Growing and Gardening: Planting Squashes
Last year’s attempt at Planting Squashes, although fruitless -but it did produce beautiful and tasty flowers!- taught me a few things, and I’m optimistic about this year’s harvest.
First, I have sowed cantaloupe, butternut squash and Red Kuri squash seeds I had collected when cooking, and dried, in soil. I put the cantaloupe seeds in empty egg boxes which make an excellent seed tray as it’s easier to remove them without harming the roots once they’re ready to be planted. For the butternut and Red Kuri squash seeds I used larger peat pots.
I sowed one (1) cantaloupe seed per egg cup, and two (2) Butternut and Red Kuri squash seeds per peat pots. Covered them with soil, watered and then I grated coal on top (to prevent seedlings from dying). I kept them inside during germination, at a temperature of about 21°C/70°F to 23°C/73°F, and watered regularly (whenever the soil was dry to the touch; about every couple of days). And I watched the seedlings pop out and grow, and bend towards the light! It took about 17 days for the first ones (sowed on 10th April); some others are not there yet.
Once the cantaloupe seedlings have reached 7cm/2.75” and the larger squash seedlings are at least 10cm/4”, they are ready to be planted outside.
The day before you intend to plant them (and you want to plant them on a sunny day), remove weeds -naturally with a hand fork or hoe- till gently, sprinkle with compost and rake to mix.
On the day you plant your seedlings, wait until the area where you are planting them is in the shade. Dig a 10cm/4” hole with a trowel. Carefully remove seedling from its cup or pot, making sure not to break the roots, and transfer it to the hole; fill the hole with garden soil. Repeat with remaining seedlings. You want at least 50cm/20″ (up to a metre/3 feet, if you have the room) between each Butternut squash and Red Kuri squash seedlings, and at least 30cm/12” between cantaloupe seedlings.
You may also want to sow nasturtiums where you are growing squashes as the two are great companions. Water your seedlings and protect your squash bed from slugs with a border of Coffee Grounds. The planting is done; now let’s hope the growing begins!
I’ll keep you up to date!