How early can I sow squash and beans indoors?

[Toddz]

I'll definitely let you know.

Our typical daytime temps in mid summer are around 18 degrees and not much more than 10 degrees at night. A heatwave for us (rare) might make it to 22 degrees. We can't even rely on 10 degrees at night until July. However, I have a polytunnel and I have heating wires and solar energy so I can help it along early in the season.

The easiest approach would be to grow it in containers that can sit on my heated bench. That way I can give it a bit of extra heat any time the temps drop too much. I understand the vines grow to about 4 foot so there should be plenty of space. My only question is whether there will be enough nutrients and water in a smaller container? I'm thinking of something around a foot deep and 14 inches wide. Straight sided tubs so as wide at bottom as at top. What do you think? Alternatively I have 2 foot deep raised beds in my polytunnel and larger 60L tubs on the ground but they'd be harder to heat.

I'm also trying some short season/cool climate winter squash if you're interested in those too?

Thelma Saunders Hubbard
Anna Schwartz Acorn

And even a semi-determinate tomato that might have a chance outdoors in our climate

Latah

I'm definitely interested in your other short season squash.

You definitely have some challenges to overcome to grow anything.

It may be to late but I have some dwarf tomatos that are short season plants. They are called "golden hour" and "mini marzano" they were created by "wild boar farm" in the United States. Once you check them out, if you want, I would be glad to send you seed if it is possible. Or you can get some for next year.

As far as the container goes for the Minnesota midget, each rarely produces more than two vines and so I think your container will be ok. However keep in mind that I don't do container gardening.

 

[Susan BBPM]

I'll look up those tomato varieties later. I'm trying about 5 different varieties this year to see what does best. Including a little bush that only gets to about a foot high. I'm going to keep them indoors on the windowsill. I sowed some in Feb and have had them under lights and already I have flowers so hoping for some fruit in may!!

 

[Toddz]

I'll look up those tomato varieties later. I'm trying about 5 different varieties this year to see what does best. Including a little bush that only gets to about a foot high. I'm going to keep them indoors on the windowsill. I sowed some in Feb and have had them under lights and already I have flowers so hoping for some fruit in may!!

That's great. Let me tell you how excited I am to be talking about gardening with someone who lives on the other side of the Atlantic. I'm a member of few other forums but they seem to dead. That's why I joined this forum.

I am really excited about your garden because it is another source of information on short season crops. If you ever need a recommendation for a mini/short season crop just ask because I have spent years searching for them and buying them. Right now we are concentring on mini head forming lettuces. We are trialing 15 different varieties of bibb, iceberg/crisp, romaine, butterhead and batavian. Some don't consider batavian a separate lettuce.

Here's a link for the blank seed tape that I bought. I tested it myself and in cold water it dissolved within 5 seconds. I'm using it for all of my root crops and lettuce that I'm direct sowing in the garden. It has a sticky backing so you don't have to use any other type of glue. I have made about 60 feet (18 meters) of seed tapes. They have 2 different sizes. I recommend the 2 inch (5cm) because it's easier to work with.

https://a.co/d/bLc2psF

 

[Susan BBPM]

That's great. Let me tell you how excited I am to be talking about gardening with someone who lives on the other side of the Atlantic. I'm a member of few other forums but they seem to dead. That's why I joined this forum.

I am really excited about your garden because it is another source of information on short season crops. If you ever need a recommendation for a mini/short season crop just ask because I have spent years searching for them and buying them. Right now we are concentring on mini head forming lettuces. We are trialing 15 different varieties of bibb, iceberg/crisp, romaine, butterhead and batavian. Some don't consider batavian a separate lettuce.

Here's a link for the blank seed tape that I bought. I tested it myself and in cold water it dissolved within 5 seconds. I'm using it for all of my root crops and lettuce that I'm direct sowing in the garden. It has a sticky backing so you don't have to use any other type of glue. I have made about 60 feet (18 meters) of seed tapes. They have 2 different sizes. I recommend the 2 inch (5cm) because it's easier to work with.

https://a.co/d/bLc2psF

I'm fairly new to gardening so don't have a great deal of experience. The best source I've found for veg varieties that do well in UK climate is Real Seeds. However, they're in Wales which is a few degrees warmer than Scotland. Similar climate but they can grow that bit more than us. However, it may be of interest to you as they do focus on short season crops.

