Grow Your Own Magazine

For outdoor cucumbers try Marketmore. We grew these last year and got a great crop of big fat juicy cucumbers.

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I'm trying Marketmore this year LJ , I grew some outdoor cucumbers a few years ago which were fantastic but unfortunately can't remember what variety they were.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

I am cheesed off now. I have just gone into the greenhouse and my butternut squashes have gone..........bl**dy snails!!!!!!!!

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LJ
Were the snails bloody before they ate your seedlings or after you caught them and thrashed them soundly
Seriously though - major league bummer - so sorry for you.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

My cucumbers squash ans sweetcorn have all germinated brilliantly. My tomatoes have been rubbish. I think it must be due to how you talk to them. Tomatoes must be particularly obtuse.

Tomatoes and cucs doiung great but butternut squash a disaster, wonder why?

Can't get any Butternut squash to germinate. I'll have to start again

I have one or two butternut up but am battling with slugs and snails eating everything they can get their knashers into! I know the good Lord put them on this earth for a reason - must be to teach me patience!

Strange this problem. I'm struggling with my courgettes this year, normally they are up lke weeds but this year they're not too good. I'm starting to wonder about the compost that I'm using as one or two things don't seem to be as good at the moment.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

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well my courgettes are coming up now, but they've all got deforemed leaves which is weird. The first two leaves that pop through the ground aren't normally so odly shaped. I'm waiting for the next set of leaves to appear and hopefully they will look OK otherwise I think I'll have a mutant crop on my hands.

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On another forum advice was given that 25C is the optimum temp for cucurbit germination.

Given that this year I have had 100% germination , I give my method, which was arrived at by trial and error over quite a few years.

Sow into tray of multipurpose compost, pushing seed in between index finger & thumb.
Wipe hand across top of tray to fill hole above seed.
Water generously and allow to drain.
Place in heated (on or off) Ward single tray electric propagator.
Put the lid on the propagator with the vents just ajar and walk away.
About three of four days later take the germinated tray out and place in an unheated propagator, gradually harden off until planting out.

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2 of my courgettes came up within 4 days of sowing as i covered their pots in that foam under floor insulation sheet stuff with holes/slits cut into it and it worked really well. theyre bigger than i thought i would be and i dont have a clue what to do next. still waiting for the last one to show through

Thanks Peter. I will give it a go again. Hopefully they will catch up.