Hill up your vining plants for best results

Is it a mountain or a hill? In New England and central New York, any land elevation from 1,000 to 2,000 feet is called a hill, but the same elevation on the plains of Texas is called a mountain.

In the garden, we don't have mountains, but we do have hills. This kind of hill is just a raised mound of soil, like a pitcher's mound in baseball. A hill is formed by pushing up the soil surrounding the plant. 

Vegetables that grow best in the heat, such as cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squash, produce well when planted in hills. Even though you can plant vine crops in rows, hilling provides many benefits. Hilled-up soil warms up quicker early in the season, so you can plant seeds right after your last chance of frost and your soil stays above 65 degrees F. Hilling your soil also lets you dig in compost directly where you plant the seeds. 

Hills are usually 8-10 inches high and 2-3 feet wide. Sow seeds 1 inch deep, about 4 or 5 inches apart with 4 to 5 seeds in each hill. Thin the plants to just two or three per hill when they reach around 4 inches high and have two or three leaves. 

Hills of soil drain quicker than flat rows. Also, sowing several seeds on each hill means increased pollination. Hills should be spaced between 4 feet apart for cucumbers and melons, and 8 feet apart for longer-vined crops such as Atlantic Giant pumpkins. Direct sow these heat-loving vegetables after your last frost date, and they will germinate in about 10 days.

Most crops prefer sandy loam that drains well. Soil that stays soggy will trap moisture and lead to problems such as mold and mildew on the vines. If your soil is heavy, such as clay, add organic material like grass clippings, leaves, compost and peat moss to loosen the texture and allow it to retain more nutrients. This builds up the soil and allows roots to grow deeper.

Water your hills regularly to keep the soil moist but not soggy wet. If you squeeze a fistful of dirt in your palm, the soil should form a loose ball that is just barely crumbly. Soil that is too wet will clump into a tight ball, while soil that is too dry will fall apart in your hand.

While usually easy to grow, vine crops are sometimes sickened by squash vine borers that attack a plant and cause the vines to begin dying for no apparent reason. If you cut into the stem you will often see the bug.

Another common problem is powdery mildew, which is much easier to cure if caught early, when it first attacks the plants.

Plant your vine crops in hills and you will avoid many diseases, warm up the soil quicker and get the healthiest plants. Plant them in rows, and it just might be downhill from there.