All
Last yr was the first on the plot so looking for top tips. I don't have a greenhouse and last yr germinated on windowsills and lean-to and plan the same this year. When do you guys normally start growing on windowsills with a view to planting out say late May. I am thinking early April? Does that sound OK - bearing in mind that they can be hardened off pretty slowly in the lean-to which in North facing and therefore not warm. Thoughts welcome.
Simon
Simon, what you describe is roughly what I do. I'm in the SE. Don't know where you are but I start my courgettes and squash off in early April indoors, then they go in the cheapo placcy greenhouse and then in pots on the patio and finally onto the plot mid to late May.
One tip I picked up on here (think it was Jeannine) was to keep potting the squash plants on into bigger pots until they are really well established. I did that last year and they didn't sulk too much when I planted them out - and got a decent crop :D
be interesting to see if what other people do
1066
I have just sown (1st March) some pumpkin and butternut squash seeds in a heated propagator.
It is possibly too early but as I plant the young plants out under cover they should be OK. I have plenty of seeds as a backup in case of problems and will sow some more on the 1st April. Any spare plants are donated to the allotment society to raise funds, so nothing goes to waste.
I agree with the advice to keep potting on.
See my web page for details:-
http://allaboutallotments.com/Butternutsquash.html
Simon I do exactly as you have described too but sometimes as late as mid April and they have still been fine. :)
thanks all. last yr was the first yr and because of various things i didnt keep notes on what I did, although they were pretty successful nevertheless. I just felt I was quite conservative getting the plants into the plot - the frosts were long, long gone and maybe a couple of weeks earlier is my aim. I have a small coldframe so could leave them in that for a week or two before finally planting I guess. I might try a few earlies then just as a test - nothing ventured and all that! think around April 1st is the aim for getting the bulk of the seeds in - watch this space!
Just need a little more luck with the cucumbers this year.......
I plant mine on St Georges day(23rd April) in pellets. I put them in the airing cupboard for 24 hrs. Then onto the windowsills until the middle of May. Harden off in a mini greenhouse and plant outside end of May or beginning of June depending on the weather.
I am delighted to say that Squashes are very easy to grow. Sadly they take up a load of room.
They keep well so that they store as well as potatoes.
They are not as vulnerable to disease like blight as potatoes.
However, they do not produce as high a yield as potatoes.
Great first choice crop for a new gardener.
They're also good for "clearing" soil, with little digging required..... About now, strim down new rough bit of ground, let it grow back for a couple of weeks, then early April either strim it again or hit it with some glyphosate if you're ok with it, a week later strim again and mark out a grid of planting points about3-4 feet apart in the grid. At each point dig a hole with a spade about two spits wide and one deep. dump in a bucket or two of manure (horse can be fresh, other types need to be well rotted) or compost or anything organic. Fork into the earth of the hole well, add a hanbdful of chicken poo and one of blood fish and bonemeal, a handful of organic chilli/tomato food pellets not a bad idea either. Cover over this mound with any decent soil you can extract fro,m the tangled m,ass of roots you dug up. If you can get cardboard then cover the bits between the planting points with it, scatter some slug pellets under there or water in some nematodes too if you want, then cover the whole lot with weed-mulch plastic and weight down
Early April sow individual squash seeds in a 15-drop module trays somewhere warm and bright, they'll need potting on into 6" pots once theroots are showing well. early May harden them off plant out into the prepared points mid-late May, maybe with some fleece over them (held off them though. There'll be bugger all weeds left under the plastic when you lift it to dig it)
chrisc
Chrisc - I like the sound of your ground clearing method. Will definitely give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration!