One more pic if it matters. Thx Lyn

I have dug up and moved summer squash and cucumbers before, usually with decent success, but, I don't make a habit of it. They really don't like it when you do that, but as long as you catch them young, you can usually do it without much root disturbance.

That being said, they were never as close together as those ones are. My worry with those is that by trying to dig up one or two, you may damage the roots of the ones your leaving behind, and then you have a possibility of losing them all.

In that situation, I would just thin them. Cut the extras out with scissors and if you have a spot where you want more pumpkins, plant more seeds. I hate thinning and transplant whenever possible, but sometimes, it's your best option.

I would just pinch off the two middle ones(Cut by scissors, not to disturb the other two ) and keep the other two. If you want more in another spot, just sow more seeds. They should come up in a week or so. It is possible to separate them and replant them, but if you have not done it before, you will take a risk in doing so. Cucurbits are THE LEAST transplant plants friendly seedlings that I know of. The MOST friendly and forgiving ones : ONIONS family.

I agree with seysonn about pinching out the middle two plants, but I wouldn't keep two pumpkins in a bed that size. The seedlings are young enough that the smallest is probably transplantable.

The main thing is if you can take out one for transplant without damage to the remaining seedling's roots.

This post was edited by ltilton on Thu, May 15, 14 at 10:28