Not sure when to sow my new seeds.

[SmittenGarden]

I'm a huge noob at gardening and veggie gardening. It's my second year trying and till now I just stuck with established plants from Home Depot or OSH.

But I got on a home sick/missing my mums cooking phase and went searching for marrow plants and came across seeds of veggies I wanted to grow but hadn't found as established plants at the stores.

The seeds I bought are

Table dainty squash
Bush table squash (I think it's a marrow)
A Sicilian heirloom tomato
San Marzano tomato
Spaghetti squash
A lemon squash (was a free gift)

All the "guides I have found either refer to last frost (I'm culver city, so i don't really worry about frost) other guides that give months like the farmer almanac seem to be missing veggies. For example is dainty table and the bush marrow a summer squash or a winter squash? If winter squash do I follow pumpkin guides? The farmer almanac doesn't have winter squash just refers to summer squash and pumpkin...

I'm just finding all these guides confusing.

[feldon30]

Table Dainty - Summer Squash

Lebanese Bush Marrow Squash - Summer Squash

Spaghetti Squash - Summer Squash

Lemon Squash - Summer Squash

Looks like Culver City is a suburb of Los Angeles, so you have a very long warm-to-hot summer season. I think you could start seeds of those varieties outside right now and get a crop. I soak melon/cuke/squash seeds in water for about 30 minutes and then sow them directly in moist but not sopping wet soil. I generally do 3 seeds per "hill" and 18" to 2 foot spacing between hills.

[SmittenGarden]

Thanks..... I gave it a try....I went and found a seed start "self watering greenhouse tray" at home depot and. Followed its instructions...though I forgot to soak the seeds first like you said because I didn't see it on the packet.....my only concern is the soil pods are like little paper wrapped soil packs that it said to pour the 12 cups of water over/into tray so they would expand...then sow seeds and place lid on...I have them outside as nowhere to place the tray inside right now....but the soil seems a bit soaked...inspire following the trays instructions and carefully measuring 12 cups of warm water exactly....I sowed the, on Saturday and the soil still looks sopping wet? It's supposed to water the seeds/seedlings for 10 days.

[LMinAL]

The squash are best seeded directly into the soil. No need to start inside. I learned that lesson this year. Before I always bought starts for everything. This year I direct seeded all my squash and cucumbers and they are twice as big now as the starts I planted last year were at this time.

Tomatoes and peppers are best started indoors as you are doing. I will let someone else speak to the issues you are having with what I assume are peat pellets. I tried that one year and didn't have much luck.

[SmittenGarden]

I would have planted straight in the earth but I still need to de weed and buy the manure etc together the ground ready for a "hill" or two....I knew that couldn't happen this week so I sowed in the trays figuring getting them to germinate was more time sensitive than the actual final placement.

Although my seed tray is out on our concrete patio right now not inside..it has yet to get down to bellow 59 at night these past couple of nights....I fact I think it stayed at 61 or 62 over night...days are in the 80s or top 70s. I figured we don't have central air or heat and it's tiled floor throughout...often the inside temp matches outside...figured it wouldn't be too much of a difference.

[feldon30]

When your squash plants are ready to go in the ground, make sure to cut off the outside webbing and then gingerly plant them without disturbing the roots. Squash, melons, cukes, etc. do not react well to their roots being disturbed. Sometimes I start cukes and melons indoors just so I can give them the perfect moisture environment to germinate. Then I plant them outside after just 2-3 days.

[SmittenGarden]

Originally Posted by feldon30

When your squash plants are ready to go in the ground, make sure to cut off the outside webbing and then gingerly plant them without disturbing the roots. Squash, melons, cukes, etc. do not react well to their roots being disturbed. Sometimes I start cukes and melons indoors just so I can give them the perfect moisture environment to germinate. Then I plant them outside after just 2-3 days.

Thanks.....I shall make sure to do that....I have the lid on still and haven't added water since...but still the soil looks sopping wet. Nothing yet poking through....not sure when to expect to see any life. I planted on Saturday just gone.

[RebelRidin]

Spaghetti squash is a winter squash variety... At least most use it that way.

[VC Scott]

OK, some SoCal tips. Summer in SoCal can be gruesome hot. Not as bad in Culver City as it is in Pomona or Riverside, but think about where the sun will be in the hottest part of the day in July and August. It will be just the northwest and hitting your western and northern exposure. You don't want tender plants on the exposed northwest part of your property unless there is some shade to block the afternoon sun.

Think about where you can get the plants 8 hours of sun earlier in the day and avoid the sun in the late afternoon.

[SmittenGarden]

Originally Posted by VC Scott

OK, some SoCal tips. Summer in SoCal can be gruesome hot. Not as bad in Culver City as it is in Pomona or Riverside, but think about where the sun will be in the hottest part of the day in July and August. It will be just the northwest and hitting your western and northern exposure. You don't want tender plants on the exposed northwest part of your property unless there is some shade to block the afternoon sun.

Think about where you can get the plants 8 hours of sun earlier in the day and avoid the sun in the late afternoon.

I've placed it in a spot that gets the full sun till about I would say 3,4 or 5 ish...at least I think that's when the shadow of our roof hits it. Is at alright? They have the dome over them right now as it's a jiffy self watering greenhouse tray.

I just took a peep as still there was no sight of any seedlings popping through I disturbed one squash pellet and found one seed (placed two in each) still quite hard..nothing poking out of it...I don't think its rotten as it wasn't squishy. I placed it back in and covered it back up...should I pull those out and germinate in a paper towel? I didn't even know that was possible nor did I know to resoak till after I had stuck the seeds in pellets. I'm not sure what to do if they will germinate in the conditions or not.
The pellets are warm to touch but not hot hot.

I disturbed one tommato pellet and accidentally disturbed a seed that had a shoot coming out of it so I cover that back up quick...after thinking the s word a couple of times
Perhaps I will have some new tomato plants soon instead...I was only expecting the squash to work.....it seems I am having a more difficult time to get those to work instead. The tomatoes were an experiment as I couldn't find the species I wanted to replace last years plant which is in a sorry star but still going. I think I managed to give it a little boost with fertilizer.

[sdzejachok]

I've tried to reuse potting mix from last year's potted plants to grow seeds and it just doesn't work for me. This year I tried to just reuse the relatively new leftover potting mix from seed starting to transplant my seedlings. Dumb idea! I lost 20% of my transplants to damping off, something I have never had a problem with using new mix.

[SmittenGarden]

Originally Posted by sdzejachok

I've tried to reuse potting mix from last year's potted plants to grow seeds and it just doesn't work for me. This year I tried to just reuse the relatively new leftover potting mix from seed starting to transplant my seedlings. Dumb idea! I lost 20% of my transplants to damping off, something I have never had a problem with using new mix.

These were new peat pellets....I haven't reused any potting mix or peat this year.

[sdzejachok]

Originally Posted by SmittenGarden

These were new peat pellets....I haven't reused any potting mix or peat this year.

Sorry, this comment went in the wrong conversation which I saw as soon as I posted it. Unfortunately, there is no way to delete a comment once it is made. I rarely post on Tomatoville, and apparently haven't gotten the hang of it yet.