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Tasmania Australia

Hi, just interested to know what you find is the best ground temperature to start planting at.
Right now here is is around 16c or around 60f.

I am thinking this is about right, but just looking for some good advice if i am too early or about right.
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Cheers.

9/6/2014 3:21:19 AM

Germany

This depends on what you expect for the next couple days.

16°C close to the surface is bad, awfully cold. 16°C in 25 cm depth is a good start (even though 18°C would be better). You could plant at 16°C if you expect the soil temperature to get close to 19 or 20°C within the next couple days. In order to save some heat in the soil and to make the soil warm up a bit better you could cover the soil around your plants with plastic sheets.

9/6/2014 6:20:47 AM

Eurasia

Herr Wagler, dann könnte aber der Großteil der Leser hier nie Kürbis im Freiland hinbekommen, wenn Sie recht hätten.

9/6/2014 8:03:48 AM

Eurasia

Hi bluesilver. Below 15°C night temperature pumpkin fruits do not gain much weight, but plants grow very well with 12 to 15°C soil temperature! Below 10°C they struggle along, but they survive until fertilization is well and they do not suffer diseases like Alternaria, Pectobacterium ASO. When night temperature still is below 10°C all the time, I cover the plants with my newly developed kind of hoophouses: transparent UV-resistant plastics around the plant and double anti hail netting above. That also works with 0 to minus 2 in single frost nights, when you have covered soil of that two squaremeters with dark substrate like city compost. You do not have to open this warmbed in the heat of sunny days in early spring, and rain can water the plants.

9/6/2014 8:31:51 AM

Tasmania Australia

Cheers, i forgot to mention i took the temperature about 100mm down, so not surface temperature
It has been this temperature now for at least 4 days in a row, and the days are starting to warm up.

Our season this year here is about 1 month in front of what is usually is, do to a mild winter and warm days.

9/6/2014 6:50:36 PM

East Jordan, MI

we like 70 degrees that the heat cables give us
we bury them deep and have a great jumpstart

9/7/2014 12:55:04 AM

Stanwood, Washington

Heating cables are probably the best way to go but at the very least you should build yourself a small cold frame for the first few weeks. If you stick a plant in the ground at 60 degrees its probably going to just sit there and not grow much until the weather warms a bit.

9/10/2014 10:54:40 AM