How big are your squashes?

[Smithagain]

Just wondering how everyone else's veg plants are getting on.

We've got two beds. In one there are lettuces, parsnips, jerusalem artichokes and leeks which are all looking good.

In the other bed, we have courgettes, gherkins and cucumbers. The courgettes are growing reasonably well, but the others look decidedly small. Probably only four or five smallish leaves per plant. We've also got two giant pumpkin plants elsewhere, which are not looking at all gigantic!

Is it a bad year for squashes? Or are we doing something wrong? It's getting worrying because DD1 has challenged a friend to a pumpkin growing competition and her pride is at stake!

There are peas and garlic in the same bed as the courgettes etc, which are growing OK, and it is the bed which had most manure at the beginning of the season, so I don't think it's the soil.

Our squash plants and courgettes are tiny . Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, broad beans and lettuce doing well. Runner beans struggling. (Don't know how much is down to the land only had garden a couple of years and how much the weather but we had great squash plants two years ago...)

Pumpkins and squash all doing very poorly for some reason, some have completely disappeared, and some have failed to germinate. Everything else seems to be doing okay though.

I started harvesting courgettes this week, the plants are quite large probably covering about a square metre each. I'm also growing butternut squashes which aren't doing well - small plants about five smallish leaves per plant - they didn't do well last year either (managed just two avocado sized squashes). This year I'm experimenting with another variety - Crown Prince - as well. These plants are quite big, slightly larger than the courgettes, but although they have plenty of flower buds they've not bloomed yet, so no fruits set - they're also suffering a bit from a blackfly attack at the moment.

The only thing I can think of that might have been wrong for yours is when did you plant them out? They do tend to be very cold sensitive and some people don't advocate putting them outside before June. That said we didn't have any late frosts this year so I don't really know. Hope they improve.

Interesting - it seems we are not the only ones then.

Chaotica - what part of the country are you in? It sounds like you are having a very similar experience.

I don't think they went out too early. May, rather than June, but we're in the south east. I guess it's not been very consistently warm, though - maybe they are suffering from lack of solid warm spells.

We're in the east midlands (so far south it's virtually the south east) -- so not sub-tropical but not to different to you, Smithagain.

Don't think our plants went out too early, some are still in a growhouse thingmy and are still doing badly. Maybe it is the lack of persistent good weather I keep hoping it might get hot again and so they'll catch up. (The year we had loads of squashes was a very hot one we even had melon seeds spontaneously germinating on the compost heap.)

the courgettes and squash we carefully germinated from seed have all but died a death......the random curcubits that were in the compost, on the other hand, are springing up everywhere and are thriving....the flowers are just coming so we'll find out what the hell they are soon I hope!

I have courgette envy too....our neighbours are stonkingly huge and healthy; mine are withered little weeds

I agree that eveything looks a bit small and weedy though, and our peas haven't taken off as well as they have in other years.

My courgette plants are coming along nicely but butternut squash and cucumber plants are still at the really tiddly 2 leaf stage and don't seem to have grown in weeks. I might try some tomato feed on them today

Everything I've planted is a bit crap - but i've never done it before so may well be doing things wrong. That said I have my first tomato flower today and am rediculously pleased with it.

lol nigella, it's really exciting isn't it?

We first grew some potatoes courgettes and sweetcorn two years ago and DS thought it was fantastically exciting and now eats courgettes where he wouldn't touch them before...he was never as enthusiastic about my herb garden though!

This is the first year we have done lots of stuff courtesy of our new and lovely 1.5m x 5m raised veg bed and cheap greenhouse. We realise we may also be making grave mistakes though.

I've got some feed that is for toms, courgettes etc and peppers which seems to be making a difference. the toms in growbags are doing much better than those in the garden.

My squash plants are pretty small - 3 leaves or so - but I planted them quite late.

So glad I asked! We are in our second year of veg growing - but the first year in our own garden. Last year we helped a friend with her allotment, but it was too far away, so we took the plunge and created some raised beds. So it's kind of alarming to see the rather pathetic-looking cucumbers and pumpkins. I guess it's just the dodgy weather.

Will concentrate on chomping through our rather impressive glut of lettuces and hope that things brighten up!

Oooh, this is making me feel better
Our courgettes are reasonable size - first flowers today! Butternut squash still small (5 leaves) & don't seem to have grown at all for WEEKS.
Pumpkins are Ok - forming flower buds & looking quite lush, but probably no more than 8-10 leaves, but they're growing on the compost heaps, so suspect they may be rather overfed

We've been eating courgettes from the polytunnel for the last 2 weeks-in fact I should be looking for a courgette cake recipe instead of typing this.The outdoor ones are very small & have no flowers yet,neither do the outdoor pumpkins.

We are in the East midlands too,Chaotica!

Try chucking some chicken pellets around your squash and courgette plants. Also water really well at least twice a week.

I put some polythene around mine when they looked a bit sick and they've perked up really well. I have squashes the size of tennis balls [smug emoticon].

think we have some of those in the garage...anything is worth a go. I might get some mini poly tunnels as well and see if that helps.

that's chicken pellets, not tennis ball sized squashes

I am in the SW, the courgettes and squash have only really got going over the last week, no fruit yet, feedinf with seaweed feed.

34 DD

Ha HA there was a gal on telly last night with the surname 'DoubleDee'