The Victory Garden Thread

[Mary Terry]

We have very little space, and no allotment yet. I'm planning narrow planters down the side return at the back, and having courgettes, pumpkins and tomatoes in them, plus some salad. Has anyone done any vertical planting or growing? Like, on shelves or walls?

Indigenous Native American farmers grew (and still grow) pumpkins/squash, beans and corn together. The corn plants support the other vegetables. You should stake the corn so the wind won't blow over the stalks. Plain wood or bamboo stakes work great and are cheaper than buying trellises. You could make your own trellis with tree branches, too.

 

[Thinx]

I have grown cantaloupe on vertical wire "walls". They grew adequately. I also let a lot of the cantaloupe vines grow/"run" on the ground and I noticed that the vines spreading on the ground grew far more melons than the vines that climbed vertically. I found that interesting.

If you have limited space you might now want to grow pumpkins. The vines for pumpkins/squash really like to spread just like melons do.

Thanks, thats interesting. We grew pumpkins last year so I got some idea of how they work, and also I saw how a gardener nearby managed his, he carefully placed the pumpkins and then controlled the vines so that he stretched them along as they extended, almost like bunting, it looked great.

Think he only had 2 actual pumpkin plants in his garden, he trailed them over some beautiful topiary he was doing. Quite an artist. But I am thinking to emulate his approach if I can. And get some pumpkins too. We'll see! Interesting that they prefer ground to vertical frames, I guess it makes sense tho.

I will also think about how I could use @Mary Terry's idea, corn might do ok here. But we may not have room. I usually do plant some broad beans and runner beans too, on canes, or on wicker frames. Maybe we could make slim bean frames plus trail the pumpkin vines past and around them?

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Thanks, thats interesting. We grew pumpkins last year so I got some idea of how they work, and also I saw how a gardener nearby managed his, he carefully placed the pumpkins and then controlled the vines so that he stretched them along as they extended, almost like bunting, it looked great.

Think he only had 2 actual pumpkin plants in his garden, he trailed them over some beautiful topiary he was doing. Quite an artist. But I am thinking to emulate his approach if I can. And get some pumpkins too. We'll see! Interesting that they prefer ground to vertical frames, I guess it makes sense tho.

I will also think about how I could use @Mary Terry's idea, corn might do ok here. But we may not have room. I usually do plant some broad beans and runner beans too, on canes, or on wicker frames. Maybe we could make slim bean frames plus trail the pumpkin vines past and around them?

Too many good pumpkins get grown by me to bother with. in season my spouse likes to make Kaddo Burani (chunks of cooked sweet pumpkin with minted yoghurt and spicy ground lamb in a tomato base). Delicious, and sometimes we substitute ground venison for the lamb.

 

[Streetwise]

We have very little space, and no allotment yet. I'm planning narrow planters down the side return at the back, and having courgettes, pumpkins and tomatoes in them, plus some salad. Has anyone done any vertical planting or growing? Like, on shelves or walls?

Sweetpeas still compost in a tub vertical agriculture doesn't seem successful,window boxes take a lot of watering