Too many squash and not enough bed!

Hi guys

Ive got a standard-sized veg bed, and 6 crown prince squashes! (also a few summer time squashes, but I wont mention that! )

Realistically, how many do you think I can put into 1 bed? I was thinking I could train the leaves to climb the fence, rather than the foliage sprawl across the lawn.



What do you think? I know Im asking a lot as they take up a lot of room!

Thanks

 

In my experience one happy healthy Crown Prince plant will spread over one of those beds. I’d hesitate to train them upwards because of the potential weight of the fruit … but you could put a couple in each bed and encourage them to trail onto the paths … but beware … they’ll be a trip hazard! My larger squash plants spread across the lawn.

As for the summer squashes, are they bush types or trailers?

 

Can you train the cattle not to graze the fence line? In my experience, they can/will reach through/over a wire, potentially grab and 'wind-in' your plants. Its not because they are hungry, its because they can.
You can allow the squash to cover the pathways, you dont need access once planted until harvest. You could build a trellis along the pathway and tie them in.

 

Didn't Jack Hargreaves do a wigwam affair for sweet peas in a spiral? You could utilise the same for fruiting climbers. Five plants, wigwam, spiral the tie ins, net the fruit....it could work

 

Thanks Dove. I did wonder about encouraging them to spread on the lawn. Plenty of space there. But - in your experience - have their been any downsides? (making the lawn go brown for example).

Im not sure whether the summer squashes are bush types. I have Black Beuaty and De Nizza if that helps?

Thanks

 

Thats a good point! These cows are particularly mischievous! There is a drainage ditch just beyond my fence, but cows are surprisingly nimble! (I put up the fence becuase the last lot got into the garden). Ideally Id like a ha-ha, but I got a quote and it was prohibitively expensive! :(

Interesting idea about the trellis.

 

Hmm, I remember watching a youtube video last year where someone had grown squashes vertically; and used some sort of small hammocks so the squash didnt fall off. Ill see if I can dig out the video!

 

We planted our pumpkins in an old compost area last year. They grew slowly to begin with and then took off. The bin is underneath our very ancient bramley apple tree. The plants decided that the tree was a great way to take them upwards and so they did. We did have to make sure that the fruits were supported in some netting especially as one was over the path and if it fell as we were walking underneath.....

 

If you’re lucky each crown Prince squash can be the size of some Halloween pumpkins … they’re quite a weight!

 

I know zero about squash, but am just interrupting the conversation to say, @Tufty, what a fabulous outlook you have there.

 

The lawn didn’t go brown @Tufty … just slightly pale in patches but then I moved the vines to one side then the other from time to time (and when OH cut the grass) and it made no real impact.

 

I do 1 per metre on a standard 1.2 metre wide bed, just planted mine today. But I do let them trail over the paths and borders when I do that, so they do get more space. Seems to work fine. It's the big pumpkins like Atlantic giant that really go wild

 

I suggest you get a sheet of that rusty mesh that builders use for reinforcing concrete. It makes great trellis. In your case, I would bend it into an upside down U and then attach it to two opposite sides of your bed. You can then tie the stems to grow up the mesh and use old tights or onion bags or some such to support each fruit.

Make sure you beef up the soil with plenty of well-rotted manure and water regularly to ensure evenly developed fruit. I would stop each plant after 3 or 4 fruits have formed depending on how big you want them to grow.

We had cows as neighbours in our last garden and every year they leant over and "pruned" the new shoots on my holly hedge so it never got more than about 70cms high. I used strips of that same rusty mesh to reinforce the barbed wire fence to 1m20 high and bingo - the holly hedge grew to a height I wanted before they could prune it.

 

Thanks. I have the added benefit of being able to simply open my bedroom window to keep an eye on my veg and make sure its all behaving itself! Its actually very useful becuase theres been times when Ive noticed something munching my plants or birds rooting around in the mulch and Ive lept into action!

I think Ive decided to open-up the very small bed on the left (I was going to leave it dormant for a year because I got bad garlic rust last year) and put a squash in there. Then encourage it to climb up and on the flat roof. It might end in disaster becuase that metal roof does get very hot, and also a gust of wind could blow it all down!

Im going to try 2 plants in each of the other 2 beds and let them take over the paths/patio/lawn.

 

Hmm, Ive just thought. (this might be a silly idea!) Ive got a container about 40 cm diameter and 60cm deep. Id this big enough to plant a squash in? If so I can pop it round the other side of the house where theres more space for its leaves to go!