Two days ago, I began hardening off the transplants yesterday - mostly tomatoes and peppers. It has been overcast, drizzling, and cool and more of the same is forecast for this week. This weather reminds me of the entirety of last summer. Nobody wants a repeat of that!
Lou came out briefly to inspect the transplants...
Last summer, the only squash that flourished and produced anything was the one I started indoors: Lower Salmon River. Squash typically don't like to be started indoors or to have their roots disturbed by transplanting, but doing it this way is the main insurance against sub-par growing weather, like we experienced last summer.
I started Lower Salmon River, North Georgia Candy Roaster, and Galeux D'Eysines (all C. maxima varieties) indoors on heat mats and under grow lights this past weekend. I'll pick one variety to grow here and will plant the other two out at R's family's farm. Lower Salmon River was the practical choice to grow - it is one of the earliest winter squashes I have found and it stores very well. North Georgia Candy Roaster is the easiest to process for cooking and is fun to watch grow. My favourite, Galeux D'Eysines, is beautiful and delicious. It is also the least practical of the three to grow, as it takes the longest to mature and is a bit of gamble in our growing zone. If we have a warm, sunny September, it will work out!
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