Melinda, 

Thank you for sharing this squash variety, I had trouble with powdery mildew and boarers last year so I would love to try this variety. Have you tried trellising this vine? How heavy do the fruits get, do you think a trellis would be an option? I am looking to see what I could do vertically in my garden for next year to optimize my space! 

Thanks for your input! 

Kate 

Hi Melinda and Kate

I agree! Thanks for the introduction to this vegetable.  I can't wait to try it.  We have a large archway that holds loofa so I think it would work for this.  I grew a white zucchini that had a huge long vine and withstood all the pests and mildew.  Only our true customers tried it because it was different.  We loved it.  I am not sure about it working in the three sisters garden.  Although it did say that it could stay on the vine like a butternut.  The corn wouldn't handle the weight.  Most winter squashes tend to crawl on the ground but can be trained to go up.  Summer squashes can act differently like this white one. It took off over the loofa.  I work with the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre and have grown Three Sisters gardens for a number of years.  We actually have a project launched to increase the scale to 5 acres this coming summer.  I added a fourth plant, cosmos, to protect the squash.  They attract beneficials.

Hi Melinda,

I’m familiar with that squash and it is somewhat tasty when eaten immature, but it is technically a winter squash (maybe even a pumpkin?) and the vines are huge... some 20 feet long with enormous leaves so you can expect it to shade out part of your garden even if you have something sturdy for it to climb. (I’m always cautious about  prolific vining squash - they have managed to pull down a number of my split rail fence posts and climbed my plum tree and broke a major branch from the sheer strength of the vine and the weight of the fruit).

At the same time, there are a number of easy cultural methods for thwarting vine borers as they are only active for a very few weeks. Well secured row covers that you leave in  place until blooms appear (as  long as you are not planting squash in a location you’ve used in the past couple of years) and wrapping the lower stems in aluminum foil are two methods that work well.  You are a few hours south of me so I’m not sure if your timeline is the same,  but up here in NY the adults emerge in late June and are generally finished laying eggs within about 2- 3 weeks, so many vegetable gardeners up here simply wait it out and don’t transplant squash until July when they are no longer susceptible. You don’t have to give up on your zucchini!

Peggy