Giant Marrows - advice/seeds

[ava_banana]

Hello all. ;D

As some of you may know I am the not-very-good-at-gardening other half of EmmaJane (EJ).

After her fantastic success at our local Horticultural vegetable/flower show I would like to try my hand at something next year.

I would like to see if I can grow an enooooooorrrrrmmmooooouuusss Marrow.

Does anyone have any specific recommenations on seeds (or even any spare "giant" variety seeds that I could perhaps beg).

Anyone any tips/tricks for that extra-special-plumped-up-heavy marrow?

All advice/info gratefully received.

Happy growing!

[ava_banana]

[moonbells]

First of all, get hold of some trailing marrow seeds. T&M do some. Long green trailing or something like.

Sow early with heat, but be prepared to coddle them indoors for a few weeks.

Plant out the seedlings when you are *sure* there's no more frost (assuming that the show's September time) so they run no risk at all of being checked. Then plant out on a lot of manure. Some people swear by mounds, other dig pits so the water all runs into the bottom. The first one could dry out, the second could rot off, depending on weather. Try both?

When the first flower sets, waterfeedwaterfeedwaterfeedwater until the show. Nip off any other flowers and fruit from that plant in the meantime.

In my experience, they get yea big and then stop growing due to some check or other, so once one's on the way, keep watering! An old trick used by my grandad was to thread some candlewick through the stem near the plant, and stick the other end in a sunken jam jar. Keep that topped up with more water or water+sugar, so it feeds itself in addition to your watering every day!

If it starts going yellow, it won't grow any more, so you might as well concentrate on another plant in case it beats your first one. Then just pick the biggest up come the show! Don't cut off the plant until the very last minute as they start to lose weight through evaporation once cut and you don't want that!

moonbells (marrow addict)

[ava_banana]

Thanks Moonbells....that is the sort of thing I am after....inside knowledge... ;D ;D