Why not plant earlier?

Hi,

There is something I can't seem to figure out... Why do most growers start their seeds the last week of April as opposed to a week or two or three earlier? Wouldn't it be better to get a few extra days of growth before October weigh-offs?

I am trying to break my personal best of 804 (pollinated July 20th!) in a place where the summer is short. As soon as we hit the first week of August, the nights are cold and growth drops dramaticaly. I feel that if I could get to the rapidy weight gain stage (15 - 20 days old or so) in the first week of July the warm weather would let it take off... I'd have to pollinate in mid june.

It turns out from the AGGC data, all pumpkins over 1200 lbs (approx. 20 of them) where germinated on average April 29 (April 20 being the earliest and May 6 the latest) and where pollinated on average July 5. It seems that germinating the first week of April is not the solution as many would have done it and succeeded at it.

We have frost here in spring until mid-june and snow cover until the end of April. We can't till until May. So why is it that people who don't have too much frost restrictions and could easily plant earlier still wait until the end of April?

Just wonderin'

Richard Plourde
Edmundston, NB
Canada

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