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Canada

Ive been thinking about this for the past month and a 1/2 since ive been visiting this message board and i thought id ask this question

Ok my growing season starts here in Ontario canada around
the may 24 long weekend ( after frost has past) this is when i usually start my gardens outdoors

whats gotten to me is

If a person had the correct growing equipment Lights/ Temp/ ext why couldnt a person start these plants in doors around

Feb and have the main vine or even fruit started come may when it would be planted out doors Is this possible
or when is the correct time to start these plants in doors under grow lights say set on a timer with an 14 light / 10 hr dark period say starting the plants come feb and or march so come late april they would be ready to be planted out doors and be big enough already to start haveing fruite to be pollintated?

just curious if anyone has grown any in doors and already had fruit set before setting them outdoors

Thanks
Take care
DaveM

9/15/2003 12:24:46 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

As far as starting in a pot and planting outside later goes you only have a few days from the seed germinating to becoming pot bound.You could plant out early in a greenhouse with heated soil and air.It has been mentioned on the site that early pollinations produce fruit that mature early instead growing on bigger has anyone out there had an early one that grew on for lots of days?

Mark

9/15/2003 5:46:03 AM

Knopp, Germany

I set 5 plants out 3 weeks earlier this year. All of the fruit quit growing at a substantial weight gain in late August. Biggest is around 658.1 pounds (LOL Martin :-)) All of them where pollinated in mid to late June. I think it was a mistake to start so early, but then who would have guessed we would have a record breaking summer here in Germany? I think the weather has a great deal to due with how fast they mature.

9/15/2003 6:25:28 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Cold frames with heated cables to raise the soil temperature will extend your growing season. Letting a seed germinate and left in a pot will turn the roots in on themselves and slow down their spread when you get them in the patch. Set the cold frames up at least a week before you set the plants out to get the soil heated. A green manure at a double dug depth will help see ALun J diariy entry looks like a great idea. Good Luck DaveM...Grow em Big! Chuck

9/15/2003 6:45:50 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I more or less did start in a greenhouse this year. Rolled open one end as it got warm, letting the vine run right out ijto the patch.
Timed it wrong though. Let the plants overheat. This seems to have limitted flower production to all males for 5 weeks during the critical fruit set window. I'll employ better temperature controls in 2004.


Keep in mind too that the fruit only requires 120 or so days to mature. So setting fruit a lot earlier than July 1 will make for a very long & nerve wracking September. All the June sets around here seem to have aborted or rotted at this point (I think! LOL). We'll find out soon.

Steve

9/15/2003 7:29:11 AM

Oz

dave,
i started all my plants in premixed soil put in peat bags.
duct tape strenthens the bags.two plants to a bag.
they grew for a month before i got them transported and transplanted.
i cut small holes in the bottom of the "pots" before i laid them on a premix soil hill.
no shock and they took off.

9/15/2003 9:19:57 AM

Spokane, WA

I started my seeds this year on Apr. 10 and set them out on Apr. 20. A bad idea since #1 half of the plants were frosted out even with a greenhouse and heating coils. #2 The pumpkins really didn't gain but a few pounds durring the last part of Aug. and I lost one to rot because it was on the vine so long.

The only good thing about starting the plants early is because you set fruit early and for me our summers are hot and many times the temperatures in late spring are to hot to set fruit, like 95-100 degrees. But if I were to do it again, I would start my seeds in late Apr or early May like everyone else.

10/11/2003 9:32:55 PM