Finally cucumber seedling success!

Who knew I would struggle to grow just two little seedlings

Last time I posted about cucumbers it hadn’t gone well.  After achieving a lovely tray of seedlings they all died the moment I moved them on and I was at the point of throwing in the towel.

I am happy to report that after a week or so of feeling thoroughly browned off I did manage to pull myself together and try again.  Taking a different tactic, as it was the potting on that killed them I decided to just cut that stage right out.  I threw aside the tray and went straight for pots that I imagine you would call 2-3 inches in size.  Feeling non optimistic I sowed at least two seeds per pot in about five pots in the vain hope that I would get at least one success. 

People, we have cucumbers!  Or we will do, hopefully, one day soon.  We do have seedlings though, and I doubled my optimistic predictions by producing two.  Two pots did absolutely nothing, and the other three had one seedling each.  One got carried away with itself and during its germination period indoors shot up and went limp and dangly despite my vain efforts to splint it, but the other two are doing just fine.  Strong and small I think they might actually make it.  They have even started producing their first proper leaves, and I couldn’t be more delighted.  How sad is my life.  I have slug pelleted them within an inch of their lives so hopefully they won’t end up being brunch for one of my slimey friends who are merrily munching their way through all my plants currently.

The variety I have been sowing is Mr Fothergills (yes another of the batch from Chelsea last year) Marketmore 76, up there for the winner of the snappiest named plant ever, it just rolls of the tongue doesn’t it.  It promises to be ‘prolific’ which is all I ask for.  Can we take one second to appreciate how awful the picture on the front, supposedly selling this hopefully wonderful cucumber to the buyer is?   If you weren’t as much of a fan as I am I think that could put you right off.  I know outdoor cucumbers are hardly beauties with all their nobbles and prickles but I think this could have been taken in a far more flattering light.  My cucumber production line is starting to take shape!