I prepared a squash bed, with lots of dug in compost. Then I dug pits and filled them with compost. Now i'm waiting for my squashes to be ready to plant out.
Trouble is, the bed is now infested with.......squash plants. The seeds survived composting last year and are romping away. they're even growing out of the tops of my prepared mounds, exactly where I want to plant them :D. They're bigger than the cosseted plants at home
actually I think they're pumpkins, as they were the only ones I scooped the seeds out before cooking them. Unless winter squash seeds are totally impervious to microwaves etc
Pull them all up before you plant out the ones you want.
Two plants whose fruit I never compost are tomatoes and the squash family. The seeds appear to be indestructible and will flourish as soon as the compost is used and the soil has warmed up.
Oh - and one other. I have watercress in my pond which needs thinning out from time to time. Once it has gone to flower it will set seeds in the compost. Last year I used the compost on my sweet corn plot and had a wonderful crop of watercress as a result of the wet summer, but not something I want to repeat.
Tricia
from now on it's toasted squash seed, like you're supposed to do, if you're Italian. Probably delicious.
we have volunteer coriander all over the place, plus tomatoes, I'm using the coriander as a green manure and will pull it and compost as soon as it's big enough, the tommies, I'm tempted to grow on and see what they are ;D
yes, i tidied up someone elses plot last year and had to compost their rubbish, and now I also have loads of coriander and rocket, which I don't grow at the plot. The coriander is growing really well :D
I've been having trouble with both tom and squash germination this year, oddly enough. The toms all came up after I gave them extra warmth for a couple of days. Some of the squashes have done the same, but I've replanted, and I'm still stuck with half a tray that just will not germinate.
me too robert,i think i rotted some off by over watering in a greenhouse that is not as hot as usual.others have come up but seemed to take a very long time to do so?
Bugloss,can you transplant your rogue pumpkins and grow them somewhere else,on top of your compost heap for example? seems a shame to chuck em
Quote from: manicscousers on May 26, 2010, 08:49:41
we have volunteer coriander all over the place, plus tomatoes, I'm using the coriander as a green manure and will pull it and compost as soon as it's big enough, the tommies, I'm tempted to grow on and see what they are ;D
d**n - I cant even get corriander to grow - well I can but it goes direct to seed! >:(
elvis2003 I wish I could, only i've somehow already got 40 squash plants ;D Probably half a dozen more than I can use
wouldn't risk it anyway, as the pumpkin I had last year was rubbish. Took a lot of effort to get something nice to eat from it
Have you got any newbies at your site that may welcome them to fill a space they havnt cultivated yet? or maybe someone may want to grow them for their kids for halloween? im trying some rogues on the compost heap this year,dont expect much success though cos its under trees/shade
i'll certainly give away any of the kosher ones I have spare, but not the rogue ones. I've grown from saved seed before and they were invariably disappointing, almost to the point of being inedible ???
Yes squashes cross-polinate a lot don't they? I've heard the crosses are often tough and tasteless. Not a nice present for a newbie! ;D
I've also had problems growing coriander where I want it, but it flourishes where it lands by accident. I think it knows its own mind. ::)
My squash bed problem is that I haven't sown my squash yet..... down to do betwen tomorrow AM and BH Monday
chrisc
So glad to hear that Chris. Ditto ;).