Training Melon/Pumpkin Vines Out Of Bed?

I did not see any posts with the answer to this. Would it be possible to train vines out of the bed to save space?

Jacob ... A very warm welcome to the forum from Ottawa, Canada.



Yes, you can train them to flow out of the bed. You can also train some vining plants to grow up a trellis.

Thanks, and hello.

Please tell us more. Do you already have a square foot garden?  Do you have the All New Square Foot Gardening (ANSSG) book?

Welcome, Jacob!  Yes, short answer, the vines will typically, umm, wander.  Just shove them where they won't get mowed or stepped on, and all is good!  I had watermelons and small muskmelons that trailed, I just kept them kinda shoved up against the wall.  They did fine!  I also had 2 melons that I trellised, they also did well.  I think the smaller melons do better with trellising, whereas you wouldn't want to trellis full sized watermelons!  

Help?  Where are you!  Would love to have you join one of our regional groups!  Fill us in when you can!

 Kansas!

I just "built" my first 4x12 raised bed out of cinderblocks last month; I have not actually done a SFG yet. This would be my first year. I have the ANSFG* book too.


Later I will probably join a regional group, and I will try to post about my future SFG.

jacobking101 wrote:I just "built" my first 4x12 raised bed out of cinderblocks last month; I have not actually done a SFG yet. This would be my first year. I have the ANSFG* book too.


Later I will probably join a regional group, and I will try to post about my future SFG.

Wow!  You have a lot of SFG, Jacob!  You have time to p,an, get your Mel's Mix together, and see what we all deal with.  I would encourage you to use the search box to look at general topics, upper left hand corner.  

Lots and lots of stuff there!  Almost everything you can think Of!  Revive an old thread if relevant, we are excited to have you on board!

Hi There!

If you have Facebook, we just posted a typical SFG vertical support made from:
(2) 18" lengths of rebar
(3) lengths of electrical conduit
(2) elbow joints
Nylon trellis netting

SFG VERTICAL SUPPORT

Hi Jacob. Welcome from Atlanta, GA!

You might also look under the garden showcase area for ideas on trellises, etc.

Glad you've joined us!

Jacob,  Welcome to the Forum from California!   Yes, vines can be allowed/trained to roam out of the box as long as there is suitable room and clean surface for them without blocking access to the box.  I start off with training the main vine to go up a trellis.  Later in the season, daughter vines start up and crawl out of the box, producing more fruits.  In this photo, the cantaloupe vines from a 2x4 box on the left and the winter squash from the 2x4 box on the right have escaped and met up in the middle space with weed fabric.


You are not limited to just your Regional talks.  Feel free to participate any any thread/subject in which you are interested.  I personally read every post and reply (I know, I know, I'm paid the big bucks  to do that) and reply in many of them, even if it is just a +1 (I agree) or a (showing my support).

Thanks. Also, would it be better for the long side of the bed to be facing north? I already have it set up with the short side to the north.

I don't know that there is right or wrong way to align beds.  Maybe folks in in your Region and at your latitude have some preference.  I have a couple long beds, a 2x7 pointing north-south and a 2x8 pointing east-west.  Each presents different problems with shading from the afternoon sun in the summer and getting enough sunshine to all plants in the winter.  (Here in CA we can grow something year around.)  One thing about setting up with the short side to the north is that if you run a 4' trellis across the end, you will be able to reach in from the sides for tending the plants.  In a way, two 4x4 boxes give you more options than a single 4x8.  But, many members have 4x8s.  Audrey in No CA with me, has 2 large 4x8 table tops that run east and west.  She is able to cover with shade cloth/sheers over hoops against our brutal summer sun and heat (up to 110*f).

This is your journey and you will learn a lot your first year, both from successes and failures.  We are here to cheer you on.  

I'll see if I can get more cinderblocks to split it into 4x4 and 8x4 beds.

jacobking101 wrote:I'll see if I can get more cinderblocks to split it into 4x4 and 8x4 beds.

Honestly, it might be more manageable and easier to reach into a smaller bed.  In our short growing seasons, typically it behooves you to put the trellis on the north side, so if you are a pole bean/squash/melon/cuke grower, you might want to re-orient one of the beds.   Or you could make an L shape.

Jacob, Did you make the beds with cinder blocks? They will last forever.

How are watermelons supposed to be spaced on a trellis? Is it like this , or is it like ?

And yes, they are made of cinder blocks.

jacobking101 wrote:How are watermelons supposed to be spaced on a trellis? Is it like this , or is it like ?

nevermind just did more research

Do cantaloupes have tendrils with which to climb a trellis? The reason I ask is because I want to transplant some seedlings to a trellis that I can't weave them in and out of, so they have to cling.
CC

CC, Every cantaloupe variety I have seen has tendrils so they can cling to and climb up a trellis. I don't provide sling support for the maturing melons. The vines and tendrils become strong enough to support cantaloupe.