Courgettes - HELP!!!

mfmaybe

I have about 5 seedlings which obviously sounds a lot based on the posts here! But we have a fairly bad slug problem so not sure how best to address this. Sounds like I will have to pot on via an intermediate stage before I let them loose in the ground. I bought a plug from a nursery before, was told "they grow themselves, it's dead easy" and then the slugs got it. Can't use slug pellets due to having cats.

ed110220

mfmaybe wrote: »

I have about 5 seedlings which obviously sounds a lot based on the posts here! But we have a fairly bad slug problem so not sure how best to address this. Sounds like I will have to pot on via an intermediate stage before I let them loose in the ground. I bought a plug from a nursery before, was told "they grow themselves, it's dead easy" and then the slugs got it. Can't use slug pellets due to having cats.

Yeah slugs do love them and can wipe them out if they get to them early. Didn't think slug bait should be a problem for cats - neighbours have four and never had any problems.

Ed

mfmaybe

ed110220 wrote: »

Yeah slugs do love them and can wipe them out if they get to them early. Didn't think slug bait should be a problem for cats - neighbours have four and never had any problems.

Ed

Maybe I just assumed it would be an issue, thanks. So if I can get them to a robust size then hopefully they will survive a slug onslaught?

ALIBOBSY

There is a chance of problems with cats, they can and do eat slugs and the like when the fancy takes them-have seen one of ours throw up a half eaten slug yuck!!!!

But defo the bigger plants before they go out works best. I found celery gets decimated if put out small as they much on the leaves, but if you grow on for a few more weeks they aren't so keen on the stems and bigger leaves so they get left alone.

I a trying a number of things this year, over winter we let the chickens FR over the beds to dig them over and they love any slugs/snails they found and I have been around with the nematodes as well to reduce the numbers-can't believe how few slugs I have seen after the treatment. Plus I do the rounds of pot bottoms in the day and over the beds in the evening to see if any are around to get rid off.

With having the chickens we get alot of eggshells so I also go with crushed egg shells around lettuce and seedlings, need to keep reapplying though. Added bonus is it feeds the plants as well.

Ali x

mfmaybe

Sounds like the real answer would be to get chickens then :rotfl:

ed110220

mfmaybe wrote: »

Sounds like the real answer would be to get chickens then :rotfl:

Surely they'd eat the vegetables too?! We've got two, but never dared letting them into the vegetable garden, they eat the vegetable offcuts we give them pretty greedily.

Ed

ALIBOBSY

ed110220 wrote: »

Surely they'd eat the vegetables too?! We've got two, but never dared letting them into the vegetable garden, they eat the vegetable offcuts we give them pretty greedily.

Ed

Oh totally, its like a scorched earth policy with the chickens lol. We only let them FR over the beds when they are clear or just a few bits of dying beans etc in Nov and over winter. Once the plants go out into the beds, the chickies get locked behind the wire.

TBF we have a big area they live in, its walk in with a large coop and a little shelter thing for rain/sun and a dust bath for them. So they are pretty pampered anyway lol. We have lifted some grass at the front to make extra beds and we added that to the pen which they have loved and at the end of the year will stick the turfs on a compost pile.

I also chuck any weeds I pull in a bucket and they get then chucked in which they love.

BTW on the theme of this thread got my first courgette growing on the plants I put out. Definately going to do the same thing with courgettes next year as had really big plants that went out and flowered almost straight away. Didn't trust the insects so hand polinated, hope it worked :T

Ali x

Spirit_2

I have potted on my courgettes today, I have eight very sturdy plants and plan to share them with my neighbour.

I have found courgettes to be the only thing slugs have not eaten in my garden. We have never used slug pellets as our chooks were FR and could invade the veg patch.

Sadly a fox took four of my chooks this week leaving me one small bantam, I get her a friend yesterday but they are both confined to the run .

System

I started off with around six plants, grew them in my conservatory. Unfortuntely all I'm left with now is one they were attacked by aphids...

There are only two and a half of us here (toddler being the half), so I'm not particuarly worried. I am growing mine in a raised bed supported by bamboo, well, I will be. Its sitting in my little plastic greenhouse atm, I'll be hardening off properly in the last week of May then planted out in June. x

andygb

Just an update.
I have potted on 20 - yes! 20 - healthy plants, which are now around 6" to 8" high.
They are in the little greenhouses at the moment, but do they like full sun, and how much should I be watering them?
We have a thermometer in our back garden, and it reached 29C yesterday and today!