Gardners with green thumbs....question for you please

[banslug]

In my veggie garden, I have a zucchini plant, pumpkin plant, spaghetti squash plant and a vining cucumber plant. Apparently, I didn't leave enough room because they are beginning to expand and grow into each other. If these plants start to vine onto each other, will this kill them??? I've been weeding around and under them, and leaving the weed that they've vined onto so that I don't pull off that vine. Should I keep them from grabbing onto each other or is it okay if they do???

Thanks!!!!!

Gayle

 

[Janis]

Hi Gayle

It seems like they reach and grab and spread their vines overnight doesn't it! It sort of reminds me of the movie "Little Shop of Horrors."

It sounds like you might still have time to encourage them to vine up their own trellis. Trellising will ensure that each plant gets enough sunlight.

However I don't think one will choke out the other and kill it, that hasn't been my experience at all, it just makes harvesting an exciting treasure hunt. The cross pollination won't affect this years crop, but will affect the crop you might plant next year with the seeds culled from this season's crop.

HTH

 

[banslug]

Thanks, Janis!

 

[marnold]

I concur with Janis. You will be fine! Happy gardening!

 

[My2girls]

I have a small area for my garden and have raised beds, so last year I had to encourage my watermelon to spread all around itself and it did great! This year my DH (bless him!) built some simple trellis's for my zucchini to grow up and it is working wonderfully -- not to mention it looks great too. It will make picking your bounty easier too!

 

[banslug]

Thanks, ladies. I'm super excited about the spaghetti squash...it's the first time I've grown it.

Gayle