Should i stake squash plants

Save your T-posts for building heavy-duty trellises. You can even salvage wood or repurpose other materials for stakes. I have an old wooden broomstick I use to stake up bush tomatoes. Tomato cages are much more expensive than stakes. Even if you have spare cages, they would be better used for bushy plants like peppers or relatively bushy climbing plants like peas.

Even if you decide to use cages, you will still have to tie up your zucchini plants as with staking. Caging will also make it more tedious for you to get in and prune the lower leaves as your zucchini plants grow.

My recommendation: You should stake your zucchinis, but if you only have a tomato cage, you can cage your zucchini plants instead. As the growing season continues, watch for the development of powdery mildew and remove any diseased parts of the plant. Discard them into the garbage — never the compost.

A healthier plant could very well lead to a better harvest. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors. Your email address will not be published.

I have marigolds on one side of the box of plants in my garden. What is the rule for a good garden with marigolds? My husband wants to plant the marigolds on the outside of the box so we have more room inside the box for more plants. Thank you for your time hope to talk to you soon. Zucchini plants love the sun but the fruit uses the leaves as protection. I recommend pruning just the lower leaves that are more prone to touching the ground.

Great article. I have them staked but want to prune off some leaves. I have no flowers yet, is it too soon to remove the lower leaves? I think you can get away with pruning a couple of lower leaves without causing the plant too much stress! The most important thing is getting some fruit to harvest!

Hi Catherine! I live in Southern Ontario, Canada…I tried to grow zucchini last year for the first time, and the squash beetles got to it. Thanks so much for posting this article. Great read! Hi Emily! Great question! I have grown some VERY successful and high-yielding zucchini plants without a stake. However, this process really does help with powdery mildew, and I know it can get hot and steamy in Southern Ontario! Zucchinis will appear around the base of the plant; the idea here is to simply pull the leaves and their stems gently up off the ground and stake them in increments to allow for better air movement.

Finally, because you are adding the stake after planting, just be sure not to hurt the roots as you go through the process! I hope this helps! Thanks for reading. Tks for your article… First time growing Zucchini, my neighbor gave me 2 plants… I planted them in a large pot staking them along side each plant with compost from my bin and good planting soil, then added some crushed egg shells around the top… Hope it will work out ok… I will also look out for mildew by misting my plants with an aspirin, baking soda mixed with water in a 1 litre spray bottle… I prefer to use natural ingredients to deter disease and bugs on my plants….

Thanks for the article! Experiment to find out what works for you. For more on growing and training cucumbers and tomatoes to grow vertically on a trellis in small spaces, check out this cool video from Growing Your Greens. Blogger and writer who loves to garden. I'm a bee keeper and I especially love to grow things from seeds. I also enjoy the challenge of growing from seeds that come from fruits and vegetables bought at the grocery store.

These hungry feeders were planted on top of pits filled with kitchen scraps, topped with a thick layer of nutrient-rich compost. The squashes romped away and produced some stonking fruits. Alas, now my smaller garden demands some lateral thinking — or rather, vertical thinking.

My most memorable experience of vertical squashes was on a visit to Spitalfields City Farm in London. The farm is located in one of the most densely populated parts of the city where space is very much thin on the ground.

Here, exotic snake gourds and kodu reached the rafters of the polythene tunnels. The forearm-sized fruits dangled down from above like giant lime-green truncheons, all supported by a system of netting straining at the weight. It was an impressive — almost intimidating — sight! The easiest way is to train them onto trellis. A simple one-piece trellis can be secured against a sun-facing wall or strong fence.