Help with managing my vegetable garden?

Question

I have a very nice and fruitful vegetable garden. It is growing so well that it is getting out of control. I was wondering if you can trim your vegetable garden without hurting the vegetables. Such as trimming the long leaves that don't have anything flowering from them. We would like to be able to reach our vegtables without stepping on the other ones in there. Right now we have growing in there is: watermelon, pumpkins, green & yellow squash, tomatoes ( big beef & cherry), turnips, radishes.

Answer 1

Yes, you can prune the plants.  Just be careful when you are doing the pruning.  You won't want to prune too many leaves.  

Keep in mind that if you cut the watermelon vines, typically the vines won't grow any longer but will get "bushier".  This could do exactly the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.

Answer 2

Littlemi I think you will put your plants in shock, they will continue to grow fruit and vegetables already set, but will not produce new vegetables.

Good Luck

Answer 3

It won't do any harm to trim off the older, larger leaves of your squash plants.  I even prune the growing tips that exceed the area I intended for planting.  I've pruned my squash this season, some of them are growing side shoots, others did not produce said shoots, so I pulled them out this a.m.  I put in fresh squash seeds before I experimented with pruning, so eventually I'll have more squash.  Now I have more room to plant other veggies, like radishes, carrots and lettuce.