Supporting squash plants

Hello! This is my first go at growing actual  food plants. We have planted a couple of Alexandria squash plants and so far so good - the leaves are really spreading out. Do they need to be staked as the leaves continue to grow and spread, or do they just spread across the ground without staking? And what do I look for to determine that they are ready to be pulled/eaten?

I'd think giving them room to climb and be on the ground would be good. I've participated on running a slanted trellis for cucumbers before, I could imagine the same for some squash types. It was t-posts and poly deer fencing (larger "squares" in the fencing than the 1" seems better)

My personal ones are always on the ground - I will say that we grew Luffa last year, and it had the opportunity to climb the 7 ft vertical poly fence it was next to and it did well!

Hi Patrick. Welcome to this community of permie growie experimenters!

I don't know the exact variety you have.

But speaking broadly, it could work either way. I think it depends on how much space you have, and how much watering you intend to do. When sprawly squash reach out, they punch little spikes into the ground and presumably draw extra moisture and nutrients along the length of their long fronds.

But squash also thrive if trained up on a fence, trellis, ladder, if they have the water and nutrients (from half-finished compost) they need.

Where I live, summers are hot and sometimes windy. If I trellis squash, they fry in the hot wind. If I let them sprawl, the leaves help keep the ground, and therefore the squash, cooler.  The squash are much happier that way.  If you're in a cooler or more humid climate, having your squash trellised might help prevent some of the problems that come with higher humidity.

I also grow mine on the ground because of the roots at the nodes, like Douglas mentioned. My squash have galeux d'eysines ancestry. That variety has huge vines and it puts out, not just little spikes at the nodes, but full on root systems, 10 inches deep. Probably other varieties do this, but I really noticed it on the galeux d'eysines. I figure if they're growing root systems at the nodes, they want to be on the ground.

squash send out additional roots from the vines. These feeder roots will continue to tap into the ground as the vines spread. It does this so it can get the water and nutrition the plant need from a shorter distance than the main root. If you trellis and dont allow these additional roots to form, the plant is dependent on a single root source. If that single root gets damaged, all of the plant dies.

If you trellis, allow some of that vine to return to the ground to send out another root.

Ron Kulas wrote:squash send out additional roots from the vines. These feeder roots will continue to tap into the ground as the vines spread. It does this so it can get the water and nutrition the plant need from a shorter distance than the main root. If you trellis and dont allow these additional roots to form, the plant is dependent on a single root source. If that single root gets damaged, all of the plant dies.

If you trellis, allow some of that vine to return to the ground to send out another root.

^ That right there - as the vine borer pressure around here inevitably sets in  just as fruits are coming on. I'm hoping to try and bury some stalks/vines here and there this year in an attempt at keeping things alive and producing.

I agree with what has been said above.  I am currently growing 19 full-sized vining squash plants, both maxima & moschata.  I nearly gave up hope when I discovered SVB damage at the base of the primary stalk on many.  The first plant to succumb wilted on the main vine, but had a secondary vine that was growing unaffected.  In fear for the rest of my squash patch, I culled the entire plant.  In hind sight, I should've simply scooped a shovel of dirt over the nodes on the healthy vine, & let it take root, then sever it from the main vine.  Since this first example, I've not only saved several plants by allowing the additional node roots to take hold, it's also boosted plant vigor, allowing them to overcome heavy squash bug pressure, SVB, & cucumber beetle damage by growing faster & healthier than the pests can damage.  

As for the question of trellis or ground cover, I would say that both is my preferred method given limited space.  By that I mean, a bit of both.  Trellis along a fence for good airflow & as a way to have more vine length without overcrowding your soil surface area.  After the vine is long enough to need to come back down to soil level, shovel a small pile of dirt on the internode where it touches the ground so that it will put down more roots before sending it back up again.  In my garden, I'm using the perimeter fence to weave in & out for about 6-8 feet before touching back down again.  So far so good!