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Garden Gate:  squash question  |
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horseychick
True Blue Farmgirl
140 Posts
Melanie
Clarkston
MI
USA
140 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 6:56:42 PM
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Hi Ladies,
I have a question about squash-like veggies. No doubt someone will be able to answer this for me. I consistently cram far too many veggies in my far too little garden. Hence, everything is crowded. Can I cut a bunch of the leaves off of my squash/melon plants to expose more of the blossoms/fruit? They tend to get shaded and then will sometimes rot. Some of these plants are growing up because I don't have the space for them to crawl along the ground and so I end up with a bush of squash. So, can I trim a bunch of the leaves without bothering the plant growth?
Farmgirl Sister #1706 You can take the girl out of the country but her soul will bring her back.-mlp
www.thestitchincoop.etsy.com
www.ThePatternShack.etsy.com |
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1409 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1409 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 7:03:32 PM
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I hesitate to cut anything from melons. It has been my experience that melons don't even like their roots disturbed while growing--meaning let the weeds grow around them. That is the way a lot of commercial plants look, unless they put some sort of weed block around the plants. I just let mine go and see what happens. The one thing I did this year was to take some unused tomato crates for my cukes and am letting them climb up the sides. Worked okay last year, let's see what happens this year.
Betty in Pasco |
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Mama Jewel
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Jewel
Sweet Peas Farmette,
Bend, OR
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 7:20:32 PM
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Hi Melanie! Yep, I agree w/Betty. I would leave the stalks alone. Try letting them go vertical. I've seen people make a kind of hammock for the squash to sit in (like a tied hanky) so the weight of the squash doesn't hurt the plant.
Farm Girl Sister #1683 Living Simply & Naturally on our lil Sweet Peas Farmette
"Do Everything in Love." 1 Cor 14
http://www.piecemama.etsy.com |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 9:12:55 PM
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I have done mine vertically. I was unable to get to the hanky/sling thing due to my ability to way overbook myself, but they did just fine. The squash do tend to get long and skinny instead of short and fat when you forget to support them. They were still enough to feed my crew of five, so they were the same size, just different shape. They looked kinda funny actually. You can also take milk jugs or small boxes and remove the top and bottom to form a tube, then place kinda around the squash to keep back the leaves if they need more sun. I just usually pick mine when they still have a slightly unrioe look and let sit on a window sill for a few days. I have it easy with that as I have a bay window with a full sill. It is currently covered with squash, peppers, and tomatoes.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 10:35:06 PM
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I have had to trim away some big leaves/stalks from summer squash before with no problems...but never tried it with winter type squash, pumpkins or melons. like everyone else said growing them vertically all you can works well with them. With zuchinni or yellow crook neck squash it works fine if you take off a few leaves though...but only if you have to.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2010 : 10:38:35 PM
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vertical is what we do here. saves space. squre foot gardening. so i use nylons for my squash for support. i use rebar pounded in the groung then i tie hay twine on the rebar and the squash vine to the hay tie. i also let my garden ramble and do not weed like most do. i find by not disturbing things the birds etc do not get as much of my produce. think camoflauge. today i picked strawberries and was given peaches yum. freezer jam and cobbler is done.sometimes they need the leaves to shade the fruit squash etc. from scorching sun while it is younger. i never cut leaves off of my plants in the garden. just a thought or two. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2010 : 03:43:38 AM
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You can also to some extent, train the leaves to go at least in the general direction you want them to.... we have 50 watermelon plants in the ground, and I will get gently guiding out into a patch of lawn rather than over into the rest of the garden by moving them every day, and placing some stakes in the ground to prevent them from going the wrong way. It worked last year for me!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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horseychick
True Blue Farmgirl
140 Posts
Melanie
Clarkston
MI
USA
140 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2010 : 04:43:58 AM
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Thanks girls, for the advice. Guess I'll just let it go crazy. My son had gourds volunteer themselves back from last year which I finally put up vertically. They have created quite a wall which sometimes shades his other plants. That's another reason why I was going to go clip happy on the leaves. I'm not so concerned about disturbing THEM by cutting. Things are growing like crazy overnight here in MI. I decided to put my cukes up last night as well as the vines are growing by several inches everyday and now slithering into our walking space! I can step over them. Not so sure my three boys will be as carefrul.
Farmgirl Sister #1706 You can take the girl out of the country but her soul will bring her back.-mlp
www.thestitchincoop.etsy.com
www.ThePatternShack.etsy.com |
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Garden Gate: squash question |
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squash question
