May Update: What are you growing in 2006? (Tips here for Fruit, Veggies and Flowers!)

Calephetos

annie-c wrote:

Thanks Moggins

A tip for you - pumpkin seeds take ages to come up - before you plant more, just check by tipping out a couple of the failed ones. When I was 'recycling' the compost I had used to plant my gourds, I found that most had actually started to sprout but were still below surface level... after a month or so of no show!

A second on this. I planted pumpkins on one side of the propagator (really, a clear, lidded plum punnet...) and courgettes on the other. After nothing had shown for weeks, I moved the dill that had popped up in the middle and put new courgettes in, the pen scrawl on the lid getting wiped in the meantime.

Then they showed. Now I've got five seedlings of unknown type! They are one or all of: Eight-Ball Courgette, Yellow Courgette or Becky Pumpkins! D'oh...

Kazonline

Hi Chickadie, re the courgettes growing like trifids - from what I can remember that's their nature! I don't think you need to stake them (I didn't) but as the fruit appear some recommend placing straw under the fruit.
If I remember rightly each plant was about 3' in diameter, but not very tall. I've read that two plants is ample to supply a family of four - and I do recall that despite cooking them every day there was no way I could keep up with what mine produced (I had about 4 or 5 plants)
Hope that helps until the experts get here!
Kaz

Linda32

chickadee wrote:

Hi everyone,

I have a dumb question about courgettes, well several actually. Never having actually seen a courgette plant, only the courgettes themselves, I don't know what they look like. The ones I planted about a month ago are like triffids! They were sprouting virtually as they hit the compost.

Do I stake them like tomato plants? They are falling over as the leaves are so big and heavy but I'm not sure if they are supposed to be upright or pendulous (big word ration all used up now!). How high do they grow? Do I have to pinch out side shoots like with tomatoes? Also, will they grow outside in the North of England or do they need to be kept in the greenhouse? Sorry about all the questions but I don't want to get it wrong.

chickadee
x

Hi, I grew courgettes last year and I do remember they do make a big plant, however, they do not need staking.

Now here's the key, keep a check on the plant and when you see the courgetts growing, and have some pet bedding / straw ready (can be bought from wilko's very cheaply), and place an handful underneath the growing courgette, this keeps it clean from water splashes from the soil and keeps nasties off.
They are really easy to grow and no pinching out needed.

I'm afraid I don't know wether the frost will kill them or not. But it won't do any harm to throw a spare sheet over the top if you have any. If you can't move the plant inside that is.

chickadee

Kazonline wrote:

I've read that two plants is ample to supply a family of four - and I do recall that despite cooking them every day there was no way I could keep up with what mine produced (I had about 4 or 5 plants)
Hope that helps until the experts get here!
Kaz

Kaz - Thanks for this. I have to say I'm a bit worried now. I'm new to growing my own so I planted 12 of them, thinking some might not grow and they all came up and are all really healthy-looking. :eek: I think I'll have to give some away. There are only so many courgettes we can eat. OH doesn't even like them but I wanted some success and heard these are really easy to grow.

A victim of my success??? Lets hope so! Fingers crossed.

Kazonline

Lol, better too many than too little. You could freecycle them I suppose, or if you're doing any bootsales sell the plants. A local primary school might be interested in having a couple to show the little uns how they grow - failing that you can freeze the courgettes (I think they need to be blanched first) or just think how popular you'll be with the neighbours, dropping little parcels on thier doorsteps ;-)
I remember my son refusing to eat any more courgettes (stuffed, boiled, bbq or otherwise) and us trying to persuade him that the next lot were special 'fairy' ones! A really nice way (but a little extravagante) to cook is to peel into long ribbons and micro briefly in butter mmmmmm. Scrummy!
Kaz
Ps also nice 'chargrilled/roasted' in olive oil, balsamic vinegar & honey

nicki_2

Yesterday in B&Q I spotted tomatoes (various varieties), peppers, chillis, aubergines, courgettes and maybe a few others (they were all mixed up on the shelves :rolleyes: ) as small plants, no more than a CD case high. They were on the grey tolley like shelves so I'm assuming that they get taken in at night incase of frost I was tempted to buy a couple (courgettes and aubergines mainly) but since my garden is already heaving with pots of veg/salad and the flower beds are full of flower seeds I thought better of it. Maybe next year? Instead I let DD buy some lobelia (sp?) to put in the edges of the big pot that my clematis is planted in. Might let her sow some in the flowerbeds as well to give a bit more ground coverage. My theory being that if there are enough flowers filling the boards then I won't have to tend to them (read: weed) and I can concentrate my efforts on the veg and spending time with DD...I'm not lazy, honest gov!

This morning I had a look and both lots of lettuce have now sprouted, 1 beetroot, 1 cabbage, a couple of peas (which will need to be planted out as they're in my mini-grren house) and my spinach is going great guns but no sign of any other veg ATM. Flowers on the otherhand are going mad, or at least the ones in my mini-greenhouse are (wish I had waited and bought the four tier one now ), a few cornflowers are poking their heads through at the back of the garden and competing with the ants for room.

I can't wait to see the blaze of colour that should errupt in a couple of weeks as I sit there working away [strike]at the pages of my latest book with a glass of lemonade in my hand [/strike] at my projects :D

annie-c

Can I recommend freecycle for offloading excess seedlings - I put mine on today and within minutes had arranged for two people to collect from the local supermarket carpark at a mutually convenient time. Loads of disappointed peeps emailed too late, too!

Since I got my pots on freecycle I'm glad to give something back!

tango

Hi,my son has brought a sunflower seed home from school,its amazingly still alive ,and i have put in on the window sill.
The problem is it keeps on growing;) ( i know!) and now is about 12cm tall and looking very scraggy,what do i do with it,any ideas? Sorry i'm not that good with seedlings:rolleyes:

annie-c

tango wrote:

Hi,my son has brought a sunflower seed home from school,its amazingly still alive ,and i have put in on the window sill.
The problem is it keeps on growing;) ( i know!) and now is about 12cm tall and looking very scraggy,what do i do with it,any ideas? Sorry i'm not that good with seedlings:rolleyes:

I've just planted some seeds in pots outside, according to the packet instructions, so I'm guessing they're not susceptible to frost. I'd pot it on in a bigger pot, or plant it outside at the back of a border and wait for it to grow 8ft tall... but others may have more cautious (and more knowledgeable) advice to offer....

tango

Thanks annie-c,will do that. I feel i should give the poor thing some care,as it survived my 6 year old bringing it home from school,and trying to drown it,by watering it three times a a day:D