When do you guy's put in your pumpkins, squash?

[gixxerific]

I have been waiting patiently to start some pumpkin seeds. I will be direct planting them. When do you all put them in the ground? My supposed last frost date is this weekend. The beginning of May is a more secure bet. Though watching the weather closely along with the long range forecast I think, (THINK) we are good to go.

I also have eggplant and bell pepper plants that need to go in what would you all do with those.

I will be direct seeding zucchini and cucumber as well.

I would think all of these would be good to go at about the same time. AM I right there?

[gone cuttin]

The last frost date doesn't seem to work for me so I have gone to taking the soil temp for when to plant. Winter squash goes in at 60 degrees. For me this happens when the grape vines leaf out or around the 1st of June.

Now the summer squash can go in a bit earlier, when the soil is 50 degrees or when the lilac bloom (around mid May for me).

Last year we planted the pie pumpkins in the asparagus patch and all seemed to do very well.

[Ozark Lady]

My frost free date, has come and gone. But, that isn't a guarantee, so I will wait, and on May 1st, I will begin to plant seeds of warm weather items, like cucumbers, corn, summer squash, beans etc.

I won't start winter squash and pumpkins until close to June 1st. I plan to start cabbage, broccoli, and brussels about the end of May also.

[Lupinus]

Depends what the pumpkins/squash (assuming hard/winter squash) are intended for.

If they are for pie or cooking, just start them whenever according to the last frost date.

However, if you are growing pumpkins and squash for Halloween or other fall festivities the days to maturity makes more concern. I will start my pumpkins so that they will be perfect a couple weeks before Halloween. This way I have plenty of harvest time and if they are slower to mature then expected I have a good window. I also don't have to worry about storing them for a month or two somewhere cool enough they will not spoil or rot.

[applestar]

Ah, Lupinus, you took the words right out of my mouth.
One year, I planted pumpkin seeds as soon as the weather and soil temperatures were right. I didn't take into account that these pumpkins had a shorter maturity and I had orange pumpkins ready to harvest (and dying vines) by Labor Day.

Fortunately, they *were* pie pumpkins and we enjoyed them, but I had to *buy* pumpkins for Halloween.

[Joyfirst]

Then I am not too late yet. I just found the seeds my friend gave of a very smooth soup winter squash. Can I train them up the trellis- space id that of concern of my plot.

[rainbowgardener]

My frost free date, has come and gone. But, that isn't a guarantee, so I will wait, and on May 1st, I will begin to plant seeds of warm weather items, like cucumbers, corn, summer squash, beans etc.

I won't start winter squash and pumpkins until close to June 1st. I plan to start cabbage, broccoli, and brussels about the end of May also.

Wow... that seems so late for the winter crops, cabbage, broccoli, brussels. Mine went in the ground in mid March. We did have some frost and a bit of snow after that. They came through it just fine with hot caps. The broccoli have little heads on them now. They don't really like hot weather and some times broccoli goes straight to flower without ever setting a head if it is already getting hot.

My squash I planted about first of april and it is now in pots on my deck hardening off and waiting for the ground to warm a little more. I will probably plant it under polytunnel early May. I don't have room for pumpkins!

[gixxerific]

I just gotta have pumpkins I cant' resist roasted pumpkin seeds. I have a variety that is especially know for their seed to be eaten.

Yum yum I can't wait.

They are Lady Godiva squash actually but for the most part they are pumpkins to me. I don't mind if they ripen early (before Halloween) half the fun of Halloween pumpkins is going to the pumpkin patch anyways.

[GardenJester]

does soaking the seeds before planting help any? if so how long should I soak it?

[jal_ut]

When to plant depends on where you are. I plant pumpkins and squash on May 5. Melons on May 15. Cucumbers on June 1. Here the average last frost is May 18. So you see I am planting pumpkins two weeks before that date. Yes, some years I get frozen, but most years they make it.

Those dates are my target dates. I will actually plant on that date or as soon thereafter as the weather permits. This is for direct seeding.

There are gardeners in this area who won't plant anything until Memorial day. They never get frozen, but have missed six to eight weeks of growing weather for the cool crops.

[Lupinus]

Then I am not too late yet. I just found the seeds my friend gave of a very smooth soup winter squash. Can I train them up the trellis- space id that of concern of my plot.

Depends on the size, but as I understand (in other words, no experience but have read about) so long as you provide support for not just the vine, but the squash as well, you can train them up a trellis.

Basically will need to make a sling of some sort to support the squash/pumpkin and you may get lower yields.

Again, this is only as I understand it.

[Gary350]

I believe pumpkins are a 120 day crop. Plant about May 1 you should have pumpkins about September.

