I don't think it would be a good idea for you to try to take squash seedlings home from school. Squashes suffer more than most vegetables from transplant shock. They are even stunted by a little collar in the soil to protect against cutworms. You would likely do better starting them in the ground at home. I sometimes transplant squashes started in "root trainers" before they get true leaves, which works O.K.

I can't say that planting squashes in late April is a good idea in the hotter parts of Floriday, but you might try Tahitian, which is a very large squash. It has a long maturity date which would allow you to harvest in cooler weather (unless you don't care if the squashes ripen while it's still hot). Argonaut is another big C. moschata squash with a long maturity date.

I have never had much luck with C. pepo squashes started here when the weather is already hot. But if you want to try it, go for varieties which are noted for their disease resistance. If you are willing to wait a year on the winter squashes, you could try a C. moschata summer squash like Zucchetta Rampicante Trombocino. You can eat mature ones like winter squashes, but they are on the fibrous side, sort of like spaghetti squash, and not too sweet.

You might plant them on a fence or trellis with some edible gourds, such as the Cucuzzis or maybe a fuzzy gourd, winter melon, etc. from Asia or one of the various edible gourds from India. Try Evergreen Garden Seeds for the former, Willhite for the latter. They are tolerant of heat and humidity, are attractive on a fence, and have had few disease problems for me, although the white-flowered ones are sometimes attacked by the corn earworm or geranium budworm. I think you could make a dandy shade structure by planting these on an arbor of, say, pre-framed lattice.

Below is a link to a thread on the traditional Florida squash, Seminole Pumpkin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Seminole pumpkin

Thank you for the advice. I've already bought seeds from the Seminole and Tahitian squashes. Also, the calabaza (tropical pumpkin) looks promising.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm the obsessive type, so I'll probably end up trying to grow Pepos whether it is desirable or not (I can always buy shade cloth, a misting system, use mildew resistant varieties, etc...where there's a will, there's a way)

As for transplanting, I've grown squash for a number of years, and I've never had an issue with transplant shock (Watermelon is another story entirely) The competitive giant pumpkin growers to a man/woman start their seeds indoors, and it doesn't seem to harm their growth. In any case, if the plants are harmed during transport, I'm no worse off than if I had just direct seeded, as I can always start over when I get back.

I like to coddle squash seedlings indoors, too. But I plant them out very early. I have grown larger transplants vs. direct-seeded plants (planted about the time the transplants were put out) side by side and had the direct-seeded ones out-perform the transplants by far. They were nice transplants, too - not gangly. I was careful not to disturb the roots. These were C. pepo summer squashes. C. maxima or C. moschata may be different. Or maybe the transplants were spoiled by their potting soil and didn't want to stretch their roots into the native soil. We've done better with watermelon transplants, which is the opposite of your experience.

I've never thought of heat as the main problem for squash growers in the East. In our area, we don't have to contend with squash vine borer or cucumber beetles (though squash bugs are a major pain). I still have problems with C. pepo or C. maxima started late, due to disease, either insect-borne or soil-borne. Mildew is only an occasional problem for us. Kabocha squashes are grown for export near here - with harvest starting in June.

Of course, C. pepo summer squashes bear so fast and hard that you could get a crop of those before insects or disease get to them. Below is a link on trombocino squashes, which gardeners in the East seem to like. They look a lot like baby Tahitian squashes when young, but the Trombocinos really taste better as summer squash than the Tahitians do, while Tahitians are far superior to Trombocinos as winter squash, unless you are looking for squash to go in savory dishes, rather than for a sweet winter squash. I have had some unfortunate cross-pollination experiences with these two varieties.

Cucuzzi gourds are mentioned in the link. They are much more delicate in flavor and can be sliced and steamed for 2 or 3 minutes when the diameter of a quarter, or pared with a potato peeler and stuffed when they start to approach baseball bat size. I think the gourds are lots of fun, and they are basically care free.

You must really like squashes if you plan to plant Tahitian (very good), Seminole AND pepo types. If you want a moschata type that looks like a pumpkin, try Rumbo or one of the "cheese" varieties, like Long Island Cheese. I grew Rumbo two years ago, and they did fine, although black widows set up households under the squashes to feast on squash bugs. The squashes were ready before winter storage season.

