I have started my winter squash plants and I'm getting ready to plant them out in the next week, my little gardening book says not to plant them until August but if they take 100 days to mature then that would be too late. They would freeze. Just wondering what everybody else does. Last year I planted some in June and they were doing great but I went out of town for 2 weeks and my plant sitter didn't water them enough. They died. I sowed more seeds in the middle of August and then the plants froze before the fruit was mature. ARGH... It seems strange to be timing around freezes when it has been 105* and its the end of June!
Lisa
When do you plant winter squash (pumpkin seeds)?
Up here, large pumpkins are planted mid-end June. Smaller variety pumpkins are planted next month. (mid July)
What is the average date of your first freeze?
Lisa
Usually early to mid November, IIRC. Sometimes we can go as late as Thanksgiving. The really cold weather sets in in January! LOL
OK that is so strange because I'm a lot further south but we always get a good freeze sometime in Oct. We are always 10* cooler then Austin during a freeze maybe because I'm out in a very rural area.
Lisa
That could very well be it, but it could also be you're in a more hilly area and if you're down in a valley, that would do it, too. We're sorta up here on the edge of the flat lands.
I didn't plant any winter squash this year, but in the past I always had good luck planting the dark green acorn squash and a butternut squash in the spring along with the summer squash. I fed and watered them thru to winter. They are good keepers when let cure on the vine. When I planted in mid summer because of the heat the plants never seemed to mature enough to bear good fruit before the first cold snap. At least that is what worked for me given my gardening style. Others may do it differently and have great success.
I always liked baking them on the half shell with lots of butter, sugar and allspice or cinnamon. Wish I'd planted some now.
Jerry
I really wanted to grow pumpkins and winter squash and I thought I had missed my opportunity but this thread helped inspire me! Stephanietx also provided some links on another thread to a Harris county vegetable planner that came in handy, too. It turned out I had some time after all. I built a bed over the 4th of July weekend and planted some acorn squash (bush) and buttercup squash.
I also had a packet of a "variety mix" of winter squash seeds including two pumpkin seeds (which I will reckon they are due to their size.)
I haven't completed the bed yet but I started them in small pots about 10 days ago.
The two in the foreground are pumpkins I believe, and the other seedling in the lighter green pot is "mystery squash" so we'll see.
I planted my smaller pumpkin seeds day before yesterday (7/15). I planted them outside in hills, 5/hill, but kept some "in reserve" just in case those don't germinate because of the heat or something. I've got the extras to start indoors.