I'll second the recommendation for "Tromboncino" as a summer squash. It is an aggressive climber, and will easily climb to the top of virtually any trellis - and beyond! the long zucchini-like fruits (up to 24" long in harvest stage) grow straight & beautiful on a trellis. I say "zucchini like" because Tromboncino is a different species than regular zucchini, with a slightly different taste & texture; but it can substitute for zucchini in any recipe. Since the fruit is seedless for 90% of its length, it is outstanding for freezing. Very resistant to insects & disease, which is the reason it has permanently replaced zucchini in my garden. For winter squash, you would want a variety with strong tendrils, and aggressive vines. "Queensland Blue" (C. maxima) would climb well, but like Bella Trix mentioned, the 20 pound squash would need additional support as they gained weight. The varieties she mentioned are also good, and might even do better in a hot climate; but it's worth noting for seed saving purposes that they are C. moschata, the same species as Tromboncino. I trellis all of my cucumbers, but in my experience, some of the Asian varieties are the best climbers. Not many will climb to 6 feet, though; 4-5 feet is more realistic. My guess is that you did not request information on pole beans because you've already figured out that they can climb. ;-) But I could recommend some good varieties if you are interested.

Tim, The Easter Big Freeze Disaster wreaked havoc on many of my persimmons - most are young grafted trees less than 5 years old, though a few are in the 10-yr range. Many of the grafted American persimmons had 4-6 inches of new growth when the freeze hit, and many of the young trees with trunk diameters of 3 inches or less were killed back to the ground; seedling rootstocks resprouted, so I'll have to select a new stem, cut all the others off, and re-graft in a year or two. Almost all of the Asian persimmon varieties I have growing here were still fully dormant, and sustained no damage - but they're all too young to fruit yet. My memory is fading, but I don't recall Rosseyanka or Keener, the two hybrids I have, sustaining major freeze damage, but only Keener set any fruit this year, and few of those matured, due to the drought. Both fruited heavily the previous year. Rosseyanka will do just fine anywhere in KY. Nikita's gift, which is a seedling of Rosseyanka, backcrossed to D.kaki, probably will do well in most all of the commonwealth, and is reported to be an even nicer fruit than that of its parent.

Stefano.... You will have no problems getting either cuttings, or rooted material for your fig-growing efforts. This forum has some of the most generous, helpful, members that you'll ever find. You will be growing a potted fig tree this season. Please let us know what size "pot" you have in mind. You may want to search this forum for information on "Containerized Figs". Home Depot sells large capacity storage tubs that are easily converted to a growing container for figs by drilling drainage holes into the bottom. They will get pretty heavy when wet, and I roll my fig trees around on a dolly. Will this be your first time growing Ficus carica? If you are going to grow edible figs in smaller pots, on your window, then this is a different situation. Overwintering might be a concern, and adequate light levels too. There will be help on this forum for these concerns also. Give us more details, and let us know what are your goals and plans for your fig tree. A dwarf variety might be better for you than a large-growing, fig. Hope this helps you decide what to do. Frank

I would look at the softnecks they have at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Their silverskin is one of my favorites. If you are in the mountains, try Music hardneck. Everyone has to try that one at least once.