Post by macmex on Mar 10, 2017 9:22:22 GMT -6
First of all, keep in mind that there is no real difference between squash and pumpkins in scientific terms. There are different species of squash and different styles of fruit within those species. Most of the time if the fruit is round and it is used at a mature stage, people call it a pumpkin. For practical purposes I'm going to call them all squash.
Squash are heavy feeders. This means they consume a lot more nitrogen than other crops. They thrive with more nitrogen in the soil. So if you can, it's good to add that to the soil ahead of time. I do this by adding compost to the soil. Compost may not be extremely high in nitrogen but it makes what is there accessible.
Historians tell us that the tribes in Massachusetts taught the pilgrims to put fish under their corn. I'm sure they did the same with squash. Fish is very high in nitrogen. I remember doing this when I was a boy.
Animal manure is an excellent source of nitrogen. Just be cautious when using chicken manure. It is so high in nitrogen it can kill the plants. So use it sparingly, and preferably let it age for a year before you use it. Or, you can mix it with types of organic material that are not high in nitrogen. This helps those materials to break down and dilute the strength of the nitrogen in the chicken manure.
If you just wanted to plant a smaller amount of squash or pumpkins, then planting a hill is a good thing. By hill, we don't necessarily mean a raised mound of dirt. What we mean by this is simply a group of squash plants (two or three) in one place. Here in Oklahoma, where we suffer drought and heat in the summer, I make my “hills” lower than the ground level. They’re dished out places where I have dug in compost where I plant my seed and I can put water on it when necessary, knowing that it won’t run off before soaking in.
When I plant a hill of squash, I really like to dig out about 2’ to 2 1/2’ of soil and then drop in about a 5 gallon bucket of rabbit manure or something like that. I mix this with the soil as I replace the soil in the hole, using a hoe. I level things out and then make a dish shaped depression right on top of the compost. I plant three or four seeds about an inch deep in that dish, and water it. It helps to put a stake right where you planted the seed, because, though you may not think of it at the time, when the squash gets growing, it will be hard to know just where it connects to the ground! You want to know that, because when it gets dry, you can dump buckets of water right where the roots are, which is very helpful. Once the young plants are up about 5” tall, I remove all but two or three plants, so as to avoid crowding.
There are few things you can plant that are more productive than a hill of squash. This is especially nice if you like squash, but it's also wonderful if you're trying to get children hooked on gardening! Pick a type of squash that's spectacular, and make sure that it's insect-resistant so that it's almost foolproof. Wait until nights are warm, and then plant your squash. Generally speaking, in 100 to 120 days, you will have a bumper crop of squash.
If you are aiming for a lot more production, then follow the same basic technique, but instead of a "hill," make a trench, mix in the compost in the trench and plant your squash about 1' - 1 1/2' apart, in that row.
Squash are heavy feeders. This means they consume a lot more nitrogen than other crops. They thrive with more nitrogen in the soil. So if you can, it's good to add that to the soil ahead of time. I do this by adding compost to the soil. Compost may not be extremely high in nitrogen but it makes what is there accessible.
Historians tell us that the tribes in Massachusetts taught the pilgrims to put fish under their corn. I'm sure they did the same with squash. Fish is very high in nitrogen. I remember doing this when I was a boy.
Animal manure is an excellent source of nitrogen. Just be cautious when using chicken manure. It is so high in nitrogen it can kill the plants. So use it sparingly, and preferably let it age for a year before you use it. Or, you can mix it with types of organic material that are not high in nitrogen. This helps those materials to break down and dilute the strength of the nitrogen in the chicken manure.
If you just wanted to plant a smaller amount of squash or pumpkins, then planting a hill is a good thing. By hill, we don't necessarily mean a raised mound of dirt. What we mean by this is simply a group of squash plants (two or three) in one place. Here in Oklahoma, where we suffer drought and heat in the summer, I make my “hills” lower than the ground level. They’re dished out places where I have dug in compost where I plant my seed and I can put water on it when necessary, knowing that it won’t run off before soaking in.
When I plant a hill of squash, I really like to dig out about 2’ to 2 1/2’ of soil and then drop in about a 5 gallon bucket of rabbit manure or something like that. I mix this with the soil as I replace the soil in the hole, using a hoe. I level things out and then make a dish shaped depression right on top of the compost. I plant three or four seeds about an inch deep in that dish, and water it. It helps to put a stake right where you planted the seed, because, though you may not think of it at the time, when the squash gets growing, it will be hard to know just where it connects to the ground! You want to know that, because when it gets dry, you can dump buckets of water right where the roots are, which is very helpful. Once the young plants are up about 5” tall, I remove all but two or three plants, so as to avoid crowding.
There are few things you can plant that are more productive than a hill of squash. This is especially nice if you like squash, but it's also wonderful if you're trying to get children hooked on gardening! Pick a type of squash that's spectacular, and make sure that it's insect-resistant so that it's almost foolproof. Wait until nights are warm, and then plant your squash. Generally speaking, in 100 to 120 days, you will have a bumper crop of squash.
If you are aiming for a lot more production, then follow the same basic technique, but instead of a "hill," make a trench, mix in the compost in the trench and plant your squash about 1' - 1 1/2' apart, in that row.