Question about Potimarron Squash

[susieq100]

After reading a lot of stuff about how this tastes like chestnuts (which I adore) and that it is reasonably easy to grow (!) I have ordered some seeds. I know that it is a trailing squash, but I would quite like to grow it over an arch or a wigwam. Will this work? Are the fruits too heavy for the plant to support? Or should I just let it grow wherever it wants to? I know they are cucurbits and my gherkins and cucumbers this year (first year of growing and I did not really know what to expect) grew what seemed like a foot a day - I was forever pinching out growing tips. Are squash the same?

Has anyone grown them up or over something?

[zazen999]

The Potimarron Project

Have a little gander at this.

[Brengirl]

A few years back I grew a Waltham butternut squash. I tied it to a trellis up a wall. It produced 2 heavyweight brutes that I supported as you do melon. I await with interest to see what the professionals have to say.

[roitelet]

I grew them this year on the flat and they don't half take up a lot of space! The result was 6 fruit from two plants. They are about the half the size of a football and a lovely red/orange colour. They are now hanging in net bags in the cow shed. We have yet to try them but I bought one last year and it year good and that is where the seeds came from.

[susieq100]

Andrea

Thanks - the video clip shows them growing up a structure. I had read about the project and if I'm successful I will certainly send them seeds.

[Tomatoking]

We grew Potimarron this year. We planted quite a few plants (too many!) on our very large horse manure compost heap. They did extremely well there and took over! We left them to do their own thing and they even climbed up the adjoining 6' fence. We did not have to support the very large football size fruit; the only tending that we did was to cut some of the heads off of the shoots after they were about 6' long and this encouraged more fruit growth. We have yet to try one, but have them all sat in our garage waiting to be eaten! We were recommended to buy this variety years ago by an old French neighbour, who always grew them. We have not practiced Tai-Chi around them, as Mr TK isn't keen on the idea of sitting in the middle of the muck heap!!

[Matt.]

I suppose you could grow it over an arch but I'm not sure about a wigwam? The fruits are heavy though (like a galia melon) so you would need netting to support them.

Its well worth growing not only for the taste but the size is good too. A single fruit is easy to peel and deseed and you still get plenty of flesh.

One word of warning about storing them. The skin is very thin so they might be more suscepatable to going rotten. I had about 20 fruits and one has gone already. The others seem fine for now but I'm eating them quciker than butternuts as I'm not sure how long they'll last. I store them in my garage by the way.

[Two_Sheds]

I grew Bonbon this year, and planted them next to my netted sprouts. The squash grew up and over the netting (supported only by bamboos), and nothing broke, unbelievably. The squash must be 2 or 3kg each.

[ginger ninger]

I grew onion squash over an arch this year and I grew Little Green Gem and Munchkin over another arch, give it a go, as long as your arch is sturdy enough I can't see a problem.

[susieq100]

Thanks for all the advice folks. I shall be putting an arch on my Christmas list. I love the idea of Mr TomatoKing doing tai chi on a muck tump! It's an image that is making me grin like an idiot now.

[SuperDad]

I can't advise about growing them up a structure, but had a brilliant crop this year growing flat. Bought the seed in France, about 6 Euros a packet which is a bit steep! Has anyone tried growing them from saved seed, and if so any tips?
tks