I think it's definitely worth a try, I've often thought about it as like you I don't have the space for sprawling things. You might need to support even the smallest of pumpkin varieties though - maybe sling them using netting or old stockings as support?

Regards,
GF

When I lived in Melbourne I had butternuts planted right at the end of the garden on the Chook Yard fence where they proceded to grow up and over all the chicken wire and settle on the Chook House Roof.

But I do remember that the pumpkins hung from the wire as well and we had a bumper crop too, thanks to the chooks, but they had something solid to grow on. So go for it and good luck I am just getting ready to plant mine now but have heaps of room for them to sit on the mulch under the trees out of the way, and at $3:98 a kg last week I will be planting lots of seeds...Cheers..MM.

$3.98/kg!!!!!! At that price I'd expect them to have gold seeds inside! I take back all my complaining about $1.99/kg.

It does work - or at least growing them up trees and fences works. I grow queensland blue and Jap pumpkins along fences and up some of the trees in the neighbours down the back. They are a climbing vine and will take to a trellis with relish

A few months ago I came across a site about growing them on a trellis. I can't remember where it was but try googling "growing plants vertically" or similar. The people had a trellis made of galvanised pipe and where the pumpkin was growing they would support it with a metal plate or something. It seemed to be a good idea but was a large construction. You could probably adapt a similar idea. I'll have a look and see if I can find the site again.

I saw some growing like crazy at Sarah's last year. They're really strong and even quite big ones can be put to a trellis.
It works fine.

ALRIGHTY!!
I'll be giving it a whirl right away.
I probably need better trellis stuff than that plastic green stuff.
I'll let you know how it goes.
jp

She(sarah) had wire on her fence. Worked a treat. We're doing cukes and melons and butternuts on trellis this year. Good luck.

The buggers will climb anything in their path. In short, go for it. Butternuts get a lot longer hanging from something rather than growing on the ground. I found this out last year, by mistake. Must be a gravity thing eh.
Got my Hercules in and up. Sarah, have you sown them yet?
Mantis

No I'm saving the hercules for next year in my new garden. I'm just putting in quick growing stuff & some tommies & chillies in pots this year :-(
As Adam said my pumpkins grow happily up & over things, I had them under my fruit trees & as well as climbing the fence they scrambled through the trees. They do get pretty rampant so growing them up a fence is a good way to save space, but yes, they do need fairly substantial support!

All varieties of pumpkin will grow on a trellis - but be warned if you get a good pollination rate on the larger varieties (e.g. Queensland Blue) then you're likely to lose the trellis under the weight of the fruit! My latest Blue vine is snaking around the garden, in between the tomatoes, onions and what's left of the broccoli. Unfortunately despite hand pollination the female flowers died before opening, so only one pumpkin this time around.

The other curcubits I have (choko and squash) seem to be doing just fine!