Alex Waldron

Joao Winckler wrote:seconding what Johnny said about moisture - that's usually been the limiting factor for my squash too. They want way more water than you'd think, especially once they're setting fruit. Depth of the bed matters for holding that moisture, which is probably why the mound method works so well.

Besides moisture, I've found that adding plenty of compost before planting helps a lot. It improves both water retention and soil structure, so the plants seem to handle hot spells much better.

Good Old Thread!

I've grown a few peach trees from pits, and the biggest thing is that they usually need a cold, moist period before they'll germinate. Freezing isn't necessary and can actually damage them. I usually clean the pit, let it dry for a day or two, then keep it in slightly damp paper towels inside a bag in the fridge for a couple of months. After that, if the seed has started to sprout, I plant it in soil. It's not a 100% success rate, but it does work.