when do you sow your squash seeds?

[pigeonseed]

Hi - the advice on sowing squash seeds indoors generally seems to be to do it quite late - April perhaps, in time to plant out late May or early June. I've done it in late March at the earliest, I think.

But this year I've got two packets of seeds from Franchi and the sowing instructions say sow from Feb, plant out from March!

The varieties are zuccheta rugosa fruiliana (warty yellow squash) and courgette tondo di piacenza (round green courgette)

Does anyone else sow their squash seeds very early, and what are the results?

[pigeonseed]

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you plant that early, you may have problems with them growing for some time with insufficient light. Since Franchi are an Italian firm, is it possible they're supplying instructions for southern Europe?

[Squash64]

Rugosa Friulana are my favourite courgettes but I can't imagine they would survive outdoors in England in March.

Last year I sowed the seeds on May 6th in a heated propagator and planted them outside at the end of the first week of June.

[Duke Ellington]

I always sow my squashes during the last week of April in a heated propagator. I then plant them out during the first or second week of June. If I plant them out earlier or if its a little chilly I cloche them for a few days.

Duke

[saddad]

I'm mid-April too..  you might get away with late March down there...  :-\

[Jeannine]

I planted my seeds very  very early in order to get some of the slower growing ones I collect to mature, however.........I  started in a heated, lit greenhouse and potted on and on  till finally my plants were in large buckets or split in half grobags, this way I got my huge plants out when the weather was good,  I could usually grow any type of squash in Yorkshire. It is not something I would recommend as a regular thing unless you have something rare you just have to mature.Usually I tell folks to plant them at the same time they would do their sweetcorn. Ignore the Franchi instructions it is too soon for the UK.

XX Jeannine

[pigeonseed]

Thanks everyone - that was my feeling too. I'll definitely wait.

Feb was the earliest time for sowing in Britain, according to the packet. But they include Britain in Northern Europe, but their map stretches right down to Spain and fairly far south in France - and that's a huge variation of local climate.

I'll probably just leave it till April - I won't be as dedicated as Jeannine!