I am wondering how early is too early

[darwinslair]

Here I have concentrated on short season squashes. Really short season. Have found or selected for Pepo, Maxima and Mochata that will all make it to maturity in 90 days or less, which in a summer like last year meant I still got a lot of squash when everyone else's froze on the vine in the summer with the hard freeze of september 14th. This year my neighbor already has volunteer pumpkins up in his garden due to seeds in his compost that have true leaves. We are barely into spring. I am honestly thinking of trying full plantings, and maybe of longer season squashes, in a couple of weeks.

Tom

[Good Mind Seeds]

i am happy to try your knife river and long necked moschata. how big is the plant of the moschata?

the squash im planting in my yarden is the 800 year old maxima from a man named frank who found it in the midwest, stored away in an 800 year old clay ball (carbon dated). it is a really cool old squash!

my mother is getting knife river and a variety of moschata cheeses. i will put the long neck from you tom in my backyard too.

[darwinslair]

The Mochata is only about 4' spread. nice compact plants with good production so far.

Tom

[bunkie]

i start my squashes in homemade paper pots about 4 weeks before i put them out in the gardens.

[Good Mind Seeds]

wow i put them directly in the earth. i hear you can transplant cucurbits but i have never tried. do you have any photos bunkie? i like the sound of homemade paper pots.

[lored]

Here is a video. I liked the origami method the best because it produces square pots. I know it looks a little involved but you can make in winter and lay flat so they don't take up much space.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNBHYrv4-Gw

LoreD