge and try to get them to climb strips of fence sections up and over the path?

 

[lesa]

The garden always fills up much faster than you plan! Trellising is a great idea- however, zucchini and summer squash are both bush plants, that do not climb. You might have good luck with those in large containers... The cukes work great for trellising, so do melons and of course, pole beans. Looking good- Happy Gardening!

 

[canesisters]

Well now, thar's my problem rite thar.
Years ago I tried a garden - it was a huge failure (complete lack of planning/ prepping) but I had 'squash and zucchini' that ran all over the place, out the fence, across the lawn.... the squashes were small, mealy terrible little things! But if they don't make vines... then who knows what I was trying to eat!

 

[digitS']

There is a Tromboncino summer squash that vines but it isn't a common garden plant in the US. It is a moschata squash - so, related to butternut winter squashes. I have a friend on the California coast who grows that each year. He has a duck pen and it grows over the wire.

Unknown vining things of the squash nature are often hybrids and they aren't likely ones that even Marshall will delight in. Squashes cross easily because of the nature of their flowers and . . . ready for this? . . . Zucchini will cross with the Jack o'Lantern pumpkins. The result is a miserable thing that is more like a gourd than anything else. Since zucchini and pumpkins are fairly common in our gardens, we can get in trouble with volunteers.

I've grown luffa and calabash gourds, before. I'm not sure that you would have mistaken them for summer squash, tho'. I don't really care for summer squash . . . and never got around to making any luffa sponges for the bathtub. That's all I got so "Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!"

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, its real common to underestimate how much space you need for things. Trust me, weve all been there. Experience and discipline are sometimes rough lessons to learn. Take your tomatoes. It depends a bit on your varieties but some indeterminates will fill a 3 space. You may not be able to walk along there and may wind up harvesting tomatoes through or over the fence. Part of that depends on how you support your tomatoes too.

With your squash its hard to say what you were eating. Not that those were dangerous to you, just maybe not the highest quality for eating. Maybe sometimes pretty low quality. Ive had some crosses before that were actually pretty good, but I used them as a winter squash, not a summer squash. Technically you can use summer squash as winter squash and winter squash as summer squash but you might not like the results.

Summer squash and zucchini tend to be bush plants. Winter squash tend to be vining plants, but there can be exceptions to both. I got some Mandan summer squash seeds from the Fur Trade Museum in Chadron, Nebraska that Ill try this year. Thats supposed to be a vining type of summer squash. If I can keep the squash bugs to a manageable level long enough Ill see what those are like.

 

[thistlebloom]

What! You overestimated your planting space? For shame Cane!

Just kiddin' ya. I am making new garden areas every other year or so because I too, overestimate my space, or actually don't estimate at all. This year I'm going to be in a crunch just getting all my potatoes in without stacking them.

Your garden area looks great by the way.

 

[baymule]

Summer squash is technically a bush plant, but it "bushes" several feet! They just don't do well on a trellis. I have planted yellow, zuchinni, Lebanese white marrow, and tromboncino this year. I planted the tromboncino on heavy wire cow panels. If you are wanting to plant in an arc, then get cow panels and bow them over. I used them making a hoop run covered in hardware cloth for the chickens. They would work splendidly for a trellis.

Steve, planting the tromboncino over the hoop run would be a great idea! Now why didn't I think of that? Maybe because there is too much shade there. Still......it might be worth a try.....gazes out at pouring rain.....looks in seed box.......nah, wait till rain stops.....

 

[897tgigvib]

Cane, your garden is shaped kind of like my first one here.

What Lesa and Bay suggest is good. Some large containers will help.

Now, about all that lawn around your garden...

 

[vfem]

Oh wow, I think trellising the vines is the best thing you can do.

I'm growing pumpkin, melons (cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon), cukes and beans up trellis. I support the heavier things like melons with netting onion bags and knee highs. Works out great for me! I have 24' foot rows of trellis in. I'm quite impressed with how much planting room I have this year.

 

[897tgigvib]

Don't forget to help the vines go where they should go. Cucumbers can just hang there, and they'll be nice and straight.