Spacing question - Tomatoes and squash or courgette?

[colonel]

Hi,

Just a quick question about spacing.

I have a trough that's 4ft by 1 1/2ft and about 3 ft deep.
I have planted 3 tomato plants and a couple of calendula in there already. I was thinking of putting either a squash (butternut or jumbo pink banana) or a courgette in there with it. Is this too much or do you think there will be enough growing room for everything in there?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy the sunshine everyone

[ameno]

Probably not, but it could work if you are diligent in keeping everything fed and watered.
Not a squash, though. They grow much larger than courgettes, and therefore need more root room. You could probably get away with a courgette tucked into one corner, though, assuming, as I said, you are diligent about feeding and watering.

[Snoop Puss]

Agree with Ameno. But you risk a poor harvest from your tom plants. I probably wouldn't do it. If you want to add anything, add some herbs like basil or even coriander.

[Jungle Jane]

Courgette plants can be huge,even this shooting star climbing courgette says plant 60cm apart,ones planted about 30cm from a cucumber but the canes go outwards like a big V so they might be alright. Some plants don’t mind being surrounded by other plants but tomatoes like an airflow,after the rain they dry off quickly if they’re not touching other wet plants,it’s a bacterial risk for the sensitive tomato plant. Have you got any basil,spring onions,radish or lettuce for the gaps,have you got a photo of how it looks now?

[bramble]

I wouldnt plant anything other than your tomatoes.
If everything is crammed in together you may get disease or a poor crop.
I

[ameno]

Courgette plants can be huge,even this shooting star climbing courgette says plant 60cm apart,ones planted about 30cm from a cucumber but the canes go outwards like a big V so they might be alright.

I find most spacing recommendations are more generous than they need to be. Courgettes, especially, can be grown surprisingly close. In open soil, you can plant three per square metre (in a triangle fashion) and still get about 70-80% of the crop per plant (and so therefore far more in total) you would if you had planted only one.

[Jungle Jane]

Last year I planted a tomato plant over a foot away from the courgette,the courgette grew & sprawled out about a meter wide,you can just see the tomato plant. In a container,there’d be less space for root spread.

[Nicos]

Having looked at this about beneficial companion veg for tomatoes.....

https://www.thespruce.com/companion-...matoes-1403289

-How about putting in some chives , basil or lettuce?
They don't grow very tall so will fit under the tomato plants as you remove their lower leaves

I would be concerned about overcrowding the trough too as you don't want to create poor airflow and encourage disease.

[colonel]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I will just stick some basil in there and maybe some lettuce for good measure, to keep things simple.

I do have another patch where I could put one of my squash plants although it does go in and out of shade throughout the day! How do you think the squash will fare in these conditions?

Thanks again everyone.

[ameno]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I will just stick some basil in there and maybe some lettuce for good measure, to keep things simple.

I do have another patch where I could put one of my squash plants although it does go in and out of shade throughout the day! How do you think the squash will fare in these conditions?

Thanks again everyone.

If it's a rambling squash, rather than a bush type, then remember that the roots don't need full sun. Even if it's planted at the edge of shade, as long as it is able to grow out into sun then it will be fine.
Squash also don't need as much planting space as the recommendations say, because those recommended spacings are based on field growing, where the rooting space and the rambling space would all be the same ground. But you can grow them at the edge of a bed, and let them ramble over shrubs or other ground.

[Snoop Puss]

Not sure where you garden, Colonel. I really like squash flowers and the leaves are really quite dramatic. I think they might even be acceptable in a flower garden if you have room for one somewhere like that. Agree with Ameno: depending on the variety the vines will wander far and wide if you don't try to confine them. With courgette plants, I tend to abide by the spacing rules. I grew some yellow ones that supposedly were to go in 60 cm apart. They grew massive, so they themselves clearly weren't unhappy with the conditions, but the plants they crowded out were distinctly miserable.