Hi guys / girls,
Just wondering how your pumpkins and squashes are coping with all this wet weather. We are just seeing the first true fruits forming and beginning to swell.
Click here to see our Summer squashes (http://lottieblogs.co.uk/july1.aspx)
How are yours doing? bigger? smaller? not planted yet? harvesting squashes?
We are also worried that the broad beans which are close to them have have chocolate spot and was wondering if this can affcted pumpkins
Also from down the plot this week, a bumper harvest of broad beans, potatoes, rhubarb, gooseberries, and raspberries. However with this rain comes the dreaded weeds and the possibility of blight.
Regards
Lottieblogs
struggling - first sowing under cover didn't germinate. So behind before got going. Second sowing of new seeds germinated but I think I planted out too soon, lost a pumpkin to slugs, covered the other up with plastic bottle. squashes don't look happy with rain and wind. Have sown a few more in mini greenhouse :'( but I fear it may be too late.
I only had 2 pumpkin, kindly donated, as it is my first year. One has been desecrated by slugs, so the other is being checked each night. No flowers as yet, it was planted late.
Boo hoo.
On summer squashes fruits have now formed and growing very slowly - I am usually inundated by beginning of july. Winter squashes - some fruits on Crown Prince, Black Futsu and an Italian variety (can't remember the name without looking at the jouranl - Galipo something I think), but rest of the patch male flowers only and very slow growth. I can see far too much soil still.
On bright side - brilliant weather for lettuces all of which are very crispy and sweet and no bolters in sigth. Unfortunately successional sowings suffreing from too much rain.
I'll get some piccys of the pumpkin patch if it ever matures
I have never grown pumpkins until this year, but the ones in the three sisters bed are doing really well. The photo shows the bed in the middle of June, now you can't see any of the earth at all. We are also eating our way through a courgette glut!
The Butternut squash are doing well in frames on raised beds. The fruit below is 8 inches long (1st July)
(http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allbutternut_0700701_fruit.jpg)
My attempt to beat last years 113lb is doing well. There are 2 plants, the big one is hiding a pumpkin the size of a cricket ball and the small one's pumpkin is a little larger. Both of these are growing on my new half plot and the water seen is draining out of 10 tons of manure that were dumped in error on the plot.
(http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allpumpkin_plant_070701.jpg)
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage
my pumpkins are a little slow, and about 1/3 the size of yours but you can see the beginings of flowers starting. My sweetcorn is still quite small.
Miserable.. put them out just as the cold wet weather started.. still sulking and in some cases the slugs are winning...
:'(
Despite the rain mine are doing ok they are about the size of golfballs, the larger ones have also learnt to swim ;D ;D I'm thinking of training them to do synchronized swimming ;D London olympics here i come ;D ;D ;D
Corguettes are doing great - we have harvested quite a few already. Butternut squash plants are still small (2nd sowing as slugs got the first :() I have one great plant from seeds that jeannine sent me - maybe sugar loaf or something like that? That has small fruits on now. The pumpkins are still in large pots >:( The plants look quite big, but with all this rain I haven't finished clearing the area on the new plot that I was going to use for them - argh. I think early next week I am going to give in and plant them through cardboard !
So jealous! My plants are still quite small and snails have had the crown princes. :'( They usually are romping away by now but no luck this year. Got a few flowers on the more mature courgette plants. Not going to be the best year for squashes for us.
The lettuce looks great tho. :P
I'm harvesting Parthenon, Kojac and Gold Rush courgettes regularly. Yellow pattypan plant has several small fruit on it, the white pattypan still waiting for flowers to appear.
I have one Becky pumpkin about cricket ball size and a Sweet Dumpling squash about the size of an onion. The Butternut, Red Kuri, Rolet Little Gem and delicata are all sturdy plants but as yet no flowers. We need a few days uninterrupted sunshine for them to bask in :).
Tricia
The two I planted out in early June are fine, the ones I planted out a week later are a bit pale and yellowish...........the Pink Banana squash seems to be the happiest, two rapidly expanding fruits so far......
the only one with fruit on is small sugar, it's climbing up a trellis ..the butternuts are doing well, no flowers but lots of growth :)
yeah its suprising they have fruited in this weather, need some sun now for them to thrive
been down tonight, small fruits but nothing swelling yet, please some sun please
Plenty of growth on my 2 butternuts but no flowers yet.