TonyTheGardener2021
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Spaghetti Squash: Minimum Pot Size???

MY QUESTION: WHAT IS THE MINIMUM POT SIZE FOR A SPAGHETTI SQUASH.

Greetings all, and thank you up front to anyone taking the time to read this.

My family loves spaghetti squash and, as a result, we are planting at least 4 plants next spring (2021).

I am also wanting to experiment a bit, so I am planting them in differently sized pots in various locations about the garden that get different amounts of sunshine.

I garden in heavy duty, black plastic pots, the kinds in which you typically buy small trees for replanting. They come in these three sizes (the numbers for which are estimates):
  • 26 gallons (22 inch diameter x 16 inch depth)
  • 10 gallons (16 inch diameter x 12 inch depth)
  • 4.4 gallons (12 inch diameter x 9 inch depth)
My question is whether or not a spaghetti squash planted alone in the smallest pot would thrive.

Any advice -- and particularly examples of your own experience with spaghetti squash -- is greatly appreciated.

Tony
Eugene, Oregon, USA (Hardiness Zone 8, I think)

TonyTheGardener2021
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Just a bump, to see if anyone's out there. :)

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I have not tried spaghetti squash — partly because it’s a C.pepo species like pumpkins and susceptible to SVB (Squash Vine Borer). Nor container growing. I did think you might have better luck with “baby” or “mini” types which are typically hybrids that are selected for productive (more fruits) but smaller — about 1/2 size or “personal” size fruits. Just as example, Renee’s Gardens has some listed (scroll to bottom of page for winter squash)

For full-size fruited vines, my recollection is you would need a half-barrel or the 25-26 gal size.

These are not exactly what you are looking for but I did find among archived older threads —

Subject: What Can I Grow In a Container?

Subject: What Do You Think About Pumpkins?

TonyTheGardener2021
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Thank you very much for your information. I will click every link and read every article. ;)

And yes, I do partake of some of the smaller fruit varieties of melons, squash, etc. I have young nephews and nieces who enjoy the mini, seedless watermelons, and my mother and I enjoy the zucchini and crooked necks in stir fry.

Again, thanks for the response.

Tony

imafan26
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For large crops with extensive root systems like tomatoes and vining crops I use the biggest pots I have which are the 18 gallon muck buckets, half barrels, and 25 gallon tree pots. The roots still come out of these pots and go into the ground. So, I would go with the largest pots you have. Plants that root along the stems would do better in a trough. I only grew spaghetti squash once. The vines are not as big as the upo gourd or chayote which will grow out over 50 ft and send ancillary roots down wherever they touch the ground. Since the spaghetti squash vines are more like the ice box watermelon vines, it will probably do o.k. in a minimum 18 gallon pot or bigger.

I prefer to grow the vines vertically on a fence or an arbor. I had a Tahitian squash vine once that took over 3/4 of my back yard and tried to take over the neighbors too. Out of over 30 squash on that vine only a few grew to be full size and I never figured out when they were ripe. I really like the Waltham butternut squash, it is not too heavy to trellis and the vines only went about 25 ft.

TonyTheGardener2021
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imafan26 wrote:
Fri Dec 25, 2020 3:00 pm
.......Since the spaghetti squash vines are more like the ice box watermelon vines, it will probably do o.k. in a minimum 18 gallon pot or bigger.

........I had a Tahitian squash vine once that took over 3/4 of my back yard and tried to take over the neighbors too.

.........Out of over 30 squash on that vine only a few grew to be full size and I never figured out when they were ripe. I really like the Waltham butternut squash, it is not too heavy to trellis and the vines only went about 25 ft.
Thank you for your reply. It was very helpful.

Regarding the pot size, I think based upon what I have learned here and elsewhere, I will try the following:
  • Grow 2 plants in 10 gallon pots to see if it is enough room, adding cover crops (such as lettuce, radishes, carrots, etc.) to one of the pots but leaving the other one solely to the spaghetti squash.
  • Grow the rest of the s.squash in my 26 gallon pots, with a variety of other plants accompanying them:
    • Cover crops only.
    • Cover crops and 1 larger root plant, such as a tomato, cukes, etc.
    • Cover crops and 2 larger root plants.
    • And maybe one with 3 larger root plants, which will probably be too much, but I am very interested in discovering whether it is in fact too much or not.
Regarding your Tahitian squash, I have a similar dilemma. I was given seeds for giant pumpkins, like, HUGE pumpkins. If you want to see just how big, do a YouTube search for "pumpkins Oregon Zoo Elephants". The guy I got the seeds from grows and ships pumpkins to the zoo each year for the elephants to squish and eat; it's hilarious!

