Growing staked tomatoes above watermelons

Vince · February 19, 2007

Has anybody ever grown watermelons underneath tomato plants? I mean planting close to tomatoes or just training the vines to sprawl underneath. The reason for this would be to utilize the space underneath the tomato plants. Might this be OK if the tomatoes are pruned to one or two main stems and groomed regularly?

Vince

michael johnson · February 19, 2007

Sounds a bit like the three sisters method with one sister missing,

MawkHawk · February 20, 2007

Vince, I asked this same question on GW recently and the only down side they told me was that the melons could try to climb your tomato supports and pull them over. Seems easy enough to monitor and correct tho.

I'm going to try this myself this summer. My only concern will be if th melons can get enough sunlight thru the tomato plants.

Ruth_10 · February 20, 2007

I guess I would be concerned that the combo tomato and watermelon patch would become one solid mass of vegetation and you wouldn't be able to get to either the tomatoes or the watermelons without stepping on something. I also doubt the watermelons would get enough sun/heat. They really do like to bask in the sun.

garnetmoth · February 20, 2007

I wonder if Vigna mungo/ moth bean (Bountiful gardens lists Moth Bean as Phaseolus aconitifolius)
wouldnt do a decent job... sprawling to short bush bean...

Chickpeas are up to 2 feet tall... probably too tall. I just might try the moth beans Vs hay mulch this year...?

February 19, 2007	#1
Vince Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 942	Growing staked tomatoes above watermelons Has anybody ever grown watermelons underneath tomato plants? I mean planting close to tomatoes or just training the vines to sprawl underneath. The reason for this would be to utilize the space underneath the tomato plants. Might this be OK if the tomatoes are pruned to one or two main stems and groomed regularly? Vince __________________ Vince

February 20, 2007	#3
MawkHawk Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Metro Detroit/Z6 Posts: 168	Vince, I asked this same question on GW recently and the only down side they told me was that the melons could try to climb your tomato supports and pull them over. Seems easy enough to monitor and correct tho. I'm going to try this myself this summer. My only concern will be if th melons can get enough sunlight thru the tomato plants. __________________ Mark

February 20, 2007	#4
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	I guess I would be concerned that the combo tomato and watermelon patch would become one solid mass of vegetation and you wouldn't be able to get to either the tomatoes or the watermelons without stepping on something. I also doubt the watermelons would get enough sun/heat. They really do like to bask in the sun. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

February 19, 2007	#2
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Sounds a bit like the three sisters method with one sister missing,

February 20, 2007	#5
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	I wonder if Vigna mungo/ moth bean (Bountiful gardens lists Moth Bean as Phaseolus aconitifolius) wouldnt do a decent job... sprawling to short bush bean... Chickpeas are up to 2 feet tall... probably too tall. I just might try the moth beans Vs hay mulch this year...?