pumpkin/squash/courgette and space

[Ethansmumma]

Looking for some advice here:

I have some pumpkin, courgette and squash plants needing planted out (currently in the coldframe) on my allotment. I know that these need a lot of space and am trying to think of any nifty ways to maximise/creative ways to save room etc... i think these need about 90cm/5ft between each.

have one whole bed, think i could do on in each corner,
a space in the middle of my french bean bed (am growing the beans up a frame on the sides of the bed,
a patch between to raised bads where i currently have sunflowers in planter bags,
and could also put one pumpkin in my sons garden/bed area,
or i could use my 2ft x 12 ft path between my potato and strawberry beds and plant a couple here as both these beds can be accessed from the other sides...

any tips on how to get these plants to climb/use less space?

[veggiechicken]

I shove mine in anywhere I can! If you plant them near the edge of a path they can sprawl onto the path. Also space them like the dots on a 5 domino, if that makes sense, rather than in strict rows.

[kentishgal]

My courgettes and pumpkins are sharing a bed (oo er!) with tomatoes, broad beans and french beans. I figure the toms and beans will grow up and the squashes out so nobody competes....
of course then I got carried away and shoehorned some lettuce seedlings in odd spaces and planted some marigolds too!! (tis a very full bed!!LOL)

[PAULW]

Squash and pumpkins only need to be planted 18in 2 foot of space between them, then they will criss cross over each other quite happily remember to put a cane in next to where you have planted them then when the drought comes you will know where to aim the water, you will need access to the courgette to crop.

[singleseeder]

I have shoved my squash/pumpkins in with the sweetcorn.

Sweetcorn approx 12" apart in a block - what is the desription of like 5s? - the squash and pumpkins are dotted around approx every second / third space and around the edge. Courgettes are separate so I can get to them.

Pots and canes are in place for watering/feeding and they'll have to get on with it.

[Paulottie]

Corgettes come in bush or trailing types. You need to be able to access the fruit regularly.

Pumpkins get everywhere. and smother everything...They will happily climb but the frame needs to be strong enough to support a pumkins weight..not just the plant.

Butternuts are similar but a bit smaller; so can normally be fitted in amongst sweetcorn etc.

As suggested above mark the plant centre or sink an upturned cutoff bottle to aid watering.

[Florence Fennel]

You can also encourage/bully the pumpkins into growing in circles, takes up less space. I have some courgettes in tires this year so I can concentrate the watering and they can spread themselves out on to the lawn. Fingers crossed.

[VirginVegGrower]

I saw a very creative squash climbing frame last year using criss cross threaded bamboo canes. If she sees this she may well come and explain it...or patent it as a stonking idea

[Ian_5]

I saw a very creative squash climbing frame last year using criss cross threaded bamboo canes. If she sees this she may well come and explain it...or patent it as a stonking idea

Wouldn't be the frame in the link below by any chance? It looks pretty impressive to me.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ies_63087.html

going to give that a go myself this year.

[vicky]

I'm taking barrowloads of compost and dumping them around the garden in random places. I'm managed to hide 10 like this so far...

[Kaiya]

I've stuck my squash, courgettes and cucumbers in at the edges of my sweetcorn bed and the middle of my pea oblong. I have beds with path edges so they can have the paths to wander around on. I grew courgettes very close together last year - less than two feet between plants, and they did fine, but that's probably not optimal. This year I've sunk half pop bottles next to each curcurbit (sometimes two share a bottle as I tend to overplant) which will probably help with watering once things start to grow and obscure the soil.

No pumpkins for me - too many naughty children around.

[Tripmeup]

I've stuck my Courgettes, some Cucumbers and two marrow plants in various places around my garden, and handily enough had some well rotted manure to include with the various plantings....jsut trying to keep the slugs away now.....