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Canada

Curious question, When is the latest date seeds were started and you still had a good sized pumpkin for the weighoff end of year ?

This year its kinda Iffy, begining last 2nd week in april
it was in the 25 C mark for an entire week. last week in april it was snowing. May 2nd today and snow has been falling on and off all day, I can recall this time last year already getting the plants ready to be placed out in the hoop house. I started a set of seeds on April 29th.
these seeds will hit the patch May 8th. I was planning to start backups on May 8th and transplant them outdoors on May 14th have a total of 6 plants outside on the 14th of May then culling down to best 3 plants growing second week in june.

Has anyone said, screw the greenhouse idea and just started there seeds indoors on May 14th put them outside a week later on the 21's ( normally when last frost has past for my area) and still had a nice sized pumpkin for weight off end of year ?

By the way weather is going now I'm thinking May 06 I May try this just wondering how others made out.

thanks

Dave.

5/2/2005 7:16:48 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Dave, most growers are singing the weather blues this spring as daytime temperatures plunge south of 50f every day lately. catching up is short work as this weekend will be perfect.

There is plenty of time yet to go. If you consider much of southern Ontario can get frost in early June. Last year we did indeed have an early June frost in the Barrie area.

I am about a week behind last years pace. Thursday begins a good run of planting weather days. Get them outdoors on Wednesday and start hardening them off a bit for entry into the Port Elgin race.

5/3/2005 9:59:58 PM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I've heard people talking about "hardening off". I gather that it has something to do with establishing a strong plant. But, I don't really know what it means. What does it entail and why is it done?

5/4/2005 12:42:09 AM

Ontario, Canada.

The process known as hardening-off is a straightforward process that gradually acclimates the seedling to life in the great outdoors. Most Seedlings grown under such gentle indoor conditions have a variety of characteristics that make the big move out into the garden a challenge. The regular waterings and sheltered (windless) environment mean the seedlings have never been drought-stressed since their emergence. However, a plant developing under such conditions will grow somewhat broader leaves and thinner leaves than one out in the open. AGP's require some hardening off if not transplanted into short term heated hoop houses they may fall victim to transplant shock...

A couple of increasing longer days outdoors before transplanting into cold frames will help. Its all about Plant Growth Regulators including Ethylene. Plants that have some stress become stronger. Wind is a form of stress. So is cold and heat along with wet and dry.

For example. Early wind vibrations produce a PGR response. The ethylene gas hormones are triggered which thickens stems and leaves and hardens up the plant to the present enviromental conditions.

5/4/2005 1:28:36 AM

Ontario

The latest I ever started a seed was May 19th and it went outside on the 29th. I still managed to bring it in at 809#. As you can tell by the late starting date I kinda screwed up. The wind blew shut the door on the green house and it ended up frying the first plant that I put in there. By this time I already gave away my back-up plants too so I started a new plant, not thinking I would do so well with it. I lost a few plants outside last year as well and used back up plants that I kept but they were kinda stringy by that point and it reflected in the mature pumpkin vine it grew. Lesson learned. Never use a stringy plant and start your back-up plants later. I feel most people start their plants way to early and keep them inside way too long. I use large pots but I wouldn't keep a plant in a pot for more than 10 days tops (after germination).

5/6/2005 3:44:41 PM