RealSeeds.co.uk

 

[Toddz]

I'm fairly new to gardening so don't have a great deal of experience. The best source I've found for veg varieties that do well in UK climate is Real Seeds. However, they're in Wales which is a few degrees warmer than Scotland. Similar climate but they can grow that bit more than us. However, it may be of interest to you as they do focus on short season crops.

RealSeeds.co.uk

Thanks I will check them out.

Don't sell yourself short. Even beginners can add a lot of information to gardening.

I love to read questions from beginners because they make me think and recall things that I haven't thought about for awhile. Often times beginners do things on accident that works and as a seasoned gardener I might not have thought about.

 

[headfullofbees]

To give an idea of how far north we are, Port William, which is very much southwest Scotland is 54deg45min North, whilst Toronto Canada is 43deg39min N, Moscow is around 55deg N which, as you see is very close.
Susan BBPM, being a few miles North of me, is on the same Latitude as Moscow.

 

[Toddz]

To give an idea of how far north we are, Port William, which is very much southwest Scotland is 54deg45min North, whilst Toronto Canada is 43deg39min N, Moscow is around 55deg N which, as you see is very close.
Susan BBPM, being a few miles North of me, is on the same Latitude as Moscow.

I didn't realize how far north she is.

 

[headfullofbees]

I didn't realize how far north she is.

That doesn't mean we get Moscow or Toronto weather; both are continental locations, we are maritime.
It doesn't get as warm in the summer, or as cold in the winter.
What we DO have a problem with is THE ANGLE OF THE SUN, because we are so far North of the Tropic of Cancer.
That's why we have a short season, & why we grow things differently.
Indeterminate tomatoes aren't really worthwhile if you let them do their own thing, so we grow them single stem, which makes them much earlier.
Pinching out the suckers/sideshoots has also been shown to lengthen the season & give better quality tomatoes, plus you can grow them closer together, in the US, but it's a lot more work & not absolutely necessary
We struggle to get the length of season required for growing many winter squash even in the North of England, & here they are just about unviable, unless you can start them early & give them the support they need to get off to a good start.

 

[Toddz]

Where

That doesn't mean we get Moscow or Toronto weather; both are continental locations, we are maritime.
It doesn't get as warm in the summer, or as cold in the winter.
What we DO have a problem with is THE ANGLE OF THE SUN, because we are so far North of the Tropic of Cancer.
That's why we have a short season, & why we grow things differently.
Indeterminate tomatoes aren't really worthwhile if you let them do their own thing, so we grow them single stem, which makes them much earlier.
Pinching out the suckers/sideshoots has also been shown to lengthen the season & give better quality tomatoes, plus you can grow them closer together, in the US, but it's a lot more work & not absolutely necessary
We struggle to get the length of season required for growing many winter squash even in the North of England, & here they are just about unviable, unless you can start them early & give them the support they need to get off to a good start.

Where I live in the states. I have gone from zone 5, 10 years ago to almost zone 6. I'm a few miles away from zone 6 but we get almost 120 frost free days.

However your growing conditions can be a wealth of information for me. Since I am concentrating on mini/short season crops.

 

[headfullofbees]

Where

Where I live in the states. I have gone from zone 5, 10 years ago to almost zone 6. I'm a few miles away from zone 6 but we get almost 120 frost free days.

However your growing conditions can be a wealth of information for me. Since I am concentrating on mini/short season crops.

Frost free isn't the be-all-and-end-all, for example, where I used to live in N England, just outside Manchester, my last frost date was last week in May, & now I'm approx. 100 miles North of there, but on the coast, my last frost date is next week.
However it is usually about 3degC warmer during the day, & can be 5-6degC warmer.
There is also the possibility of major differences in cloud cover & precipitation.
This has a huge bearing on the growing season & I've had to re-learn sowing & planting times.