Berta 30" flail mower!

[Code54]

Great information guys - many thanks to both of you!

 

[jcraftenworth]

Here's another tip. You, in West Virginia, can likely start squash seeds directly in the ground if you wish and have plenty of growing time. In MN we'd have to wait until late june/early july to do that trick, and we don't want to wait so we transplant on our farm. However, if you want to start some pots for transplants in WV (to make sure a row gets 100 percent fill rate or to use landscape fabric or mulch), then make sure you choose the larger size trays (36 pot count per tray) or use something like dixie cups with some drainage holes, because these seeds are HUGE, the plants pop up quickly and need to be IN THE GROUND after the transplants are about 2 weeks old (maybe sooner if they've been in warm conditions). Otherwise they get rootbound in the pots and will never do as well as they could have (they may even start fruiting at a small size and give you small squash fruits). Same goes for cucumbers and melons, I believe they are all in the "squash/melon" family. They all come up strong, fast, and develop roots quickly.

 

[Code54]

THANKS - great info. We are sort of new to the whole gardening thing so we are learning a lot! Been reading everything we can but your tips are great! Thanks to all

 

[jbradley]

Regarding the squash plants getting root bound - use soil blocks. The roots slow their growth when they hit the air/soil interface. They don't get root bound, and they have significantly less transplant shock.

 

[Code54]

Thanks - seems they did a bit better this year! Appreciate it all!