Best way to grow Squash

[supasick]

I have a reasonably sized plot, and as i subscribed, i'll be recieving alot of lovely plants including 3 ' Hawk' squash plants. Now i know that squash can take up lots of room so i was thinking of growing them up. Thing is, how do i do this and whats the best thing to grow them up? I was thinking of a wigwam like sweetpeas but would this be strong enough?

If they should grow well, then what would be te best way to store the squashes till we want to eat them?

[horticultural_hobbit]

With poo, and lots of it.

Oh, you mean structurally...

You'll find lots and lots of different squash stories on here. For some grapes, they are lovely, for others there is a lot of boo hissing.

Not all squash take up lots of room, I am sowing hooligan which can be grown in a pot and upwards, as well as jack be little. But the big beefy ones, do require space. At least one metre square per plant to begin with, I think as a minimum. Some folks grow them up a trellis, and off the ground. Last year, I tried to grow a BNS up a wigwam. I daresay it would have worked, if the fruits were polinated. I got a huge great big green leafy pylon but not a single fruit. T'was my first attempt, though. I grew a ghostrider in a tomato grow bag and let it sprawl across slabs, pops frowned a lot.

Have a go, mine this year are going to the plot if they take off. A 12metre square bed, and lot to grow.

[zazen999]

I grow them in a few ways.

I plant them onto big compost bins and let them scramble.

I plant them on corners of beds on my plot and let them ramble down the paths.

I also do a vertical wall of squash - so those that aren't too big [don't do blue bananas, but you can do small pumpkins] get trained up a wall of canes and they dangle down and are out of the way.

You have to choose your varieties carefully though - trailing ones with small fruits are best, obviously.

And store them in a cool darkish place once cured is the best way.

[greenishfing]

I like to grow lots of different squashes and plant them in rich well manured soil marking the planting site with a cane so that I know where to water. I just let them roam under the fruit trees and through the sweetcorn patch. Some have got as far as the edge of my plot and climbed the hedge on their own. If they head off where I don't want them to go I just twist them back on themselves. Last year I also planted some in the top of the compost bin and let them trail down. When I pick them I bring them home and put them on the windowsills. I've still got 2 of last years sitting there in good condition ready to be cooked.

[Florence Fennel]

You can wind them around in a bit of a circle if you haven't a lot of space. I put a plastic pop bottle, bottom cut off and upturned when I first plant them, with a short cane through to hold in place. You can then water into the bottle to get at the root. I've never managed to grow enough to store, but I'm trying again this year.

[supasick]

Thanks guys. Its abit confuzzling this growing veggies lark! Rather exciting though, have some garlic shoots showing up this morning.

[Jelliebabe]

thats a type of butternut - so should be a bit big for growing up anything! Try it in amongst sweetcorn google three sisters but I would reccomend leaving out the beans... doesnt really work in the uk!