In our drier heat, melons are the cucurbits (other than gourds) which perform best when planted in hot weather.

Here is a link that might be useful: trombocino summer squashes

I always heard that squash was hard to transplant etc etc but I saw lots of transplants at the market so decided to give it a try...I have never had even the least bit of trouble transplanting them. Just pop them in and you are done...No special handling or being extra careful...

In my exp direct sowed out performed transplants in size and yield. 3 years running. I started seeds indoors again this year, But it will be the last I think.

You might try Tatume squash, Dark Star zucchini, and Jarrahdale pumpkin, for heat-tolerance. Tatume should be good for insect resistance, too. I'm not sure how these do in humid heat, but the last two are supposed to do well in dry heat.

"start any seeds until about April 28" + transport + transplant? Just don't. Grow herbs, bunching onions, or something else. Also be prepared to be stopped by police who will likely mistake your plants for a "grow operation" being transported.

Heat is very much an issue with Florida. That is amplified by a late start. You will have squash, but it won't be as productive if started early and will require much more irrigation. I only grow zucchini and thick skinned (winter) squash anymore. Thin skinned (summer) squash just isn't worth the time here.

Direct sow starting in late March. You can grow indoors to get an even faster start. Transplants will not be as productive as direct sow.

I routinely start squash indoors and do transplants. I've also never had any trouble. Not a good idea to let them become root bound, and at least hollow-stemmed squash are more fragile, so some care is needed. Transporting seedlings safely is hard to do, though. Frankly, I don't think heat is an issue for most squash. I routinely plant second-crop winter squash in midsummer to recover from SVBs, and they do fine. I have a patch of Tromboncino that were transplanted as seedlings in July, and they're taking over the whole area viciously. Just pay attention to their water needs. You might have to provide some shade for a week or two. So I'd just wait until April 28, and stick 'em in the ground then, whether seeds or transplants that survive the trip.

I don't know what varieties do well there in hot humid Florida, but I do know that squash grows quickly and there shouldn't be a problem planting directly at the end of April (unless they will get TOO HOT that late in the spring)

Why not experiment and do both? Plant one where you are and transport the seedling, then plant one in ground when you get home (of course you don't want too many squash plants!)

Let us know your results! Nancy

I've read that heat can be a problem with squash, *if* it's really hot. I believe it can be a problem in New Mexico and Arizona some of the time. It is true that a lot of squash don't seem to mind it in most areas, but I wouldn't count on it if no fruit would be any great risk to you, if your area tends to get really hot at least once in a while.

Usually, we don't have a problem, and zucchini is the easiest thing to grow, but it was 116° F. in June here, this year (and very hot for a long time after that). Our growing season is usually between about May 10th and October 10th. That's a record for June. We didn't grow a lot of squash this year, though, actually, and most of it either didn't have enough sun, or had too much sun, but we're only now starting to get squash coming on, and it doesn't look very promising.

Even though it was likely the lack of light that was the problem, I'm still getting heat-tolerant squash for next year. They look like pretty awesome varieties, anyway.

I do think starting squash indoors too early can be a mistake, but if you don't do it too early, I doubt there's a big problem with it (unless your container is small).

Here's an experiment you can try:

Start late-season squash indoors a month or two early. Right after it germinates, transplant it (even though there's probably still frost outside). Then, put a milk jug (no cap) over it, and let it grow in there. The milk jug should protect it from the frost. This idea is like winter sowing, except you germinate indoors (so you don't have to wait for it to be warm enough to germinate outdoors, and thus you should get an even earlier start).

If you don't like that experimental idea (which should work fine with tomatoes, at the very least), you can always try winter sowing with squash. When to do it is the thing, though—because you need to water the soil at the right time with winter sowing (so it'll germinate).

Plants grow faster inside milk jugs. It's probably because the jugs block UV rays (to protect the milk). UV rays can be a stress to plants (although they can increase certain nutrients or chemicals in them).

I don't think 116F applies to Florida. But squash grow fine at 100F. I do it every summer for many weeks.

