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Ohio

I Learned this years ago from Quinn and Larry Checkon when I started my seeds mid April,,LOL and that is If your soil isn't warm enough then all your plants are going to do is sit there in Idol and not grow.
(Unless you have soil cables or a greenhouse)

Ever notice most of the Canada growers that are in colder climates when they start their seeds outside? Their plants always seem to catch the other growers who start their plants outside 2 or 3 weeks before them .

Quinn doesn't put his plants outside until around the 5th of May, and look what he grows every year.

Do you guys think their is a advantage to starting your plants early?. I would think you could get a extra 2 or 3 weeks pumpkin growth but that isn't the case for me.

Boz

4/26/2012 9:33:21 AM

Glosta

I started mine a week early this year since my weigh off is a week early this year. Usually the first weekend in October but this year its the last week of September. I just didn't want to lose that week.

4/26/2012 9:37:42 AM

Ireland

Pumpkin growing is a long haul, slow and steady wins the race.
Micheál

4/26/2012 10:12:15 AM

Deer Park, WI

Up here in the frozen tundra, we run the risk of frost through the first week of June. Starting early means plants may actually outgrow their hothouses by the tail end of our frost date.

Mother nature is the great equalizer. Any attempt at an early start would surely be thwarted by her scorn.

The only advantage this warmer spring has given me is more time to prep. The seeds actually went in pots LATER than last year's date.

4/26/2012 10:13:55 AM

[email protected]

I'm pollinating next week!!!!!!!!!!!!

4/26/2012 10:30:16 AM

Eugene,OR

Leonardo started his on April 18 last year. It worked out pretty well for him.

4/26/2012 10:41:40 AM

Bristol R.I. USA

Brooks I started them early because everyone else was doing it....lol Thats the honest truth...lol

4/26/2012 10:49:36 AM

Colorado

I started mine a couple of days later than usual. I think were in for a hot summer-theyll be plenty big by pollinating time.Russ my 1532 seedling is looking pretty sporty

4/26/2012 12:36:43 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I stared a week early Brooks just because my biggest from last year was still growing slowly when we harvested for weighoff.

One of the weighoffs in my sights for this year, is a couple of weeks earlier so I thought that I'd split the differance and begin early....so far so good!!

4/26/2012 12:39:44 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Weather Channel is saying that May might be a record cold as the weather needs to work it's way out from the warm winter.... Hope there wrong. Plus I have had four old timers now tell me it will be a cold and wet summer in the USA

4/26/2012 12:43:46 PM

Johnston, R.I.

My plants are always on life support in Sept. Until I figure out how to cope with that I see no reason to start them any earlier..

4/26/2012 1:00:01 PM

Joliet, IL

I think each region is different Boz. In my scenario the last couple years I was lucky I started early cuz I got most pollinations to take successfully in middle june from the 16th to 23rd week and missed the extreme hot temps that followed. Many couldn't get sets on the mains due to aborts or had a a very long time. I had this on one plant last year and had to go out 23' before setting the one plant with multilple aborts prior. This year may be different. The risk of this is sitting too long before weighoff.
With use of space heaters and greenhouses I started april 20th this year. Last year on april 16th and the year before on 4-18. Climate dictates as well as weigh off date.

now if this spring and summer are colder like 3 or 4 years ago, this means it will take a little longer before pollination more like from the 23rd of june through july 1st. Remember how some people were not setting until mid july that year? Again temps and region specific with weighoff date in mind and climate control sets each individual starting date.

4/26/2012 1:01:09 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

We are way warmer than normal.... but can still get froZst...I started later than laZt year....I think....

4/26/2012 1:07:29 PM

Ohio

ICEMAN... your only pollinating?, not bad, but In my open downstairs basement I put aluminum foil all over my walls and ceiling with roughly 100 grow lights hanging that I bought from the extremepumpkinstore.com at a discounted price for buying in bulk.(Tom helped me install them)

Believe it or not, because you know I wont tell a lie, I have one measuring right now at about 403 inches,(at roughly 40 days old, give or take a few days)

So if you don't mind Eddy, I'm going to need you to bring your crane from your construction company(your most expensive and newest one) with about 20 of your hired helpers to rebuild the house after its loaded.

Ps..tell your workers ,after we get that pumpkin loaded and the little celebration out of our systems that Ill have them kool aid(sugar free) to drink and some left over Halloween candy for them. Your bringing the beer, steak, and grill, right Iceman?

4/26/2012 1:17:13 PM

Ashland, KY

Friends, I'd like to expand on this question- If we do germinate early and the plant does end up sitting idle for a few weeks due to the cold, does that prevent it from taking off and producing a nice fruit later that season? or does the lag have a more permanent impact on "vigor"?

Thanks in advance

4/26/2012 1:31:44 PM

Zurich, Ontario Canada

I'm planting a seed every week for 4 weeks starting April 15th. I'm going to let mother nature tell me witch one is doing best regardless of the weather.

4/26/2012 3:14:15 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

I have no empirical proof but believe that every seed has a genetically determined single pumpkin maximum weight . ie under the most ideal conditions a plant can produce one giant pumpkin of a finite max weight. I also believe that a plant regulates it's growth based upon environmental factors such as stress, disease, light, heat and nutrition. I surmise that when a plant is subjected to an environmental factor that is less than ideal then the percentage of total maximum weight reduces. This is to say that a two week period of stunted growth due to cold could reduce the total maximum weight that is genetically determined. The fruit development cycle is also finite. Ideally you want your pumpkin still in grow mode when you cut it off the vine

4/28/2012 8:03:23 AM

Bethlehem CT

Last year I watched Ken D get a later start and blow by the rest of us in CT. It reminds me of the great sprinter Carl Lewis, opening up his stride and pulling away in the last 25 yards of the 100 meter dash.

4/28/2012 8:34:46 AM

Bethlehem CT

With that being said I feel I have to start my seeds early here if I want to be pollinating in the late June time frame. Ken D has better night temps where he lives in the CT valley than I do up in the hills.

4/28/2012 8:38:40 AM