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| I've been looking everywhere for detailed information on growing and pruning tatume squash plants, and am coming up short. There are several general articles but nothing very specific--at least not that I can find. These are my questions: - I'm using the SFG method and plan on growing vertically on a trellis. How many squares should I expect it to take up--same as a winter squash? More? I've heard it can get pretty big. |
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| JMO opinion but, unlike the many 'bush' variety squash, Tatume doesn't lend itself to Sq. Foot gardening at all well. It's multiple vines are quite large and vigorous and love to roam over a 12'-15' sq. area or more. And the vines root anywhere they come in contact with the ground. That gets you much greater production. It also isn't pruned, usually, as that will reduce production by half or more. Have you seen pics of a fully grown plant? So is it possible to devote a separate corner of the yard to it rather than try to squeeze it into the sq. foot gardening concept? Or give it a really big separate container like a 1/2 whiskey barrel and let it run? Otherwise I'd plan to give the hill, the base of the plant, at least a 4 foot square plot and a trellis that is at least 6' tall or more and strong with places to tie melon netting to it to support the fruit and plan to aggressively prune it back regularly or it will quickly over-run the whole bed. JMO Dave |
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| Thanks for the info! I'm trying it for the first time, so I'm not worried about cutting back on yields some. If I like it, maybe I'll dedicate a separate bed or much bigger space to it next year. This year, maybe it would be a good idea to plant near an edge and train some of the vines vertically, but let others run over the sides of the bed? |
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- Posted by yukkuri_kame 9 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 23, 13 at 21:48
| Hmmm...interesting. How does it taste? |
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- Posted by johnthecook none (My Page) on Sun, Feb 24, 13 at 10:35
| 2012 was my first year growing it and I will grow it every year if possible. Bugs and disease seem to leave it alone and it tastes great! It will grow off your trellis and take over other areas. I have a big garden so I planted it next to my early garden peas and it grew into that. |
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| I've heard it compared to zucchini at the summer stage and butternut at the winter - my two favorite squashes. When I heard that, I knew I had to try it, haha. |
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- Posted by johnthecook none (My Page) on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 7:04
| It gets pretty Leafy as it grows all over the place and your bound to miss some to allow to grow into a winter squash. I let some grow out and they were nice ornamental small pumpkins. I didn't think the taste was anything like a Butternut squash which was really my only negative for it. |
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