First Frost Dates

[Duke Ellington]

I live in Hampshire and I've just read on a web site that my first frost should fall between 11-20 October. It's at this time of the year that I start to worry about bringing in my winter squash. Am I being fool hardy leaving them on the plant until mid October? Should I follow my heart and bring them in?

duke

[Duke Ellington]

[galina]

Keep an eye on the weather forecast.  The squash plants will be deteriorating now and any fully ripe fruit can be brought in.  Even badly deteriorating leaves will still nourish the developing younger fruit.  Those I would leave until the last moment.  Squash plants perish at 3C, especially if it is also windy, but fruit is ok down to an actual frost. 

I would take mature fruit in, leave the smaller to get as big as possible and leave the plants until the last squash is harvested.  Don't go by frost dates, but by actual weather forecast   

[Plot 18]

It has turned unseasonably cold out there, so I brought my big squash into the greenhouse to fully ripen.
I've left most of the smaller, mostly acorn types on the vines as they seem to be coping better (in other words, they still have some leaves!)

The Met office

Outlook for Monday 18 Sep 2017 to Wednesday 27 Sep 2017 says Temperatures will be around average for the time of year, with an increasing risk of frost and fog

So I'll be watching those forecasts like a hawk!

[Digeroo]

I like to be wary of the forecast, the actual temperatures on the ground can be 4 degrees colder than the forecast.  We had one in August a couple of years ago.
There is a system called IFTTT.  (if this then that) You can set it to sent you an email if the temperature is forecast to drop below a particular temperature in your area.  I choose 4.
But you are right I think I will start to bring mine in.  They are quite heavy so I will only be able to carry one at a time.  The skins will ripen nicely on the windowsill.  It may give the small ones a better change to swell a bit.
One the other hand we sometimes have some great weather in October.

[Squashman]

I brought most of mine in today, will leave the ones not quite ripe for a few days more. I have taken them in semi ripe before and they seem to ripen okay.

[johhnyco15]

here on the sunshine coast all my squashes are ripe and in store we have had a fantastic summer so they are ripe a good month early. butternuts dont ripen too well off the plant so id leave them as long as you dare

[Duke Ellington]

Well I actually read your replies and decided to bring them in today except for one that hasn't reached maturity. I am only growing one type Marina di Chioggia and they have reached the warty stage and don't think they will grow any bigger. I will leave them out on sunny days to cure or put them in the conservatory.
DUke

[BarriedaleNick]

We have gone whole winters recently without a proper frost.  I'll be leaving mine out for a good while yet..  Too early to talk of frost when i still have cucumbers outside!

[ancellsfarmer]

The lowest my "reliable" forecast (Theweatheroutlook.com) gives in the next 14 days is 7deg C for NE Hampshire. I would agree that earliest frost is likely(?) to be in the date range Duke quotes. A single 'FROST' could be locally effective, we recently get one early then maybe mild to New Year!!
A few 'covers' (old blankets, carpet felt ) to throw over will be the only protection here. When it goes, it goes. Have had nearly enough courgettes now!

[mat]

I'm in North Yorkshire, I've not grown squash before, so will follow this thread :) I've grown a few varieties this year, and with the dire wet Summer we've had, some have grown better than others. I thought I'd leave mine out till the leaves have all died back and a frost is due, so as to ripen further...  But, I'm carefully keeping an eye on them as I caught one smaller one starting to rot (I brought it in and used what I could immediately). We've had one night at 4 degrees (1st Sept) but the future forecasts are higher... 

[galina]

Mat,  we had a similarly cold night, but so far all is well too. 

Would be of much interest to many on the forum which varieties you are growing and which have done better in your location.  All squash growing is a bit marginal in many areas of the UK as squash really likes warmer summer weather than we generally have.  My Buttercup have done well and also my Thelma Sanders and my Shark's Fin Melon aka Fig Leaf squash.   

Would you share with us variety info please?   

[lezelle]

Hi Ya, just watched the weather forecast and they are saying we could get a frost this Saturday night. Oh well the wind flattened my runners si I was going to lift them any way. Keep warm all going to seem a long time till spring.

[ancellsfarmer]

The forecast here last night was 8deg. The local weather station (ww.crondallweather.co.uk) records a double dip minimum to 4.1deg with mins at 4.00 and07.15am, rising to 6 inbetween. Its just a matter of (bad) luck depending on cloud cover. Fear the worst, anything less becomes a bonus.

[tricia]

My outdoor sensor recorded 9.1C last night, lowest so far since the temperatures started to drop.

The best squash for me this year has been Sucrene du Berry - 14  from 3 plants. They ripened early, have been curing in front of the patio doors since 18 August and are now ready to store in my back porch. They are quite unlike the other Butternuts (Waltham and Hunter) which were planted out later, and -  probably due to different weather conditions, haven't done as well - only six small ones from four plants. Earlier still are two beautiful Potimarron, which I grew primarily because they are such a lovely colour .

Tricia

[mat]

Galina, I will share the varieties. Some never germinated, others didn't start to grow any fruit till a few weeks ago, others have produced some lovely specimens. I'll share the results for the varieties when picked.  I have eaten one amazing 3kg Uchiki Kuri which in a huge storm rolled and snapped off the plant. It was delicious.

It has been a bad summer. Wonderful Spring, then it turned wet wet wet, so really in the main, the only ones I've got are from early flowers, summer ones just rotted off...   

It was forecast to be 9 degrees last night, but our weather station in the garden recorded 5.9.   

[galina]

Thank you Mal.  Yes that is one that has done well for me also and I like the flavour very much. 

Last night it went down to 5C here and I expect similar for tonight.  Also in a location where it is routinely colder than the weather forecast, as we are a bit exposed.  Although with this solid grey cloud cover like we have at the moment it should stay a bit warmer. 

More often than not our first frost is around the full moon in October.   

[DrJohnH]

Just a thought-  regards first frost dates- it might be useful if posters said where they were located in posts or changed their profiles to say where they are (and admittedly some do) there's people on here from all over the place...

[squeezyjohn]

Reading this here I did a run to the allotment to get the squash in ... not too many this year ... but one of the pumpkins is definitely bigger than the others!

[Duke Ellington]

That's a beauty Squeezyjohn👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Digeroo]

It is even better Dr JohnH if you put your location in your profile under personal text because then it appears in each and every post.  I also like to know peoples soil type  so if they have clay soil I can ignore what they say about not needing to watering the plants or feel a need to splash on large amounts of lime.