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San Diego

Got the punkins started in the greenhouse and the true leaves are just showing. Atlantic Dill X 6. Under the light and getting ready to plant outside. It's still in the 50's in San Diego east county but I'm going to push the envelope. I've got the mini greenhouses for the mounds so I should be safe. Any early starters out there?

2/24/2010 9:49:42 AM

Nowhere

i tested some seeds in my germ chamber.....i know its always pretty warm in climates like California but - what are you going to do with a pumpkin growing in winter ???
even if you planted in late march or early april always remember that the plant itslef (not the pumpkin) only has about 120-150 days to grow :)
Good luck!

John

2/24/2010 11:46:04 AM

San Diego

By late July early August it's so hot and dry (like Arizona) nothing can survive. So I grow two seasons a year. You get a Santa Ana wind blowing through and it all dies. July and August are my layoff months. I'm still getting tomatoes and corn from last year. It's all a big experiment and somewhere I read they need pumpkins in July for Halloween season photo shoots. I'm in it for the adventure as much as the self gratification.

2/24/2010 4:58:01 PM

Las Cruces NM

Have mine potted here in southern NM, although nothing has popped yet :P and of course the reason for the early start is the heat! I had good starts on the 1st of july, but I couldn't get anything to take the second week of july. The 100+ Aug temps termed growth and the leaves looked good but touch them and they crumble in you hand. Odd to say it, but Aug hail cleared the dead leaves and by mid Sept the patch respawned and started our second growing season. My second largest was started in sept and my largest which did noting in Aug slowly put on a few more poinds. We can grow into Nov or even Dec, unfortunantly, Denver sent us a rare October freeze that ended all. Last year's state record was an early start and weighed in August. Shade cloth is recommended to cool things, but you don't hear anyone up north growing in shade -- north rules don't apply! But if I learned anything from last year, it was you have to start early to beat the heat (exception being cool mountain microclimates). I think I can easily prove 120-150 days wrong as cold weather is the terminator (PM aside). Fruit senescence may be way less then 150 days ... 2nd harvest may not be as good as first ... guess we'll just have a lot to prove this year :)

2/25/2010 10:10:58 PM

Gold Hill, Oregon

where is nowhere??? john h ????????

2/26/2010 8:29:04 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

bpd, good ?, sorta thinkin that in San Diego, it might be time to start...w/ mini greenhouses and all!!! Peace, Wayne
PS...Grow em BIG!!!!

2/27/2010 2:50:10 AM