Courgettes eaten by something

[hellokittysmum]

I grew some courgettes form seed inside the house then hardened them off over a week and planted them out two weeks ago. They looked OK but have now been eaten by something and have got no leaves on them My husband has made beer traps for slugs so we are on top of those now. Other plants seem to have escaped whatever has eaten them.

Is it too late to start some more outside or should I buy a plant from a nursery and grow it in the (unheated) greenhouse?

[buddy of maidstone]

Dig the old plants out and check under roots for leather jackets!!!i lost one of my plants to leather jackets,I always sow more than I need incase of failures.


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[lottie dolly]

look at the centre growing point off the plant,if is still growing but tiny,it should be fine,and yes you have plenty off time to sow more,in fact if you sow earlier,and later aprox,july,providing the weather holds out,should extend the season,if your able to give a little protection to later ones,even better,I shall place a couple of patio pot varieties in the poly as they should take up less room,we will see

[fishpond]

"Is it too late to start some more outside or should I buy a plant from a nursery and grow it in the (unheated) greenhouse?"

No, it is not too late to start them, but I would start them off in your g/house as you live in the frozen barren wastes that is referred to as "up North" by those of us that live South of you.
Then again, it could be said that you live South of those who live North of you. (thankfully I do not).

[WendyC]

Unlikely to be leatherjackets as these eat roots. You many have put traps down but one errant snail can do a lot of damage.

[Bren In Pots]

I've only sown my courgettes and cucumbers at the beginning of this week so you're not to late.

[Two_Sheds]

My husband has made beer traps

I hate to break it to you, but they are only partially successful ~ they catch a v.small percentage of your garden's mollusc population.
If you need convincing, go out at night with a torch, and you'll see 100s of them

I too planted out my courgettes (and French beans), put down slug pellets ... but the next day every leaf had big bites taken out of it.
This warm wet weather is slug/snail heaven, and they'll be breeding like mad

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I would like to report that the homemade Nematode solution I watered in a week ago seems to be keeping the b*ggers down here. Still getting some damage but nowhere near what it was before it was applied.

Will be getting another brew on shortly and watering in the half that was left over.

This battering wind is causing me more hassle (loss of leaf on a few of my Canadian Wonder and Borlotti)

[hellokittysmum]

Thanks for all the tips.

I will start some more courgettes in the windowsill and then move them via the greenhouse to outside. We are away for nearly a month mid July to early August (booked before I got the gardening bug) but I have a great friend who I am reciprocating with so she will look after everything while I am away. I do like the idea of planting things to harvest August and early September so have been planning my salad leaves so that none are ready when we are away.