How easy is it to grow cucumbers and corgettes?

[Alison]

I've never pollinated a cucumber or courgette by hand in my life, there are plenty of bugs in the polytunnel / greenhouse so they do just fine and in summer the doors are open anyway.

[marchogaeth]

I've never pollinated a cucumber or courgette by hand in my life, there are plenty of bugs in the polytunnel / greenhouse so they do just fine and in summer the doors are open anyway.

I did say I was doing it just to be sure! My tunnel was also full of bugs etc but I wanted every one and a couple didn't set for whatever reason.

[snakeshack]

courgettes are the easiest thing in the world,but I suggest a little more caution with cucs,I usually grow burpless tasty green and paris pickling (a gherkin but they are just mini cucs) outside,as they are prone to basal rot of the stems,I grow them in (morrissons)flower buckets turned upside down on top of the soil and filled with mpc,this improves the drainage and keeps the stem base drier helping to prevent rot and as the buckets are black keeps the roots warm if there is any sun at all (apparently there was some last year).Incidently the same technique can be used on top of holes cut in grow bags for tomatos and is much cheaper than the green commercial version

[Thriftygreen]

Courgettes are really easy, too easy cucumbers are easy too, just dont start them off too soon they dont like any cold, they sulk and commit suicide. In the green house they try and take over, just give them a good talking to and plenty of water.

[briggsy2011]

thank you all for your replies x

[plymouthred]

Whoops

Why didn't I come on the forum before jumping the gun?

I have an unheated greenhouse and read the package, whoops, before investigating further.

Put in 6 seedlings (3 x Picolino & 3 x Tiffany F1) of which I hope to grow 2 of each, subject to them germinating of course, in grow-bags with grow-bag pots (ring culture method).

I haven't potted any courgettes (wrong way around huh) but got a packet of Zucchini free with my mag so will try a couple of them but only growing the one?

[Davyburns]

I would like to see a pic of that

Yes just trailing. Planted 2 one in each back corner(had a 12ft long by 6ft greenhouse)

I used to trail them along the walls of the raised beds I had built in there

[horticultural_hobbit]

Have potted on 6/9 curcurbits. So waiting for the triffids to come alive.

[Loudbarker1]

I grew cucumbers last year for the first time: burpless tasty green sown inside in about may and planted out 2 into a grow bag. Nothing seemed to happen for about 3 months and suddenly I found I had one a week. They were stupendously delicious. This year i will try 4 plants.

Courgettes: two green (defender) and 2 yellow (soleil) keep two of us (plus 2 kids who hate courgettes and one but eat "pastatoulli" - ratatouelli used as a pasta sauce) over supplied. I put compost on the ground in march and cover with black plastic just before planting courgettes into them in late may. I water into 4pt plastic milk bottles once a week with seaweed solution (and sometimes tomato food.) I get 2 or 3 courgettes a day.

[keepitgreen]

Both easy to grow! It is a good idea to stagger planting so you have fruit for a longer period though.

[singleseeder]

Hmm, I think I was a bit early putting in my Bella F1 cucumber seeds.

They are on the kitchen windowsill, compost only watered (little by little) from the bottom and moved away from the window at night. They are just at the second true leaf stage and two have keeled over. I presume once the seed leaves have gone limp and the stem begins to go over, it's curtains for that plant?

Any suggestions for the remaining two? Feeding? Repotting? More/less water? New seeds?

[Farmer_Gyles]

i grow my greenhouse cucumbers up a cane - i stop them when they reach the top of the greenhouse - i tend to get 5-7 cucumbers off one plant - in the past it's always been Bella, this year it's Bangkok

i grow my outdoor cucumbers on the ground, just let them trail - i get a few off each plant

cucumbers need plenty of water or the cucumbers taste bitter - very disappointing

courgettes are very very easy - stick them in any spare ground and they should grow (i read somewhere that you can grow them on top of the compost heap) - but turn your back on them for a couple of days and the courgettes swell right up and become marrows - this year we have Green Bush, Black Beauty, Zuccini and Lebanese - think the missus likes courgettes ......

[Two_Sheds]

I just sowed my cuke seeds: Real Seeds' miniature white for the lotty, and something more delicate for the gh

[taff]

Hmm, I think I was a bit early putting in my Bella F1 cucumber seeds.

They are on the kitchen windowsill, compost only watered (little by little) from the bottom and moved away from the window at night. They are just at the second true leaf stage and two have keeled over. I presume once the seed leaves have gone limp and the stem begins to go over, it's curtains for that plant?

Any suggestions for the remaining two? Feeding? Repotting? More/less water? New seeds?

if they keeled over and the stem was soggy/brown/mouldy, it's curtains. If they keeled over and the stem was fine, stake the other two. If they keeled over and all the leaves were limp/floppy/mouldy/spotty, too much or too little water. If they keeled over and you couldn't see anything else wrong with them, too cold.

or something

[Potstubsdustbins]

If you have a cumber that is dying it is always worth trying to save it.

Before its to late cut off about 3 to 4 inches of the leader. Pop this in a milk bottle full of water and leave on a window sill. After about a week you should see roots start to form. Leave it till you have a good root system keeping the bottle topped up and then plant on.

Here's one I did last year.

Colin