Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cliviajohn

Help Limited space

cliviajohn
16 years ago

Hello,

I would love to grow a pumpkin next year. The problem is I have very limited space. What can I do? Can I grow the vine up a side of a six foot fence? What is the best way of doing this? Thanks for your help!!!!

John

Comments (2)

  • sarahbarah27
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have heard of people growing pumpkin vines up their trees before, so i don't see why a fence wouldn't work.

  • valentinetbear
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It really depends on how limited your space is. I've grown mine only because they were started by some pigeons, who didn't like pumpkin seed in the squirrel food. (Squirrels didn't like the food at all.) Mine grew (am online finding out how to harvest them, since Halloween will be here before our first frost) up my 4 foot chain fence with the help of a round tomato cage, wandered a bit further up a trellis, and divided in several places -- some wandering along the bottom of the fence on the outside, some being forced to turn at the fence's corner, to avoid roaming into the neighbors' yards (one escaped on me, and grew in the neighbor's yard anyway.) Most of the story is told on the link below, but, since then Quasimoto (a pumpkin that grew through the chainlink fence) fell apart, leaving a gooey mess inside and outside of my fence. Also, when I wrote the story, I didn't know about the fourth pumpkin just starting in the neighbor's yard.

    All told, my yard is 16' X 16' and the pumpkins vined at least 20-30 feet long! You'd think it should be relatively easy to take the end of the vine and manipulate it to stay in your small space, but they grow so incredibly fast, and tend to get hidden in with the rest of the garden, or behind trash cans in the neighbor's yard, so you're bound to miss some slinking along somewhere. They also kept wanting to grow up the fence, which isn't a great idea, once the pumpkins started growing.

    Then there was the Powdery Mildew problem on the extremely long vine, which, in part, is caused by not enough air circulation (from having a small area to grow in). Ended up spraying every leaf (and leaves are huge and many) 2 times a week with a lttle baking soda in a lot of soapy water. (Should be done 3-4 times per week. Had the same problems with my cukes, squash, and lilac bush, so I was spraying every night, and still not spraying enough.)

    Can you do it? Depends on how small your small space is. Should you do it? Probably not, BUT read the link about the book to find varieties that are doable in small places. Am I glad I did it? YOU BET!!!!! I'm excited I've done something that I read could not be done, and, since we're both non-salt users, this will the first time in decades we get roasted pumpkin seeds! YIPPEE!!! Also, he just found out he has diabetes, and I've had lactose intolerance for a long time too, so this Thanksgiving we get homemade pumpkin pie with ingredients that won't make us sick! (I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it!)

    Will I do it again? My impulse is to say, "Never again! Once was enough!" Two problems though - 1.) I haven't yet tasted what my hard labor has produced, and, 2.) woman have more then one child even after going through delivery -- actual pain recededs in our minds the further we are from it. It was a bit more difficult for me, because I'm disabled, and it is pain related with extra pain when I do things I shouldn't. But like women haven't more then one child, away from that extra pain, I'm already forgetting how bad it was. ;)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Quasimoto, the Pumpkin

Sponsored
Grow Landscapes
Average rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars8 Reviews
Planning Your Outdoor Space in Loundon County?