Squash (Cucurbita Pepo Sweetie Pie) 10 seeds (#2249)

Decorative Pumpkin Sweetie Pie (Cucurbita pepo) will appeal to lovers of decorative plants. This unique variety produces original fruits that look like miniatures of orange, ribbed pumpkins that are used to prepare Halloween lanterns.
Tiny pumpkins have a beautiful, saturated color and a regular shape - roundeightly flattened, with clearly marked ribs. The fruits appear in great numbers, and you can admire them at the end of summer - at the beginning of September. Collected early, they will turn out to be a permanent decoration of the apartment. They can also decorate the garden for a very long time. The variety grows strongly and is characterized by a climbing habit. It can lay on the ground, but it looks even more effective when it entwines the supports - nets, pergolas, arbors, fences or structures made of poles and wires - with flexible stems. The tangled stems, decorated with large, intensely green leaves, between which playful and cute little fruits look playful, make a fantastic plot decoration in late summer and fall.
The Sweetie Pie Ornamental Pumpkin is a vigorous and easy-to-grow variety. The plant likes warm, quiet and sunny positions. It will bear numerous fruit in any moderately fertile soil rich in humus and well-retaining moisture. The substrate should be moderately firm.
Approximately 10 seeds in 1g packet.

Genus - Cucurbita
Species - Pepo
Variety - Sweetie Pie
Common name - Squash
Pre-Treatment - Not-required
Hardiness zones - 3 - 10
Height - 0,90 - 1,20 m
Spread - 1 m
Plant type - Ornamental climber
Exposure - Full Sun
Growth rate - Fast
Soil PH - Neutral
Soil type - Average garden zone
Water requirements - Average, high
Landscape uses - Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Bloom season - August - October

GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
Sow inside in April or outside in May after the last frost.
1. Place peat pots in a tray and fill the pots with potting soil. Prefer rich soil. Fill the tray with water and let the peat pots absorb the water. Discard any excess water left in the bottom of the tray.
2 Poke a couple of holes in the soil 2cm deep with your finger. Place one seed in each hole and cover with soil. Each pot should contain two or three seeds to ensure that at least one seed germinates in each container.
3. Place a plastic tray cover over the top of the peat pots to create a greenhouse. Set the tray in a warm area out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight dries the soil out quickly and can cook the seeds. Summer squash sprouts take about two weeks to appear.
4. Remove the cover when the seedlings start to touch the cover. When the seedlings are 5 cm tall, remove the weak seedlings so there is just one plant per container.
5. Transplant the summer squash seedlings outside when the soil and air temperatures stay above +15C. Plant the seedlings at least 50-60 cm apart, dropping the entire pot in the hole so you do not disturb the roots.
Information source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/germinate-cucurbita-pepo-seeds-38463.html