Squash in the bed

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Permalink Reply by Gillian on June 25, 2009 at 12:24am

Hi Lashanda,
I had to laugh at the title of this discussion! I try to plant as much as possible up, so that they actually take up less soil area. (I think it is a permaculture theory) If you put a trellis for them to climb then that might just be enough space. The advantage too is that air circulates around the plant and they become less susceptible to things like downy mildew, which tends to be a problem in humid climates.

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Permalink Reply by Maxine Walker on June 25, 2009 at 7:18am

I have three 4X8 foot raised beds with sides about a foot tall laid on previous grass (newspapers laid down first.). At the South end of those beds, with taller plants to the North, I have 3 winter squash/pumkin/zucchini plants at each end. Gravel surrounds these beds so the plants go scrambling over the gravel, some up to 10 feet long. The advantage is a dry surface and unlimited room to roam. I have planted intensively per Square Foot Gardening, but make sure soil fertility is optimum each year, and have good crops. If you don't have gravel, straw may be a good substitute.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle W. Flannery on June 25, 2009 at 9:17am

In square foot gardening, bush squash require 3 square feet of space.
Vining squash can be planted in the center of a trench, 1'x 2'.
My own experience with vining squash is that they will require more than a 1'x2' space!

Vining squash can be grown vertically.
Plant large varieties (Hubbard, Butternut, Spaghetti, etc.) in a 1' wide trench and space 4' apart.
Plant smaller varieties (Acorn, Buttercup) 24" apart.
Instead of string for climbing, using a large mesh wire. The vines will strengthen and be able to support the fruit without additional support in all but the larger pumpkin varieties.

Anyone that's been keeping up with my garden saga knows that my pumpkin and watermelon vines have finally taken over my garden bed, in spite of my continued efforts to keep them in their own places.
I planted 2 pumpkin 3 feet apart in an area 16'x3'. They have spread N-S only 8' down the 16' allowance, and E-W are sprawling well beyond their 3' area, through the tomatoes and peppers.
I planted 9 watermelon E-W in a 3'x30' area, and they are spreading W out of their trench through the yellow squash and out into the eggplant!

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Permalink Reply by Gail Wolf on June 25, 2009 at 9:31am

Lashanda, I planted winter squash, two varieties of zucchini, pumpkins and cucumbers in one of my raised beds. My pumpkins are a small bush variety. I also planted all of these things in containers. If you look at my photos you will see that I gave them 1 SF each.....probably way too little, but we shall see as they begin to spread out. I noticed the first fruits emerging just a couple of days ago, and will keep posting the progress. My guess is that they will become quite crowded by the time they are fully grown.

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Permalink Reply by ssgardengirl on August 3, 2009 at 6:27am

I'm growing Lakota and Kuri squash in my small (4'x10')raised bed. I added a trellis to the back of the bed. Both varieties of squash and two varieties of cukes are growing on the trellis. Earlier in the season I grew peas on the trellis. The cukes and squash were planted while the peas were still growing. Once the heat got to the peas they came out, and the cukes and squash have taken over. This doesn't technically fit the 'rules' of square-foot gardening since the vines are planted in a row instead of in the squares, but it's working great for me and leaving plenty of room for other veggies. I'm not a big fan of rules anyway, and have adapted the basic principles of SF gardening in a way that works for me.

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