Growing Tip: An Adventure with Squashes

Well friends, if you are regulars here, you may know that Growing Squashes is indeed an on-going adventure in my garden!

My first attempt was in 2020, and I did not have a single squash; but so many flowers, that you can stuff and cook very much in the same way you would Courgette Flowers, that I considered it a success nonetheless!

Last year, I was very organised and optimistic about Planting my Squashes; but it turned out I planted them too early. That is to say, they only had grown their dicot cotyledon (the first two “leaves”onseedlings, which are rather quite different from their actualleaves). I should probably have sown them a bit earlier than April, though. They did grow eventually and expanded, and flowered beautifully (and I refrained from picking flowers to stuff them, and let the bees pollinate them!) And I did indeedGrow Squashes last year, even if they were tiny and made a meal for the birds rather than for me!

But like I said last year, a gardener learns to be patient, learns from experience and learns from their mistakes. 

So, this year, I sowed my Red Kuri squashandButternut squash seeds (still collected from the vegetablesI had cooked; beforecooking them, naturally) in egg boxes –truly the ideal seed tray!– on the 27th of February, six seedof each squash, one seedper egg cup. Like last year, I covered them with soil, watered and then I grated coalon top (to prevent seedlingsfrom dying). I kept them inside during germination, on a the table under the window in my seed ‘Nursery’, at a temperature of about 18°C/65°F to 21°C/70°F, and watered regularly (whenever the soilwas dry to the touch; about every couple of days). 

 On the 11th March, a Red Kuri Squash seedling and a Butternut Squash seedling started sprouting. Three days, later, another Red Kuri Squash seedling sprouted. I was very attentive to them, kept watering them when needed until they reached about 10cm/4”.

At this stage (on the 26th March) though, instead of planting them outside like I did in 2021, I transfered each seedlingto its own larger pot (in potting soil) and kept them in TheNursery. I continued tending to them, until they grew properleaves. On the 4th of April, they had each grown two real leaves!

And today, on a sunny and warm day (18°C/65°F), I planted them in the same square where I also planted Wax Beans, as SquashesandBeansare, I’ve read, great companions. I tried to space them by at least 55 centimetres/21.65 inches. I watered them, too.

The fact that each Squash seedling have at least three real leaves, and will be growing on a raised bed alongside their Bean mates make me very optimistic!

The adventure continues; stay tuned until the next episode!!