The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Alex_ on June 18, 2020, 08:52:48 am

Title: Pinching winter squash
Post by: Alex_ on June 18, 2020, 08:52:48 am

Hey everybody,

I have a large sprawling squash plant. If i pinch out the ends of the vine will it stop advancing and still produce or will it irrevocably damage the plant?

Title: Re: Pinching winter squash
Post by: macgro7 on June 18, 2020, 09:36:52 am

You could pinch it but I just let them grow - btw you can eat the leaves - in Africa they used pumpkin leaves for cooking just like spinach.

Title: Re: Pinching winter squash
Post by: Terry T on June 18, 2020, 11:02:53 am

If you pinch out the tips it will produce side branches and continue to grow in this way. It may affect flowering and fruiting time.

Title: Re: Pinching winter squash
Post by: Fleecewife on June 18, 2020, 12:57:54 pm

Geoff Hamilton used to take a spade to the longer stems at the point he wanted to stop them, but I think he did it once there were several fruit set.  I grow trailing squash up ropes and along the crop bars in the polytunnel, so I only stop the side branches after each has a growing fruit.

Title: Re: Pinching winter squash
Post by: oor wullie on June 18, 2020, 03:57:55 pm

I grow mine as a single stem up and along crop bars in a polytunnel.

I pinch out the side shoots as they start and the growing tip once its at the other side of the tunnel and enough fruit is set.

I don't know if this is the best way to grow them but it stops them taking over.

Title: Re: Pinching winter squash
Post by: Alex_ on June 20, 2020, 10:18:47 pm

Thanks for the advice. No fruit set yet so i will leave them be.