vining vegetables

[annastasia76]

other than green beans what are some vegetables that will climb a trellis with no help from me, I am thinking things that don't have to be tied up.

[Hydroponics]

I want to say cucumbers twirl out an arm that latches on to what ever is around. Its like a curly cord, like they use for electronics so the cord can stretch really far, except a plant does it naturally. Its the craziest thing ever.

I can't remember what it is, but for some reason I think it is cucumbers, I don't see anything about it online, I'll try to find it.

[annastasia76]

I know what you are talking about, I was thinking of doing lemon and pickling cucumbers this year along the fence, I am wondering what other items get that curly vine on it also to easily climb fences.

[TWC015]

Those curly things are called tendrils.

The cucurbit crops have these and will support themselves. These include pumpkins, winter squash, cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelons.

All of these will grow up a fence easily, but if the fruit is heavy, they will need support. Cucumbers will be fine on their own, but fruit too big can break the vine.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Peas have tendrils and will climb horizontal strings.

[applestar]

This might be of interest (Pole beans, Gourdkin, Luffa):
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28176

and this (Southern peas and large fruited gourd; I think my birdhouse gourd photos are in this thread too.):
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=156189#156189

Some gourds are edible when young.

Also elsewhere in the forum, there are several photo-rich threads of melons, watermelons, and pumpkins being grown on trellises by different members. They'll need slings/hammocks to support the fruits but will climb with no help other than occasional re-direction of where the vines are headed.

[gumbo2176]

other than green beans what are some vegetables that will climb a trellis with no help from me, I am thinking things that don't have to be tied up.

I've grown what locals call a Mirliton or Vegetable Pear. It is called a Chayote by most other folks. It is a vining plant that needs no tending other than watering and picking. Planted in the early spring in your climate should yield a decent harvest by early fall. The fruit of the vine is light green with a fairly smooth skin and gets the size of a good sized avocado. The skin is very thin and we will halve them, parboil them and scrape out the inner pulp to be mixed with seafood, seasonings and breading to act as a stuffing. They are then baked till fully cooked and hot. Sometimes they are simply made into a casserole with the above ingredients without the trouble of stuffing the skins.

This plant is a very vigorous growing plant and will take over an area as long as it has a place to climb. I once had one years ago that looked like Kudzu the way it overtook trees, sheds and the fence.

[annastasia76]

I know what Chayote is but I have only ever seen the fruit in the stores, I have never seen seed or plants, I'll ask hubby if he's interested in having it in the garden, he's from Mexico and I believe it's a common veggie there.

[DoubleDogFarm]

gumbo,

Is this how you sprout your plants. I'm in Zone 8 and would start them in the greenhouse.

To sprout your chayote, lay the fruit on its side in a one-gallon pot of soil. Tip the stem up about 45 degrees and cover the fruit with potting soil or sand until only the tip of the stem end shows. Keep the pot in a warm spot, 80° to 85° F. You don't necessarily need a sunny window at this point, but use a heat pad if you can't keep the temperature up. Water it occasionally and make sure it's not standing in water in the saucer. The fruit should begin to split and a sprout will emerge in about a month. Now move the pot to a sunny area. Let three or four sets of leaves develop, then pinch the tip out of the runner to make it branch or else you'll end up with a long straggly vine. More branches mean more fruits at harvest time.

Eric

[annastasia76]

does it only have one seed inside?? is it an annual or perennial??

[DoubleDogFarm]

I did a little research.

Single seed.

Looks like it would be a annual for me and perennial for you. I maybe able to winter over with lots of mulch or pull and winter over in the greenhouse.

It has similar problems as other squashes. Do you have a problem with SVB?

Sounds like a fun thing to try. Like to here more from Gumbo.

[annastasia76]

what is SVB?

[cynthia_h]

Squash Vine Borers. Bringers of death and destruction. We don't have them in the Bay Area, but maybe Southern California does?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[gumbo2176]

gumbo,

Is this how you sprout your plants. I'm in Zone 8 and would start them in the greenhouse.

