Topic: Pumpkin Small Sugar

[grannyjanny]

Hi 1066. How do you build slug & snail barriers? I haven't seen any trails at the plot but I want to be prepared ;D. Is it better to plant the pumpkins & squashes out next month & can I save seeds from the small sugar you kindly sent me. So far so good with it ;D.
Janet.

[1066]

Well, what do I mean by slug barriers? Anything I think will stop them slithering over to my precious plants!  I use Slug stoppa round the hostas in the garden and might try some of that round the pumpkins, I was thinking more alomg the lines of machine guns and grenades  ;D LOL

I think next month might be better for planting out as they don't like the cold and we can still get frosts, I was wondering whether to fleece them for the 1st couple of weeks (have some fleece left over) to give them some extra protection but not really sure (its only my 2nd year of growing them ??? )

And as to saving seeds - I haven't a clue  ;D  Maybe someone more experienced on here could help....... pretty please......

1066

Edit - meant to add make sure you harden them off before they go in the ground, otherwise they'll sulk for sure !

[Digeroo]

Hi Granyjanny saving the seeds of courgettes and pumpkins is a bit of a fiddle.  You have to pounce on one of the female flowers just before it opens.  Then you have to get a male from another of the same variety and gently open the flower and pollenate it  Then you tie up the flower with a rubber band so that it does not open. 

The problem is that you never seem to have a male flower when you need one.  Also this is fine for the first year when you have two plants.  But in the second year all your plants have the same two parents.  This means that when you use those for pollenating the following year you will have a very restricted genetic pool.

However since the seeds last well for about 5 years you can have years of the same seeds before you need to buy some more genes.

Sometimes you get some nice results and sometimes you do not.  Other problem is that once you leave a plant to seed it can stop producing more fruit and leaves the just the one to develop the seeds.

I have been trying for years to get a yellow cousa style courgette and have never managed it. 

If you use F1 varieties you can get some very odd results.

I love seed  saving you never know what  you are going to get as a result.

Better results with peas and french beans - self fertile.  Easier to spot crosses since seeds different colours.  All squash seeds look alike.

[grannyjanny]

Thanks Digeroo. I don't think I will be bothering then. Sounds like hard work to me ::) ::) ::).
How are you, recovered from from your lovely holiday?
Janet