Anyway, the point: I have these seeds but I don't have the space to grow them as I live in a trailer park with virtually no ground that is not already vegie garden. Disappointing. I'm considering trying to find a friend who will grow them on their property for me this year.

And finally, about your squash that were so plentiful yet of which you weren't certain about ripeness, anytime I have had too many blooms on my vines, I have pinched some of them off. Better to have 10 that will ripen and be large than 20 that don't do either. (You probably already know this, but I thought I would mention it anyway. Also, I've seen a lot of videos and read a lot of posts about pruning the ends of the vines to cause the plant to focus on the "fruit", as opposed to the greenery. You probably already know that, too, but if you are uncertain, there is a YouTube video that not only shows how to properly prune a vine but also shows the end result. (I hate videos that purport to have a great idea but never show the finished product. How do we know whether it's a good idea or not, right?)


Thank you everyone for your advice, and if anyone has any more, I am always ready to listen to that which I haven't already heard.

Tony.

imafan26
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Well, the Tahitian squash was actually large almost 2 ft long. They just did not change color. I think I needed to wait longer for the tendril at the stem end to start to shrivel up.

I have not planted two large crops in a single container. Usually, if I am going to use a companion, it had to be one that would not compete for sun or roots space and had a quick maturity like baby leaf lettuce or radish. When I have shared the pot, it was usually the same thing. Like I plant 4 cucumbers in an 18 gallon pot next to my permanent trellis. If I use two different vines even in separate pots on the same trellis, it gets crowded. Actually the bitter melon is just an aggressive vine period. It unfortunately draws fruit flies like crazy and having the cucumber and bitter melon close together gets the cucumber stung more often than when I have cucumber alone.

Zucchini and cucumber had the same problem. The fruit flies went after the zucchini big time, and I ended up having to pull the plant out just to stop the fruit flies from stinging all of the cucumbers. Now, if I plant zucchini, I plant it in another part of the yard far away from the cucumbers.

Tomatoes. I prefer to grow indeterminates, but now I can only grow sweet pea currant and TYLCV resistant determinate tomatoes. Neither of these can have any long term companions. They take up all the space and are heavy feeders in an 18 gallon pot and the roots are still going out the bottom of the pot into the ground. I did try to mix herbs in a pot. It worked a little better, but mint has to be by itself, it takes over any container.

I planted dwarf bonanza marigolds in an 18 gallon container with long beans. They were not good companions. The marigolds were fine, but the beans did not produce much of a vine and only 2 berans.

I planted citrus trees in 10 gallon pots. Two of them have broken out. I have to cut them down now.

TonyTheGardener2021
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I wish I could speak more on my successes and failures with my current pot sizes and large pot gardening "concept", but I did not document (and do not remember) my first year well; pretty much abandoned my garden due to a drastic employment change the second year , and was sick (no, not COVID) and couldn't maintain it the third year, last year.

I grow my vegetables almost exclusively in pots. The majority of the two largest size pots are arranged in a tight cluster of 4 large/1 medium/2 small, surrounded by 7 foot tall "stock panel" trellises that I have built (and of which I will post images at some point in this thread when I have them). I have a total of:
  • 30 of the 26 gallon pots (22 inch diameter x 16 inch depth)
  • 15 of the 10 gallon pots (16 inch diameter x 12 inch depth)
  • 15 of the 4.4 gallon pots (12 inch diameter x 9 inch depth)
And that doesn't include the 10-26 gallon pots in which I grow blueberries and raspberry shortcake (a brand name) bushes.

So, considering that I life on a small plot of land in a trailer park, I consider myself lucky to have the space and setup that I do. It's fun, and with the exception of originally building the trellises and replenishing the soil with cow manure compost at the end of the season and then lightly during the growing season, it's not a lot of work at all. I no longer have to rototill or dig (with the exception of removing some of the "spent" soil and replacing it with new compost, as I said, which will be easier in upcoming years, I believe).

At some point in the near future, I'm going to start another thread in this forum about the success (or failure?) of my garden. I will post a link to that thread in this one, of course.

And I would love to know if any of you who have so kindly spoken to me here have threads of this nature that I can follow.

Thanks sincerely,
Tony

imafan26
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That would be nice and I would be looking forward to it.

I used to have a community garden. I had to give it up this year. I just could not take care of it anymore. I do miss it. I still take care of the herb garden. It has been relegated to a smaller space. My house sits on a 5400 sf lot. 1900 of which is house. So, I have about 3000 sf of yard. Some of it on the North side is pretty much in darkness so it is mostly cemented over and there is some strip plantings of ti, ferns, ginger and a bay leaf.

