"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...


"Kathy McIntosh" wrote
Like all lottie sites, ours has its fair share of people who know quite a
bit, people who think they know everything and those who know s*d all,
like me and my soil mate, Ann.

When a friend gave us four squash plants, I planted them straight into
the soil.
Those who know quite a bit said "You'll need to water them well".
Those who think they know everything said "You should have planted them
on a mound with a moat" or "You should have planted them on a mound with
inset flowerpots to act as a reservoir".

Of the ones on the moated mound, only one survives, about 6 inches high.
Of those with the pots, only one survives, but is looking quite bushy and
green with a few flowers.
Ours are making a determined bid to take over the whole plot :-} Which
brings me back to the question. One, a butternut, is not only fruiting
well, but is sending out long, exploratory tendrils, about four foot long
and growing and a couple of inches round. Should we pinch out the tips
or just let it get on with it?

I've heard others say you need to plant on a mound but we have always done
the opposite since I learnt to garden as a child back in the Middle Ages.
We dig a hole, a good bucket sized, and fill with compost heap, then plant
the cucurbit in that using the soil we take out to make a dam around the
hole/plant so it is easy to water and the water stays where it's needed,
at the roots. Never had any problems doing it that way.

Regarding butternuts, we have also never pinched out anything, just let
them run, guiding them with canes when they get too near something else.
If you can get them to root at the nodes even better.

Thanks Bob. Will direct it away from the beans towards the fence.

--
Kathy