Cucurbit growing 2017

[Penellype]

Have got most of my squash out into big pots on the patio. I'm a bit careless with labelling so it'll be a surprise when they start to fruit. Anyone got any flowers yet?

Got flowers on the March sown cucumber Cucino now in my friend's greenhouse.

[Chris11]

Courgettes now in bigger pots and being hardened off.
Largest plants now outside overnight too.

[Snowwhyte]

I checked on my squash plants today and found my first tiny tiny courgette. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get to edible size.

[snowbunny]

Second year of veg growing, and with water more readily available this year - we're completely off grid in deepest, darkest Catalonia - hoping for a bit more success than last year.

I've decided not to try cucs this year; it was a hug battle with aphids last year, and the little *******s got the better of me, so having a break from them until I can get myself organised a bit better. I'm blitzing the ants around the veg area, which is a shame because I think they're pretty cool, but they were incredibly destructive last year, so I'm putting my foot down this year.

Curcubits are pretty limited.
Courgettes: Early Gem, Gold Rush, Golden Zucchini and Black Beauty. Both from seeds (direct sewn) and plugs, all doing well, although no flowers potted yet. I'm inspecting daily for aphids and black fly and squishing any that I find.
Melons: Santa Claus from seed and an unspecified water melon from plugs. I was late with the Santa Claus and they're just starting to come up, but my water melons are looking good, and I have my first tiny fruit forming.
Oh, and a cucamelon I bought for a bit of interest. Not entirely sure what to expect, but it's doing OK so far!

[fon]

First one harvested for me!

Sown on the the 1st of Jan

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Fon

[Penellype]

My final list of cucurbits:

Courgettes - 3 Green Bush, 2 Goldmine, 2 Piccolo. All except one of the Piccolo are planted in their final places, under the protection (from the wind) of cloches or nets. The Piccolo is waiting for its pot to become vacant - the turnips in it are just about ready.

Cucumbers - the Cucino planted on 29th March produced its first small cucumber (about 4 inches long) in my friend's greenhouse on Saturday. More on the way shortly. Of the 2 I sowed at the end of April, one died for no discernable reason, the other is in the growhouse along with Mini Munch - these will be planted in their final pots on the path as soon as the weather calms down. No point in letting the wind trash them for the sake of a couple more days. A replacement for the dead plant is now at the 2 true leaves stage and this will eventually join the plant in the greenhouse.

Melons - Alvaro and Magenta (1 plant each) are nearly ready to go to my friend's greenhouse, where they will be hardened off while I make a hotbed for them. This is the last time I try melons unless I get something to eat - for the last 2 years all they have produced is leaves.

[Small pumpkin]

All my cucurbits are in there final position. Even all my spare plants have a home ( the blue fish boxes in the photos, and the overflow bed not in photos )
Here's the squash & sunflower bed. It looks a bit empty, but it will soon fill up. The frame is for sweet dumpling to climb up.


Pumpkin & courgette bed. Also looking a little empty at the moment. The arch is for pumpkin wee-be-little & courgette Tromboncino to climb up.


Cucumbers and melons are doing nicely in the tunnel. My outside cucumber isn't doing that great, very slow growing. I'm starting to think outside cucumbers shouldn't be outside up here !

[Paul 68]

OK my lists

courgette: Romanesco needs space or replacing with a fresh plant half way thru the season as will want to build its own roman empire but given sun n plenty of compost is a massive producer of good tasting fruits

trying millano this year though for a change


cucumber burpless did realy well very productive again if given plenty of compost


squash

pottimarron sprawling very tasty squashes is a regular

cornells bush delicater dissapointing yealds even considering it takes up so much less space

waltham butternut squash brilliant good taste good yeald not to out of control yep planted again

blue hubbard big good tasting good stoorage life fruit due to thick skin ( i needed to use the felling axe or a machette to get into them ) but big seed cavity inside

long de napples good taste BIG fruit with not an excessive seed cavity is a regular now


little gem trailing small cricket ball sized medium yield good for trailing up a trellis taste fine great for stuffing n roasting but havent sown this year trying mellons in the space instead

crown prince green pumpkin productive good storer good taste for a pumpkin but the squashes do tend to taste better ( american canned pumpkin is actualy orange hubbard squash because it tastes stronger) cant knock it though its a good pumpkin

[mic]

Combination of cucumbers and watermelon things and butter squash plants coming on

[Potstubsdustbins]

Growing cumber mini munch for the first time this year. Plants are doing well and there is plenty of fruit, can someone give me an idea of how big I should let them grow. I have a couple about 3" long and they look like a perfect miniature cumber.

[Chris11]

11 courgette plants now in final position.

All Green Bush x1
De Nice a Fruit Ronde x2
Black Beauty x2
Lungo Bianco x1
Rugosa Friuliana x3
Green Zucchini x2

Have also found homes locally for 7 spare plants.

[Snoop Puss]

Lovely photos, mic. My squash and melons are way, way behind, seeing as I only sowed them a few days ago. Most of the melons have germinated.

Will be picking my first courgettes today! Will celebrate with a spring veg risotto (courgette, green beans, broad beans, peas and onions - all home-grown amazingly).

PTD, a quick look on the Web suggests 3 inches is right. Happy mini munching!

[vixylix]

MIC - I'm ignoring your first picture, your second picture looks much better and much more similar to the size of my plants

(Just kidding - they look cracking, well done you)

[mic]

MIC - I'm ignoring your first picture, your second picture looks much better and much more similar to the size of my plants

(Just kidding - they look cracking, well done you)

You should see the size of my pumpkins!

The bottom fed planters are great, I reakon it's down to the never ending water supply.

[1Bee]

Sooooo behind. The plants, that is, not me so much. We hit a cold few weeks which has only just picked up, just after planting, so even though I brought them on and hardened them off well, they've all just stopped.

Yours look amazing, mic!

3" is about right for mini munch, I seem to remember?