squash... fall crop?

[nepalnt21]

our last squash crop was highly afflicted with some sort of fungus, so we are going to dig it up and start anew. we got some straw now to mulch the soil with.

would now be a good time to sow the seeds for butternut and crooked neck?

we are in usda zone 6.

 

[Sheriff Bart]

depends how many days are left in your season
you might pull it off with some varieties

 

[dubwise]

go to the farmers almanac website and look up the planting dates for various things in your zone. I'm in zone 8 and i did not see squash as something i could start again this late in the year.

 

[HOODOOBLUESMAN]

i have noticed--
that in some online seed catalogs--
they have summer and winter variety's of squash-------

im in zone 6 also---

my straight yellows produce from july thru october....
i grow in 5 gallon buckets,
and use tomatoe cages to keep off ground...

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

We have long enough season to grow winter squash later in the summer/fall, but the PM gets real bad 'round that time.

 

[DocLeaf]

Straw taxes (takes) nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes! Do NOT USE it!

Pumpkins and squashes are greedy feeders,, they like horse manure,, added to the beds the autumn before cultivation... otherwise legume crops (peas and beans) grow in harmony with squashes/pumpkins,,, by fixing available nitrates directly into the soil.

Hope this helps

 

[Sheriff Bart]

nitrogen fixing plants only fix nitrogen when they lack it
otherwise they will not fix nitrogen, or it will be very minimal

 

[ourcee]

I've got some scalloped squash goin right now. So Cal

 

[DocLeaf]

nitrogen fixing plants only fix nitrogen when they lack it
otherwise they will not fix nitrogen, or it will be very minimal

Sure if the soil already has lots of available nitrogen. Otherwise...

Fixation of nitrogen in the soil

Legume plants are notable for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, thanks to a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria known as rhizobia found in root nodules of these plants. The ability to form this symbiosis reduces fertilizer costs for farmers and gardeners who grow legumes, and allows legumes to be used in a crop rotation to replenish soil that has been depleted of nitrogen. The nitrogen fixation ability of legumes is enhanced by the availability of calcium in the soil and reduced by the presence of ample nitrogen.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume#Fixation_of_nitrogen_in_the_soil

Hope this helps

 

[maryjohn]

Straw taxes (takes) nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes! Do NOT USE it!

Pumpkins and squashes are greedy feeders,, they like horse manure,, added to the beds the autumn before cultivation... otherwise legume crops (peas and beans) grow in harmony with squashes/pumpkins,,, by fixing available nitrates directly into the soil.

Hope this helps

Hey doc, I keep a thick layer of straw over everything, even corm beans and squash grown together. Many others do. It is sprayed with em. Easy as pie check out lasagna gardening. I sow my seeds right in the layer of compost and replenish straw as needed with fresh winter rye or more straw and hay.

The nitrogen robbing is not an issue, but you need to prepare the bed earlier or use a thick layer of compost. So newspaper, compost, garden litter, then mulch. Also the legumes don't help until the next cycle when they break down, but you do get food out of it. Also gives spiders a better place to hide on a corn stalk.

As for squashes in zone 6, save your seeds for next year it is done now. Winter squashes have the same season as summer squashes. You just eat them 2-5 months after harvest. This year was crazy. I started some kabocha waaay early inside, and they are the only ones that produced a good amount. Cucumber beetles, squash beetles, and squash bugs all converged on my neighborhood at the same time. They took them out in about 2 weeks, all over my neighborhood. Nobody beat them. Acorn squashes showed some resistance.

Next year I will use some sort of silicon supplement to take advantage of purported resistance to pests imparted

 

[DocLeaf]

Also the legumes don't help until the next cycle when they break down

The rhizobia in legumes are also active when living..

 

[maryjohn]

Yes but they feed the legume exclusively, and don't excrete nitrogen all over town.

When the legume dies back, there is a net gain in N, because it has been fixed from the air to make the plant.

 

[Sheriff Bart]

well docleaf thats true but if the plant is able to get enough nitrogen from the soil (if you fertilize or theres already a lot of N in the soil) then its not favorable for it to create nodules and fix nitrogen because that is an energy exhaustive process and is really usefull when those types of plants are competing in N deficient environments, N fixers have the upper hand.
but they do actaully release some N into the soil while they are fixing it
but i tend to make sure all my stuff is plenty well ferted

 

[maryjohn]

hey bart, got a source?

your info goes against my info, wondering which is right. right now I don't assume I am getting N benefits until it is incorporated into the soil.

I guess my source is more a conglomeration of instructions for green manure and rotation or companion planting with legumes. but come to think of it those sources don't cite, so really I am left with a question. also if the symbiosis is to help compete why would it be given away?

here is one source from garden web's faq:

3. The roots of certain legume green manures can supply tons of free atmospheric nitrogen per acre to the topsoil after the cover crop plants are tilled, mowed down, or smothered. Rhizobacteria live inside the legume roots creating a unique relationship that actually converts atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogen for the legume to use. This extra nitrogen fixation built up by the rhizobacteria can not be beneficial to other plants near by, or future crops in the soil next season, until that legume is dead and recycled into the soil by the green manuring process. Compost can't fix nitrogen in the soil.

 

[CANNACO-OP]

Best year for acron squash we ever had...plants where huge and multiple blooms everywhere resulted in huge harvets.....gave bunch away:friends:, chummed down some already....more to pick.....plants where just huge:jawdrop:....i usually use a sheep manure/straw combo/compost with maple leaves, the straw is usually pretty broke down before shehits the garden, actually sits a year then gets spread on and tilled in.....

the old granny gardeners swear by collecting the maple leaves in fall, bagging them up when dry, use them as mulch layer i spring and throughout the year and then till in @end of till it in and away ya go...


but yep, probably to late in the season for ya....in mid august.....

 

[Sheriff Bart]

i only got like 6 acorns but got maybe 20+ crooknecks
couple sweet mamas too
but i really loved the crooknecks, never grew them before. good summer squash.
i grew most of the winter squash for my granda who loves them.]

i did harvest like 30-40 pumpkins though

 

[hazy]

Heck, I've got squash about a month old and some that should sprout any day now. I guess my season's a little different from yours.