From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Buffalo, New York

cold weather here in buffalo/niagara falls, expecially at nights still.
have not been able to start my seedlings yet.

how cold can the outdoor temperatures be at night so i can atleast start the seeds in small pots?

i am guessing 2.5 - 3 weeks from a plant the seeds until i place the plants outside in the patch.

what is the latest date i can place them out in the patch without it being too late in the season?

i have thought about starting them in the basement with flourescent lights above them?

i dont have any heating pads.

5/1/2008 12:49:43 PM

California High Desert [email protected]

Yesterday we planted a pumpkin that my husband started on May 7th. It went into a huge pot that was 17 inches deep. When we opened that pot up I was shocked how big the roots where on that small plant. Never again will we start them that early with out them going into the ground right away. He put off planting it thinking it was still small. Good thing it was not in a small pot. Big pots are harder to plant for me. Some of the plants I started later are catching up to the earlier plants.

5/1/2008 1:06:47 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Wow 3 weeks? I hate to leave them in the pot 10 days! Major chance of getting root bound if you leave them in that long. I'd say 2 weeks max.

5/1/2008 1:57:18 PM

No Place Special

Id say germinate them soon, plant them outside within a week of germinating and cover them up at night. A 5 gallon bucket over them at night will work for a while. If its really cold toss a blanket over the bucket. That should get you past the really cold season.

Good luck!

5/1/2008 2:26:34 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

I don't keep them in a 4" pot for more than 5 days once the break the soil.

5/1/2008 6:07:27 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I live in a frost pocket and I use the 5 gallon bucket trick just like Mike does. It works well. If it is windy you might have to put a brick on the bucket to keep it from blowing over.

5/1/2008 11:26:53 PM

Selbyville, Delaware

I say start now don't wait! Plant some back-ups if you are worried about a really hard freeze. I waited last year due to weather and was forced to pollinate late. Plant them in pots inside and get them out within a week of breaking ground. Small plastic hutches or the 5 gallon bucket trick works great. I think if you wait three weeks, you will not be pollinating till the very end of July.

5/2/2008 10:00:08 AM

Buffalo, New York

when is the average date for pollination, mid july, about 6 weeks after germination?

5/6/2008 2:58:40 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

The golden window (or better stated, the latest you can pollinate and still get a potential record) is probably the first week of July. Mine will be a little earlier because we got lucky with the weather, but any later, and you are losing growing days.

5/6/2008 9:55:59 AM