I hate that you can't edit your posts after a while. That sentence should read:

"I like the idea that I could plant the squash between the trees because its vines could grow under them without competing for nutrients with the trees' roots."

What did you end up with? Were you happy with the outcome?

Martha

I ended up not planting the squash this year. A little googling indicated that actually squash were a bad idea to plant in shade. Leafy vegetables maybe OK, but not ones that feature an edible fruiting body, like tomatoes, peppers, cukes and squash. They would be OK maybe on the edge of a garden where the garden got shade but not the edge. But my situation is a bit too shady. I plan on doing a new small sunny bed next year featuring sunflowers in the middle (or something else tall) and beans and squash around the edges. I put the squash seeds in the fridge for next year.

Ironically, I am noticing a huge squash vine growing along the roadside in the woods across from my subdivision. Obviously someone thought that was a good place to ditch their Halloween pumpkin last year . . . .

That still leaves me with the dilemma of how else to squeeze as many vegetables into my landscape as possible. I have 34 trees in my yard, so mostly shade and I'm not going to remove the trees. I think I may have to start a community garden or find a neighbor who will let me grow some veggies in their yard . . .

I wish you luck finding a sunny place to grow veggies. I waited years to finally have property with enough sun to grow my own produce. This summer is my first in this location and it has been very rewarding.

Martha