planning your garden-Squash ?

[lin'sgraden]

When you are planting various squash (pumkins, sweet meat, zucchini) how far appart do they need to be to prevent multi-squash? Is there any other veges that shouldn't be planted next to each other. Also is there a good book for vege gardening, that would be benifical for a beginner.
Thanks
Lin

[TZ -OH6]

Cross pollination won't affect the fruit because it is made up entirely from the mother plant, it only affects the seed (which is why cross polinated corn is a problem).

If you want to save uncrossed seed, I think about a quarter of a mile between varieties is OK. You can check distances for safe seed saving at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

That being said, most people simply hand pollinate squashes and then bag the blossom to keep bees out.

[rainbowgardener]

I'm going to beat cynthia to the punch and recommend the Sunset Western Garden Book. (Cynthia is one of our other moderators, who lives in California and swears by this book.) It is the bible for people on the west coast (and Alaska and Hawaii). It divides the area into specific climate zones and then tells you what plants are adapted to your particular climate. And has lots of practical advice. The paperback version of the older edition is now available super cheap on Amazon, since there's a newer version out.

[stella1751]

Interesting! Is Wyoming in it? (Some call us Plains; others call us West.)

[lin'sgraden]

That was the 1st garden book I got, I also have the Sunset problem solver book as well. Thanks for the input on the cross pollination. It's good to know that the cross pollination only effects the seeds not the squash. I'll have to start practicing self pollinating pumpkins and squash. I just planted pumpkins this year, I didn't think that they would grow that well, boy was I wrong. I have one that's almost twice the size of a basketball already . So I will defintely want to use those seeds next year.

Oh, where on the forum would I go to ask, or find out about green houses?
Thanks again,
Lin

[cynthia_h]

Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and all points west.

Cynthia, drive-by

[gixxerific]

I want a book for the midwest!

Dono