Hill planting is another traditional planting layout. A hill does not have to be a mound, but mounding by adding organic matter is beneficial to most crops. Larger vegetables, such as melons, squashes and cucumbers are planted in mounds of soil about 1 foot in diameter and 6 to 10 feet apart depending on the crop. Generally, 4 plants are allowed to grow from a hill.

Mounded soil heats sooner and hastens the germination of these warm-season crops. Plants grown in hills are allowed to sprawl as they mature. Mature plants, particularly winter squashes and pumpkins, require considerable space.

As you can see hill planting is mostly used for crops that just don't work well in close rows. I always make a small mound about 6 inches tall just so I can tell where the plant roots start. It gives me a target to water if I'm not using drip or soaker hoses. If you don't want to do that you might put in a stake so you know where you started those seeds.

In the bottom I put lime and other appropriate soil amendments and mix that around with the dirt down there.

Then I mix the soil I dug out with compost/aged manure, more lime, and anything else that the soil needs (ag extension agent tells me I need potassium here). I then pile that back into the hole and form it into a flat-topped mound.

I plant the seeds on top of that mound of enriched soil -- 4-6 of them depending on variety.

You can mulch between the mounds to cut down on weeding as the vines get established.