Kitchen Garden Forum

This year I am going to try growing a couple of our squash plants up a support. A sort of teepee made from four large branches that came from a laurel that we cut back.

I am tying shoots to encourage them to grow up the branches and then intend to support the squashes using the net bags that I buy oranges in.

I know I may have chosen a silly variety to try this - Crown Prince which can produce rather large fruits but hey nothing ventured and I do have more plants that will be left to sprawl along the ground. Anyone any advice of what to do or what to avoid doing.

Shoudl work OK if you limit the number of fruits when they get larger, or the whole thing may topple. I've grown gourds and courgettes up wigwammy things before, fairly successfully.
If you're short of ground space, one idea I saw was to grow them coiled round and pegged down in spirals as they grow, seemed successful, but I've not tried that one yet.

Hi Mrs L,
I saw the coiling method - it was on GW last year but I just wondered if once the squashes grow won't they be 'squashed up'

Hi Gallotments

Make sure it is really strong supports as my Crown
Prince get really heavy and although the stalks are
strong they would not hold their own weight over the
growing period.

Might need to sort out some sort of really strong net
to take the weight - you know 'DDD' not 'B' cup

Westi

Westi wrote:Might need to sort out some sort of really strong net
to take the weight - you know 'DDD' not 'B' cup Westi

If I can work my way round the inuendo of this, I've heard people recommend the use of a pair of stockings for other similar situations (eg. melons in a greenhouse).

Oh dear, I think the inuendo just got worse, but this is a genuine suggestion

Don't worry about it Colin, not half as bad as a horny friend popping up in General Chatter.

naturediva wrote:please advise - My squash are in the greenhouse growing up canes nicely

Hi naturediva, can I ask if you have a big greenhouse (or hopefully a polytunnel)?

In our plot, each squash generally grows to fill an area around 6 foot x 6 foot. They only stop there because I pinch them out or they meet another squash, so I hope you have plenty of room for yours (canes or not)!

In answer to your question, I'd have thought most greehouses or tunnels would be pretty hot at the moment. Since squash grow fine outside in July/August, the temperature might not be helping. In addition, is there free access for pollinating insects? I'm sure someone who's tried this can answer the question.

Hi Gallotments,
I feel that F1 Crown Prince is really too large for a trellis. I am not growing any squashes at all this year but in the past my F1 Crown Prince have all been in the region of 4kg and that is 10 pounds in old money. Have 4 of those up a trellis and you have a lethal weapon!
JB.

Knowing the size that Crown Prince grows to, I fear that they may be too heavy and will wrench your plants away from their support unless you can support them from below (resting on a table-like mechanism) so that they are not putting any strain at all on the vines. The only Squash I've ever grown upwards, and that was accidentally, was a Sweet Dumpling which climbed up a fence trellis supporting a clematis and strayed over into next door's garden. The fruit on that survived quite happily, but they are only grapefruit size, and I suspect that this is probably the largest size a trailing plant can support, bearing in mind that towards the end of the season the plants often shrivel up as they become mildewed, etc.

Hi JB,
Yes that was my thought too as we have grown Crown Prince before but we had quite a few plants and so sort of risked it on a just to see basis. We had one or two that took off through the dahlias last year.

Primrose - I was going to support any fruits be using a sort of hammock type of thing. The poles that the vines are attached to are quite sturdy so the general idea is to support the fruit with the poles and not the plants.

You will probably all be quite correct in saying it won't work but in the words of Mastermind I've started so now I'll have to finish and will probably end up with a big heap.

Naturediva, if there is not free access for bees to pollinate your squash, you will need to do it by hand. See the photo of hand pollination on this page:-www.growyourown.info/page127.html

Hi Gallotments,
I am not saying that it will not work but as Westi has said DDD rather than B cup well they simply should not be allowed to move really.
I sincerely hope that you prove me well and truly wrong!
JB.

Hi JB,
I hope that I prove you wrong too but I guess that is extremely unlikely but you know me - love a challenge.

Now just need to determine what I will use to provide adequate support as I can't really fulfil the DDD requirements.