To sprout your chayote, lay the fruit on its side in a one-gallon pot of soil. Tip the stem up about 45 degrees and cover the fruit with potting soil or sand until only the tip of the stem end shows. Keep the pot in a warm spot, 80° to 85° F. You don't necessarily need a sunny window at this point, but use a heat pad if you can't keep the temperature up. Water it occasionally and make sure it's not standing in water in the saucer. The fruit should begin to split and a sprout will emerge in about a month. Now move the pot to a sunny area. Let three or four sets of leaves develop, then pinch the tip out of the runner to make it branch or else you'll end up with a long straggly vine. More branches mean more fruits at harvest time.

Eric

Yep, Eric, that is pretty much how I started them with the exception of me putting them directly in the ground in the spring here in New Orleans. I'd plant 2 of them relatively close together (about 2 ft. apart) mostly because of local lore of needing 2 to make fruit. I just figured I'd play it safe and have more fruit at the end of the season anyway. After some research I found out it was just an old wive's tale. They do need well draining soil or the roots can rot easily and they require good irrigation for good vine growth since they grow quite vigorously.

They will overwinter in some areas of the country. I've had them do so here and I've also had them die off if we had several days of below freezing weather. After harvesting the fruit in the fall, I'd cut the vines close to the ground, let them die off and remove them from the fence, trellis etc. and mulch over the plant. It would come back in spring most times. I've also had them give me 2 harvests on occasion. If the late fall was warm enough, they would start early and give me a small early crop and usually a huge late crop. I would literally pick shopping bags full when I had them growing on my fence in my old house years ago.

One year I didn't cut back the vine after harvest and it didn't die off during a real mild winter. By spring it just picked up where it left off and by seasons end, it covered 50 ft. of 4 ft. tall chain link fence, crossed over onto a neighboring lean-to shed and covered it then climbed into a Mimosa tree and fig tree. It almost killed the mimosa tree like Kudzu would. Good thing the property next door was abandoned or I just may have made enemies with a neighbor. They can be very invasive if room is an issue. That is the reason I no longer plant them since I now plant more that I use to in my garden and don't want to give any one plant that much room.

[gumbo2176]

I know what Chayote is but I have only ever seen the fruit in the stores, I have never seen seed or plants, I'll ask hubby if he's interested in having it in the garden, he's from Mexico and I believe it's a common veggie there.

Anastasia, the seed is in the center of the fruit and is flat and somewhat oval shaped. It will sprout from the stem end after a few weeks in the ground. The shoot will split open the stem end of the mirliton and go from there. I've had them start growing in bags similar to potatoes sending out growth if left in the pantry too long. They are probably one of the easiest things to grow and need very little attention as long as they get enough water and can climb on something to save garden ground space.

[garden5]

Chayote sounds like it would be neat to try. I've never even heard of it before! I wonder what it tastes like?

With cucumbers, I've found that they don't trellis quite as willingly as beans and peas. They do require some help at the beginning to get them started, but they are still not as much work as a melon plant that must be checked every other day. Perhaps just a few times to get them trained to the fence then they should be pretty well with minimal effort.

[gumbo2176]

Chayote sounds like it would be neat to try. I've never even heard of it before! I wonder what it tastes like?

With cucumbers, I've found that they don't trellis quite as willingly as beans and peas. They do require some help at the beginning to get them started, but they are still not as much work as a melon plant that must be checked every other day. Perhaps just a few times to get them trained to the fence then they should be pretty well with minimal effort.

Chayote has little taste on its own. It is a very bland tasting vegetable unless made into a casserole with seasoning, bread crumbs, cheese, seafood, or some type sausage. I've sliced it and pickled it before and they hold up nicely that way. Some folks eat them raw cubed in a salad or steamed. I would compare their taste to a firm squash with a very slightly sweet taste. Sometimes the outer skin gets little prickly stickers on them but not as hard as the ones on a rose bush, but enough to annoy you when picking them.