Grumblings From the Greenhouse

What's a girl have to do around here to get cucumber seeds to successfully germinate?
I wouldn't mind but I never even used to like cucumber all that much. It always reminded me of the thin curled up sandwiches that were always left untouched at childrens parties. Then a couple of years ago my neighbour gave me a plant and I discovered how truly fragrant and tasty a real, homegrown cucumber can be. Last year we planted just 2 seeds and from those we grew two strong and healthy, rapid fruit producing plants. It was so easy. So what's going on this year?  Twice now we have sown cucumber seeds and from this we have only had a success rate of 1. To rub salt into the wound, even this success was short lived. Long and tall and lanky it grew. It didn't look a healthy specimen at all. Mr Notebook even went to the trouble of making it a small wire support (like those usually twisted around gerberas! I kid you not!) in a last ditched attempt to save our one successful seedling. This morning's visit to the greenhouse finds the seedling has given up all hope and lays keeled over in a small and sorrowful heap.

My courgettes aren't doing much better either. To think only a few weeks ago I so proudly posted about my first courgette seedling - well now, let's make that 'only' courgette seedling! What happened to the others? There's no sign of life anywhere. To add to my concerns my 'first' and 'only' courgette plant now has yellowing to the leaves and so I beg you all - help! please help! I do not want to lose this plant. Is this something that I should be concerned about? Or is it normal? What can I do?

On the positive side, things are looking up for my sweet peas. I have been very brave this year and have been quite brutal in my pinching out technique. This seems to have worked and the plants are starting to look quite stocky and strong. I followed the advice from this Sarah Raven video in which she shows how to pinch out and explains how sweet peas need to be rugby players and not atheletes. I like to think I now have rugby players not atheletes growing in my greenhouse! Even if I'm not eating cucumbers or courgettes this summer I should have some lovely sweet peas to sit and look at!

My Little Seedling

This morning my first courgette seedling appeared. I have been looking at the pots everyday wondering when something would happen (despite only sowing them a week ago!) and although yesterday there was no sign of anything - ping! as if by magic, today there is one big green seedling. And I am surprised how proud this has made me feel! Maybe it's the sheer size of it or maybe it is my previous chequered history with courgette growing.

 They were one of the first veggies I tried to grow - although as with the broccoli our lack of space at the time was my downfall - not to mention my over zealous sowing of 8 plants in the 1ft x 4ft space! It was also the summer of 2007 when it started to rain on the first bank holiday of May and didn't stop until September. So, despite everyone telling me how easy courgettes were to grow I ended up with rotten fruit on mildew covered plants which were so close together I faced an assault by their prickly hairy stems each time I went to harvest them. After this I became quite despondent and courgettes were firmly off my growing list! Then, last year my dad was given a couple of plants for our plot. Planted far apart with lots of space they thrived! Stars of the plot even! So this year I feel the need to prove to myself I can conquer the courgette! And today with my one seedling appearing I feel as if the path to success may lay ahead. This time my courgettes will get the best care and all the space they need!

I am growing courgette Gold Rush so I will let you know how I get on. I'd also be interested to hear what types other people recommend for successful growing.