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Kutztown, PA

Not sure why I would do it since I have my hands full with pumpkins, but I bought a seed mix at one of the auctions that includes some Tobek long gourd seeds. (By the way, the seeds look weird.) Anyway, can someone here direct me to a few good photos of different trellis contraptions. Or, explain to me what size I need to grow one plant? Finally, is there any newbie "How to" instructions anywhere?

2/16/2023 3:06:28 PM

Syracuse, NY

Well, at least it WORKED for me although I probably neglected them and they were not from any World Record-bound seeds, butt I used it two years before the wind blew it over and it was downhill for it once I realized the pumpkins would be enough work without LGs also. DO look at the link provided AND the next page, fully-assembled and in use!
I got a four-foot LG that year and I forget the next year's result. I believe the boards all were 2" by 12'ers and the top ones were also, butt the illusion might be from the angles outward at the bottom of the uprights; Mid-boards probably 4' long. Really dum that the centers of the top, long boards were the weakest parts of the assembly - a common mistake of 'wish I had stepped back and looked at it more as I built it' - The Wishbone Effect.
There is some fencing attached from the plant's starting height up and over if it's not clear in the pic(s). Scope out my Diary for other GH ideas for fun. Never mind the baldness!
eric g
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=38836

4/12/2023 4:20:42 PM

Syracuse, NY

PS---It did end up having like push lawnmower wheels on it and
if I had ever needed to raise it FOR a longer gourd, I'd have
jacked up one end at a time, adding the needed 1,2 or 3 feet incrementally. The wheels were a GREAT addition, meanwhile.
Great for vacuuming under it...eg

4/12/2023 4:39:19 PM

Grittyville, WA

I think pretty much anything will work, the common pics people post are the ones where their trellis wasn't high enough so they had to start digging a hole... maybe this is just anecdotal but it seems like the ones where the plant covers the top of the trellis and the gourd grows in the shade of the leaf canopy seem to turn out well. I'm thinking a lot of sun directly on the gourd wont benefit its length at all. (Less-than-optimal light causes stems or stalks to stretch, maybe the same thing applies to a young gourd.)

4/13/2023 3:05:31 PM

Syracuse, NY

Okay, then, if anyone were to figure out how to bury the vines of a Long Gourd plant, that'd be phenomenal. I mean how much could a couple hundred pounds of Mycorrhizae-laced potting or top soil weigh or encompass?
Now, there could be long AND FAT long gourds! Hmmm...eg

4/13/2023 11:38:31 PM

Fullerton, California

I had a problem getting them to germ until I put them out in the shed where temps were well over 100*, forgot about them for a few days. Picture doesn't show but the old soccer net goes up over the top. http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=325298

5/30/2023 11:35:48 PM

Syracuse, NY

Wow - that first pic should be an eye exam test at the optometrist's office, lol - lotta details to sort out, and great job! Are those all company ladders you've climbed, lol; Anyway, I was gonna grow one along the front of MY house for 150 as well but didn't put in the effort...you were just teasing that plant with that half-full soda, right? Ha ha later---eric g

5/31/2023 10:21:07 AM