Can Spaghetti Squash Be Grown Vertically to Save Garden Space?

Spaghetti squash is a seasonal vegetable available at local markets from fall through winter. This versatile winter vegetable provides nutritious, low calorie, mildly-flavored bites that make a tasty pasta substitute. When cooked its pulp easily separates into long spaghetti-like strands making for multiple preparation options. Michigan Fresh provides fact sheets on selecting, cooking and storing this winter staple.

How to Grow Spaghetti Squash Vertically

Vertical vegetable gardens are an effective way to maximize garden space and increase yields, often offering greater flexibility than in-ground or raised bed gardens in terms of growing herbs, vegetables and strawberries. Plants adapted to urban and small suburban gardens benefit from being easily adaptable to special site conditions like poor soil, wind, or shade. As such, these flowers make an excellent addition. These gardens utilize soil that has been specifically prepared to offer better structure, drainage, nutrient retention capacity and drainage or to meet specific crop requirements. Constructions such as window boxes secured to walls or fences or raised beds with soil-holding structures may all contribute towards successful gardening activities.

Planting

Vertical gardening opens up new possibilities for gardens by allowing plants to be placed in spaces that otherwise seem too small or overrun with other plants.

Vegetables such as tomatoes and squash can be grown vertically with support from trellises, tall supports or other methods.

Make Your Own Trellis While there are various methods available for creating your own trellis, it’s essential that you understand which option will best meet the needs of your plants before choosing one. Beans and cucumbers tend to twine themselves around supports naturally while others will need to be tied onto it or another structure for support.

Melons and large squashes will require being supported as they grow larger; to do this, use mesh hoops, netting or pantyhose (or old T-shirts) as necessary to hold them close and stop them from falling off their supports.

Vertical gardening techniques also include using walls or fences to cultivate herb and vegetable gardens, planting lettuce in hanging baskets or creating cordon espaliers to screen patios or define garden rooms. These structures may be constructed out of wood, metal or any number of materials; just avoid treated lumber that leaches chemicals when watered; untreated wood is generally considered best; though even this material could rot with neglectful care.

Companion planting can also save space. This involves sowing different crops nearby each other – for instance, planting pole beans beneath sweet corn for use as a living trellis while quick-growing crops such as radishes or turnips can be planted beneath these taller crops to be harvested before their roots have become too large to harvest before becoming overshadowed by them.

Harvesting

Vertical gardening can help gardeners maximize their space to cultivate lush plants and veggies, offering more room to grow flowers and veggies in spaces traditionally not utilized for gardening. According to Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension consumer horticulturist David Hillock, vertical gardening offers the solution. It allows you to plant in spaces which would normally not be considered appropriate for growing gardens – making it an excellent solution for those with limited outdoor space or backyards not suitable for traditional vegetable plots.

Vertical farming typically involves training your vegetable vines to climb a trellis or other support structure. This method works best with vining plants like tomatoes and squashes; however it can also work for beans, peas and more.

Starting a DIY vertical garden can be easy. Simply repurpose something you already have around the house or yard – such as a trellis, old ladder or arbor. If nothing suitable exists nearby, try using untreated cedar lumber from reclaimed sources, natural bamboo material or plastic that leaches chemicals into soil and can harm plants.

Make an elaborate garden structure by building your own vertical garden cage or hoop structure to support the vines of your veggie crops, such as melons and summer/winter squashes, that might otherwise overburden trellises or stakes as they weight gain increases. A simple cage made out of livestock panels or chicken wire rolled into cylindrical form would work just fine; make sure it has 4-inch mesh spacing so that harvesting produce is possible inside it easily.

No matter which vertical garden design you choose, be aware that any plant requires regular watering and fertilization – vertical gardens in particular require more due to being in direct sunlight for longer. Sedums and succulents need less fertilizer while perennial or annual vegetables and flowering plants may need more.

Storage

Spaghetti squash has an extremely durable thick outer skin that allows it to survive into winter, making it an excellent choice for small gardens, raised bed gardens or container gardening. Prep time can be reduced dramatically with simple roasting, baking or boiling methods available for preparation. Once cooked, its flesh separates into long spaghetti-like strands for an unique and nutritious low calorie, mild flavored vegetable side dish or pasta substitute. Michigan Fresh (MSU Extension) offers fact sheets on selecting, cooking and storage tips for winter squash. You may be able to store it outside for several weeks; for optimal storage at 50-60 degrees it may last 6 months or longer.