Hi petalique, is that a broken vine or just a broken leaf, either way the plant should survive ok with minor damage. I've never had much luck growing anything in containers so I may not be the best source of info. As long as the roots are intact and the plant is healthy it should recover ok and the overflow of the vines down to the ground should continue to grow ok too if the weeds below are controlled.

No easy solution but if you want to add support to the hanging vines then old panty hose could be of help as slings. Using some short fencing material may work as a support ramp too. My zukes all died about 2 weeks ago but that's normal here with SVBs, squash bugs, cuke beetles, etc which kill them in short order, but by then we're tired of squash, nyuk. Sorry I can't be of more help.

vgkg - Have you tried using row covers for your squashes? I don't have enough sun or room for squash, but I have read other people in the vegetable forum discussing using the row covers as the best way to protect them.

Thanks, but I've never used row covers. I used to plant a 2nd plot of late squash to extend the season but stopped that practice as I had to cut back on gardening (getting too old, nyuk) and we were happy with the early production before we got tired of eating squash (most was given away). Row covers do work but they would be extra work for me too, and I'm cutting back, esp as summers get hotter each year.

Vgkg - We are in the same boat. I'm cutting back and using row covers is just too much of a pain for me. lol AND - we went so long not being able to grow squashes that we got used to not eating it. We do love the winter squashes but Zuchini for us would also be given away. Which is too bad because it seems like such an easy plant to grow, except for the SVBs.

By the way, is it too late to start Zuchini from seed in zone 6b?

Oh no, SVB sounds like an abbreviation for Squash Vine Borers? I will be peeved if after the time and effort, some pest eats my squash vines.

That is one reason I like to have wrens nesting in the gardens.

Thanks for your help and feedback. I only planted one yellow squash and one zucchini plant. It is too darn hot in the summer and I have mega back pain so I may just limit my gardening to a few things like green beans, tomatoes, and arugula, basil, mint, dill, parsley and flowers.

It’s 90 deg F here now. Same for tomorrow, then humidity and sog. and rain.

Maybe we can fashion a lattice ramp for the zucchini.

Stay cool everyone and safe from hurricane Beryl. and storms.

I understand Petalique - it's the 2nd day of 90F here too and I just went out to check my raised planter and my string bean seedlings were looking torched and the soil was dry. And I was just out there a couple of hours ago and it didn't look like it needed attention. So....yes, every year it gets harder to garden. And I'm not even living in the hotter parts of the country. I don't know how people are doing it in hotter areas.

I gave the planter a good soaking but I think I'm going to have to pull a few string bean seedlings and start over.

prairiemoon on planting zuke seed now in Z-6, probably ok? It should grow well up until first frost if it's not hit hard by late season pests or diseases. Full sun (8 hours) would be helpful to speed up growth to reach flowering stage as the day light hours grow shorter. I'm pretty sure I could grow it here in Z-7 since our first frost is around early/mid Nov, but more than likely the numerous end of season insect pests and downy mildew would take them out by Oct.

It's OK to groom your zukes. Remove some of the largest leaves at lowest level on the stems. It opens the plant up and allows more air flow inside- and the pollinators that want to get at the blossoms. Bush squashes keep making new stems/leaves all season long, so removing some of the oldest ones overspreading the container leaves room for the new growth.

Thanks, beesneeds. I was wondering about that. On on hand, I love the look of those huge lush leaves and think they might actually help the zukes get larger l

faster. Then I thought that if some of the growth breaks off, it would be like a bonsaid squash plant — as long as no evil insect detects the aroma.

No powdery mildew YET.

A few years ago, I grew eggplant, but because we were short a bit of sunlight, they did not get very big. However, I lightly battered and fried some eggplant slices, then included them as a topping on a rustic pizza. Delicious.

I'm in the same boat with zuke and yellow squash in a raised planter. The planters were meant just as seed starters to then transplant, but I kept putting it off, and now the plants are too large to transplant. Mine were draping over the side, too, and stems getting "cut" from the pressure at the edge of the planter.

I put a short stake in the planter and am slowly training the vines to grow vertical. I cut several of the lower leaves so there's a decent "stem" exposed that I loosely tied to the stake; very very loosely, to not break the vine. As the plant gets used to the vertical shape, I've been tying them tighter/closer, little by little, to the stake so they're starting to look more upright. There are still leaves/stems that are touching the edge of the planter, but nothing actually hanging over the edge now or getting cut by that 90 degree kink.

My planters are 17" deep so there's enough dirt to hold the stake firmly in place. I first tried to put a small tomato cage around them but the vines were already too big and stems were breaking as I was trying to shove them through the cage. But the stake system seems to be working so far. Bonus - since the plants are about eye level (planter is almost 3' above ground plus I'm short), and they're growing vertically, looking under the leaves for pest egg masses is way easier than if they were in the ground! Good luck!

A trellis made of electrical conduit as a frame for welded wire fencing may work. It could be planted in the ground or for support attached to rebar stakes or T stakes with zip ties.

For squash vine beetles, I grow a resistant variety of squash, an heirloom called zucchetta or tromboncina. When small it can be harvested and used like zucchini, but once it gets big, it resembles butternut and is a good, mildly sweet winter storage squash. Its onlyndrawbackmis thatnthe vines can reach 20', so you likely either want to trellis it or planan area where it can sprawl. But it is entirely resistant to SVB and I like the flavor and firm flesh better than zucchini.

Those look great!
I like the idea of a lattice or trellis ” ramp” also, if you have room beside the planter. Sort of like those cucumber supports that are slanted off the ground, but in your case one edge would be Agatha edge of the planter. If you’re not too concerned about aesthetics there could be various scrap materials that would work, either short pieces of actual lattice, or a section of that short wire fencing with ~ 4” grid ( except you wouldn’t need a whole roll!). Or even wire 2-3 stakes together.