Planning first attempt at winter squash…..

[RhysParticipant]

Charles

I am putting finishing touches to the 2018 plan and have a question for you about Red Kuri squash.

My plan is to have the squash covering 2.5m by 1.5m and I was thinking of 6 plants in two rows of three 60cm-75cm apart within the row and 60-90cm between rows.

The question concerns where within the 2.5m length I should place the three plants.

The bed faces north-south so if plants grow solely towards the sun I was thinking of place the plants at 25cm, 100cm and 175cm, or possibly 30cm, 90cm and 150cm, allowing up to one metre of growth toward the sun from the final pair of plants.

If however the plants simply grow equally in both directions, then a 50cm, 125cm and 200cm or 60cm, 120cm and 180cm might be more suitable.

Do you have any advice on this subject?

Cheers

Rhys

[kitesabbeymumParticipant]

Rhys, my experience of growing Red Kuri and other winter squashes is that they are very vigorous growers and need all the space you can give them. Unrestricted last summer they grew on average 6 metres. They will tend to grow towards the sun (south) and you can move the tendrils to direct them away from paths etc. I think 6 plants in the area you have may mean they are crowded, 4 would be enough and plant 1 meter apart.
I am planning on making very sturdy wigwams out of hazel and training the squashes to climb as I love eating winter squash but resent the amount of space they take up. We shall se how that works.
Good luck
Sue

[charlesModerator]

Hi Rhys I grow 2 in that space! They root over all the soil and produce loads.
That is is issue with growing them upwards Sue: it saves space but there are no extra roots. Still good to save space.

[RhysParticipant]

Ok, two or three plants it is then. I was hoping to get eight to ten squashes, hence choosing six, or is that unrealistic in the space I will have available?

Two a metre apart in the middle of the 1.5m width or two spaced out near the end of the 2.5m length?

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