Kitchen Garden Forum

...well, I hope so as I've just sown some more seed. Had a slight diaster this year. I grew my squash plants in 4in. pots as usual, and have had them outside, beside the house, for the last few days to acclimatise. When I came to plant them out today, I found that the two Uchiki Kuri plants - one of ourfavourites - had been attacked by (presumably) slugs. One fatally, and one damaged on the stem and not looking too good. In the case of the one that's had it, I turned the pot upside down carefully to slip the plant out, and the stem parted from the roots. It looked as though it had been virtually nibbled through. So I slipped a couple of seeds into each of the spaces that had been prepared for them.

You should be OK. I'mn growing several new ones this year (courtesy of Mandylew - thankyou) and all but one lot are well away and were transplanted out this week. The final five are only just emerging from the soil and still residing in the inner sanctum of a tunnel, so I think you'll get away with it. They'll make up time quickly.

I too, have just made late sowings of squash and courgette, having put my others out far too early. However, the ones that are out are all flowering although they have few leaves, is this a good sign that they may be OK after all or are they just reacting to the stress?

Hello Ken - as others have said, you will be fine having sown at this stage.

Jude, hard to tell on this one and I am guessing. It might be a stress reaction, or they have started to move on warmer days, but were then checked by the colder temperatures. I would continue with them and see what happens. At least you are covered with your later sowings.

Thanks, everyone. Well, I'll take my chance on these late sowings. The other squash plants I planted out yesterday - Burgess Buttercup - wilted a bit in the heat, but look OK today.

Hooray .. another taker for Buttercup! I'm soooo pleased. Please report back at the end of the season how your buttercups faired and how you liked the flavour!

Forever (buttercup) squashes,
Lakeview

If it turns out that Butternut is too late this year, next year try Butternut Sprinter. It gave me the difference betweeen failure and success.
I wish it were easy to hand on some Uchi Kuri, all of mine came up. Still coping with tomatoes and cucumbers, potted up 120 celery today!

No, Buttercup, not Butternut! I'm trying Burgess Buttercup partly because it is supposed to be very early, but primarily because I think it is the Kabocha (?) type and I wanted a replacement for the excellent Greenwich, which seems to be no longer available from the Organic Gardening catalogue. The various Buttercup strains are claimed by some to be the best flavoured of all.
I like Butternut squashes, too, but I know people have trouble getting them to mature in time in the UK. Good to know there's at least one faster maturing variety out there.

I sowed some Turks Turban seeds on Sunday in compost in pots. It's my first time with these, having previously used Butternut or Sweet Dumpling.

By this morning, there was some sign of the sprout starting to push the soil up. By 6pm tonight, I had three seedlings around 1.5" above the soil, each with 2 nice leaves!

Although it's been hot in our conservatory, I've never seen any plants sprout like that before.

Garlic Guy,
my re-sowings of courgette and squash have also rocketed out of the compost - sown on Sunday and about 1.5 inches high today, and that was outdoors!
Must be this fantastic weather. Still, if it keeps up we'll no doubt be moaning about it in true British fashion!