In my case, 116 wasn't normal for late June, but temperatures in the 90s and early hundreds are. So, in February, it's still freezing (the record cold in my lifetime for February was about -25, but usually the coldest is more like -5). 116 was also a record for June. It usually freezes until about May 10th. It stopped freezing early this year, however. Some tomato varieties didn't mind the heat (the vast majority of them I planted did, as far as fruit set goes, though: the heat didn't kill them or anything, but they had plenty of nutrients, and soil that holds water a long time, to help). The ones that didn't mind it were Black Plum and Galapagos Island (well, Galapagos Island set fruit, but it looked rather stressed by the heat since it doesn't have thick foliage to protect it from the sun much). Pruden's Purple was also a good one.

One advantage of the freezing, though, is it keeps the pests and diseases down. They're still a problem, but not all at once.

It looks like the heat exacerbates magnesium deficiency, though. My plants in full sun showed symptoms of that and started reviving after I gave them magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt). The plants with shade or partial shade didn't seem to have visible problems (although they may have still been deficient). So, it might be a good idea to give your squash Epsom salt when it gets hot. It's just a hypothesis. My plants in full sun were peppers, tomatillos, and tomatoes, though.

That's interesting about heat and magnesium deficiency. In fact, I see it has been established ("Plant and Soil" journal, 2013) that adequate magnesium reduces heat stress in at least wheat and maize. Mg fertilization is said to be important for minimizing crop losses due to heat. So it appears that your observation may be better than just a hypothesis. Coming from a region where heat stress can be a major issue, that's important to me. I've got to be on the lookout for those symptoms.

Awesome! Thanks for that. :) I'm glad it was helpful.

Magnesium deficiency gets really bad in high heats. My habanero plant turned white this summer from deficiencies (iron & mag) and no amount of supplements helped. Cooled down...plant turned green again.

Shule, you must live in Nevada or western CA. Those temps sound familiar. I'm in the low desert so I get subtropical temps (and parrots!!!!!). Really different growing conditions but the same need to spend some time figuring out how to grow somewhere so harsh.

There are lots of folks around who just throw on Epson salt routinely as some magic elixer. It's important to be able to recognize symptoms of Mg deficiency and to understand what conditions might exacerbate it. That is, don't throw it on because people tell you to throw it on. Throw it on because the plant really needs it or if your soil analysis really shows a Mg deficiency. Some plants are quite sensitive to Mg toxicity. Too much of a good thing ain't a good thing.

I'm actually in southwestern Idaho, right on the Oregon border, but I guess it's sort of near Nevada, as the crow flies, although you might have to pass through the Owyhee desert to get there from here without going to another state first. I'm guessing because I'm near the Oregon High Desert and the Owyhee desert, that might substantiate the temperatures. :)

For heat-tolerant squashes, it might be worthwhile to check out Baker Creek. Some of their squashes were originally collected from tropical climates.

Just FYI, "tropical climate" means warmth and usually humidity and rainfall. Not heat. (We've been talking about high heat, though that doesn't really pertain to Florida). Those climates are adjacent to warm oceans that moderate temperatures. In the Caribbean or Hawaii, for example, high temps in the summer usually don't get much over 90F. The problem with warmth and humidity for squashes is mainly fungus/powdery mildew, and that can be controlled without much trouble.

Just FYI, as someone who spent years in the tropics, and who has also lived in the Southwest, I knew that ;-) I was addressing the OP in Florida, where a squash from somewhere like Thailand might feel right at home.

Right. We got diverted to "high temperatures", which, to a northerner, I guess Florida might seem to be.

Powdery mildew is actually supposedly worse in more arid areas that are hot and shady, I've read. Downy mildew likes humidity, though, as, I'm sure, do lots of other fungal infections. I'm sure powdery mildew still exists where it's humid, though, but it's not supposed to be ideal.

One squash that doesn't like high heat much is Shark Fin Melon (yes, it's a squash; not a melon). It wilts in strong sun and heat, but it can survive it and perk up again. It doesn't set fruit until after the days get shorter, I've read, and in my experience, that seems to be true. It's one of the best squash for greens, though. So, since the south has shorter days than the north, I hear, it might do better in Florida than Idaho. I don't know if that has anything to do with heat, though. It might.

To the OP, though, I would just suggest growing disease and insect resistant varieties of C. moschata, probably. I've never grown squash in Florida, but from what I've read about C. moschata, it should be perfect for Florida. It doesn't like it super hot, I've read, but it likes it Florida hot. I'll have to research varieties, though.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi046