I just built a 6'x8' trellis out of 1"x2" boards. this one is for cucumbers though. to make the actual trellis that the cukes will climb, I stapled jute fiber twine to the boards. first I made the horizontal lines. Then when I made the vertical lines I wrapped the line around each horizontal lines. this gives extra strength to the horizontal lines so they don't get pulled down by the weight of the plant and veggies. I also used the jute for the "guide wires" on the corners, this provides extra stability so the trellis doesn't wobble back and forth in the wind. The 1x2's come in 8' lengths, last year I didn't cut them and my trellis was 8'x8'. but the cucumbers only climbed about 6'. This year I made the trellis 6' high (still 8' wide). Next time I will drill holes every 6 inches and tie the jute to the boards (stapling was actually a pain, and will be a bigger pain when it comes time to remove the staples). Another tip, last year I screwed the trellis onto my raised bed frame. but since your not supposed to grow the same crop in the same spot (if possible), I needed to move my trellis. so this year I made sleeves to slide the trellis post in to.

Many of the winter squashes are used at immature stages in various ethnic cooking. So, it is a "go" there. You do, however, want to leave the earliest-set fruit to mature. They have the best chance of being good keepers. Use the secondary sets for immature use. (Sometimes late-set fruit doesn't quite mature anyhow and will not be best keepers.) Getting at the later set will help with the squash-vine-shuffle as they will be closer to tip of the vine. About the volunteers - since you did not grow them yourself, the possible combination is difficult to tell. Some types might cross with gourds. In that case there could be bitterness. Pick a fruit, touch the stem to your tongue. If the juice is bitter (and you'll know!!), ditch the plant.

Ok, ladies of the gardens, (and kitchens), let's let it ALL hang out now and go for it! We've worked all spring, summer and fall, and now it's time to talk cooking! And enjoying the fruits, (or veggies) of our labors. Like the rest of you, fall is the time when I love to get in the kitchen and cook, filling the house with wonderful smells. That's one of the reason I love Oklahoma, the change of seasons. Fall just brings with it, a change in the feeling of things as we change from one mode to another. It's time for soups, and stews, and baking breads, pies, muffins and biscuits,( slathered with butter and jam or jelly of choice). Tonight, I'm making, more for DS than me, chicken and biscuits. Only I make the biscuits separate, so they don't get soggy baking in the oven with the liquid part of the concoction. Then, he splits them once done and ladles the chicken "gravy" over all. Of course there are a hundred variations on the theme, and I've tried most all of them at one time or another, but that's what's on the menu tonight. I came across this blog and started reading. Great stuff, you can tell these ladies, (and guy) know their way around a biscuit. The one moniker cracked me up, "Old ladies in Fist Fights". Anyway, they were discussing the pros and cons of biscuit making. I am making mine ala Carol's, by the BIG BATCH, with the exception that I use butter. I keep my batch in the fridge or even freezer to keep the butter cold and fresh. I do mine a little different that those discussed in this blog. I melt a large batch of butter in the microwave, and then cool and put it in the freezer til it's ice cold and solid. Then, I work in the cold butter bits, one half at a time, to coat the self-rising flour mixture, to prevent as much gluten from forming as possible. Everythings done with the lightest touch possible and the least mixing. When the biscuits are patted out and cut, in this case, "Cat Head" biscuits, I dip them in melted butter, and pop them in a preheated 450 degree oven til nice and golden. I always make buttermilk biscuits, buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk cornbread, and as often as possible. Carol's method makes this painless. I suppose we could make many of our standard quick bread mixes this way. Salute Carol! Ladies, start your engines, (I mean ovens)! Barbara Here is a link that might be useful: Joes's Biscuit Blog

Lisa, I would suggest the to get a row cover. That is one of the things I will do, at least until the female blooms come. I bought a big roll of tulle netting. That should let enough light in and let them grow protected. You can always hand-pollinate and leave the cover on. This year, I will probably uncover them, then plan on being vigilant,and remove eggs by hand. If you plan on having just a few plants, you should be able to inspect your plants daily, and remove many of the eggs. They are small red disk-shaped eggs. They are laid pretty much anywhere, not only on the base. I found many of the leaf stalks. They take up to 7 days to hatch, so even if you miss some one day, then next day you might find them. Also if you let your plant grow on the ground, I would also dig in your vines into the ground. The vines will grow additional roots at each leaf joint. That increases the roots available, and gives your plants a better chance to survive. Whatever part of the vine is dug under, or mulched over heavily, that part will not get eggs laid on it. so it reduces the places you need to look for the eggs.