[petalfuzz]

I"m going to set my transplants out by June 1st, but start the seeds indoors as my soil is clay and therefore too cold to germinate the seeds properly if direct sown. I started my first batch of seeds this weekend.

But the pumpkin seeds in the compost decided it was time to start growing. Tons sprouted and started growing this week. I turned them all under again, cause we don't want to grow field pumpkins.

[rootsy]

I believe pumpkins are a 120 day crop. Plant about May 1 you should have pumpkins about September.

That all depends on the variety... Most are 90 - 110.

I'll put most pumpkins in the ground (from seed) mid - June for a end Sept / Beginning October harvest window.

[applestar]

How much frost can ripening pumpkins take? You don't want them to freeze obviously. Do you have to let them turn orange on the vine or can they ripen off the vine? How early?

A lot of times, this question is moot in my garden because the vines succomb to mildew towards the end of their lives, and I take the pumpkins off before the advancing mildew reach them.

[garden5]

Well, to my understanding, the cucumbers are very sensitive to frost whereas the squash and pumpkins are a little hardier.

Now, I say this because I planted cucumber sets last May and a light frost came and killed them off. I also planted some squash (butternut), in the late summer (I don't think I ever really believed that I would get anything from them, but why not) and they were killed by the fall frost.

The reason I say the the squash are probably a little hardier is that they look that way.

Jal has a good idea; plant early and if you don't get a frost, great , if you do, just re-plant . If you don't have a lot of seeds, plant half early and the other half later.

For the pepper transplants, you want to make sure that the soil is warm and there is no danger of frost. If you plant peppers in cool soil, you man stunt their growth for the whole season.

I don't have any experience with eggplant (yet ), but I do know that they, too, like it hot, so I'm not putting mine in until I put the peppers in. Put it this way, the last frost date is May 16; the peppers and eggplants are going in June 1.

Oh, here's a thought, you could help your soil to warm up by using some black plastic a week or so before you plant and could keep it warm by using low-tunnels.

I hope this helps you out.

[jal_ut]

How much frost can ripening pumpkins take? You don't want them to freeze obviously. Do you have to let them turn orange on the vine or can they ripen off the vine? How early?

The leaves of pumpkins will most likely die at the first frost. Usually the fruit doesn;'t get hurt on the first frost as the leaves seem to protect the fruit. It depends on how cold that first frost is. You do not want the fruit to get frozen or it will not keep well. I have yet to see a green pumpkin ripen to an orange pumpkin after the vines freeze. When the leaves freeze, it is time to harvest, if you haven't done so earlier.

The pumpkins I plant take about 120 days to turn orange. Just how long it takes may vary in different climates. I know for tomatoes that is sure the case. Here it takes 72 day tomatoes 110 days. 8-O So, the days to maturity thing may work where the variety was develped, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will work anywhere else..

[garden5]

I don't know how well a developed plant will hold up to the frost, I was only talking about a plant that was recently sprouted. I do agree with Jal, though, that the frost (the one in the fall) won't hurt the squash any, especially if it is a thick-skinned variety.

[applestar]

Hmm... In 2008, we had hardly any frost, then a drastic freeze (24ºF) on Oct 2. (Of course the rest of that October was unusually warm... ) Normally I start expecting frost around end of September beginning of Oct. According to that % frost date by zip code website, average First Frost is supposed to be 10/18 here, but I wouldn't trust us not to get frost that far into Oct.

Thanks for the tips, this will give me a working strategy for my pumpkins.

[Joyfirst]

Then I am not too late yet. I just found the seeds my friend gave of a very smooth soup winter squash. Can I train them up the trellis- space id that of concern of my plot.

Depends on the size, but as I understand (in other words, no experience but have read about) so long as you provide support for not just the vine, but the squash as well, you can train them up a trellis.

Basically will need to make a sling of some sort to support the squash/pumpkin and you may get lower yields.

Again, this is only as I understand it.

My squash is Golden Nugget - not very large, so I guess, I could support it with slings.

[applestar]

Here's a picture from 2008 of a Sugar Pie Pumpkin "hanging out" in a sling made from DD's old tights.


This one was holding on pretty tight to the extra bit of wire border fence and didn't need a sling:

[gixxerific]

I think I will try with an early may planting than may have a later planting depending on how well they do and how much room i have.

Actually we have a friend my wife works with that grows tons of pumpkin, squash every year. Some of you may have seen all the Halloween stuff I had out last year. I am having my wife ask them tomorrow when they plant. They know what it it's like here. they plant a 50 x 100 foot area just to give away and they have a ton of land so why not right.