The main raised garden bed was converted from a rock garden left by the previous owner. It took a few years to bring it back since the house was a rental for 10 years and the bed was in poor shape. It is roughly and oval with stacked stones for the sides. 8 ft x 16 ft. So, it is small. Larger plants and most of the perennials are in pots.

I have a CRW permanent trellis anchored by 18 gallon pots. I have 4 (18 gallon) pots that use this trellis. I grow mostly vining here. Tomatoes, beans, bitter melon, cucumber. I have an overhead trellis that is not permanent that I can set up for squash. I don't use it much, the hyotan, bent the poles. I have to put rebar into the poles to support the weight.

I have about 300 orchids in pots, some are on poles on the plumeria trees. Most are on benches under shade cloth. My collection is smaller than it used to be and I have a lot of the same thing. I have citrus trees, three went into the ground. I got one out, the others I have to work on. I have about 18 citrus trees in pots now and cuttings in the cutting box. I have 3 pots of zingerber, 2 pots of araimo, a rubbermaid container (about the size of a 48 qt cooler) with carrots, lots of pots of herbs, basil, mint, green onions, oregano, pandan, miracle berry, lemon grass, peppers, and more. I have some bay leaves in pots some small, some in larger pots. I have ornamentals vireya, euphorbia cotonifolia, hibiscus, succulents, dragon fruit, roses, amaryllis, lavender,and others. I have a 30 years old bougainvillea bonsai (still in a training pot), a jaboticaba and small leaf jade pre bonsai being initially trained. And a whole bunch of pots in my pot graveyard.

I use 3.5 pots for starters and transplants. I do community pots since it saves more space for me than using flats for seeding.
1 gallon pots for most young herbs, lavender, green onions, parsley, pepper until after the first fruit (then they would go into larger pots depending on the lifespan and size of the pepper).

Transplants or seeds for 18 gallon pots = cucumber, tomato, some of the larger peppers, larger citrus, trees over 2 ft tall, beans, peas, bitter melon, eggplant, and other vining crops.

Slower growing plants will be in 6 inch to 7 gallon pots depending on their size. Under 12 inches tall = 1 gallon. 2 gallon for peppers after first fruit 5 gallon for a small pepper. 7 gallon for a small citrus (ultimately citrus will break through a 7 gallon pot so it needs to go into an 18 gallon pot eventually). Zucchini (1 plants) 18-25 gallons. I have to keep moving the zucchini out as it grows or it interferes with other pots. Mints are in bowls, they need width not depth. Thyme, oregano are also in bowls. Green onions and chives = 1 gallon pots divide when needed. Lemon grass, 1-3 gallon pots need to be divided or center will die out. Ginger, heliconia, bougainvillea have to be watched or they will escape. I don't have any ficus now. It also needs to stay elevated.
Miracle berry, jabotica, and bay leaves, are slow growing so they can stay in the same pot for years.

Squash do better in the ground. It takes up a lot of space and it was what I used to plant in my community garden. The vines would be 50 ft long.

Dragon fruit needs to be cut as it also tries to go through the fence into the neighbor's yard.

I have rambler roses that I just got under control last month. They have 15-20 ft branches and they were sprawling over the trees and my main nursery bench not on a trellis.

The main garden should be mostly annual, but I have couple of plants that are permanent residents until I can relocate them. Aloe (needs to be cut back and thinned 3 times a year, Jamaican oregano. I have started a replacement plant, so eventually I will be able to take this pot escapee out of the garden. In the main garden. I grow lettuce, bok choy, corn (will take up the entire garden space in summer), parsley, cutting celery, kale, komatsuna, chard, culantro, I can put a stacking trellis in the garden for pole beans, determinate tomato, cucumbers, or peas if pot space is not available. Broccoli, and collards take up about a quarter of the gqrden space They are seasonal crops so it depends on if the space it available. Beets plus minus, the garden is very rich in nitrogen so it is easier to control the soil in pots. Root crops did better at the community garden than in my home garden. I have grown onions and garlic, but yield, time, and space is not worthwhile as I cannot grow them well and they are cheaper to buy at the store. I have a couple of peppers in the garden now, but since the peppers are longer lived, I prefer them in pots. The bell pepper does not do as well in pots as the hot peppers do so I am trying them in the ground instead. it is cold and the days are short so the peppers aren't doing a lot, but they are alive.

Squash, water melon, and sweet potatoes will grow in pots, they just don't stay in the pots and sprawl. The vines either need to be caged or trellised or they have to be managed.

Bitter melon, wild tomatoes, wild peppers, and wild papaya will just show up, it is just a choice whether to cut or keep.

It takes me about 45 minutes to water the garden everyday it does not rain. I can go about 2-3 days for most of the plants at this time of the year.



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