Planting a Squash Patch

Squash (zucchini, pumpkins, acorn squash, etc...) and melons love to roam.  Their tendrils stretch far and wide to cover as much space as possible.  Often in urban areas space is limited so they are not as easily grown.  But that is not an issue at the Bakery Lot, one of our growing areas in SW Detroit.The only problem with the Bakery Lot is that it is a mostly untamed jungle, with lots of crabgrass, bindweed and other undesirables firmly rooted in the heavy clay soil.  While we've done a lot of tilling wedding to make it garden-able this year, sometimes the best approach is to smother.  The nice thing about the winding ways of the squash and melons is that they'll naturally do this once they get big.  In the meantime we're re-purposing some cardboard and black plastic to do the job for us.