You can sow indoors or outdoors, too, giving you flexibility to choose the method best suited to the space and time available. To sow marrows outdoors, put them about 2. We recommend planting 2 or 3 for each plant you want, all in the same hole. Cover each with plastic, netting, a cloche or similar to keep pests away, and aim to leave them undisturbed for a couple of weeks after germination.
Before the next step, remove all but the strongest seedling. To sow marrows indoors, sow individual seeds about 15mm deep in pots at least 8cm deep. Lay the seeds on their sides. Marrows need special planting pockets prepared before you plant them out. This involves scooping out about 15 inches squared width, height, depth of soil and filling with compost.
Do this a couple of weeks before you plan to plant out your marrow seedlings, to ensure the young plant has all the nutrients it needs as soon as it hits the ground. For one week leave the plants outdoors during the day and bring indoors overnight. Then, the next week, leave outdoors in a very sheltered spot for the whole week.
They need a warm, sunny position, out of cold winds, with rich, moisture-retentive soil. Marrows are easy to grow from seed. They are best started off indoors in pots, but you can also sow them outdoors in the spot where they are to grow. Sow the seeds individually on their side, 1. Then sow two or three seeds in the centre, 2. Cover with a cloche, jar or plastic, and leave the covering in place for two weeks, or as long as possible, after germination.
If more than one seed germinates, remove the smaller, weaker seedlings to leave just the strongest one. If you buy in late May or early June, they can usually be planted outdoors straight away check with the shop when you buy them , as long as there is no longer any risk of frost. Indoor-raised plants must be hardened off acclimatised to outdoor conditions before planting outside in June.
Do this by moving young plants into a coldframe for a week. Then the following week, leave them out in a sheltered spot all day and night. Marrows need a sunny spot and rich soil, so prepare the planting site for indoor-raised plants as follows:.
Then plant one marrow in the centre. Plant one or two per bag or one per container. Marrows are thirsty plants and need regular and generous watering as they grow. When you water, try not to splash the leaves. A useful tip is to sink a 15cm 6in pot into the ground alongside your plant. The difference is the varieties are bred for purpose.
Our bestselling books for growing success! Search Allotment Garden Articles. Sowing and Growing Marrow Marrows are cultivated in the same way as courgettes, except that the fruits are left on the plant to develop and limited to four per plant. They need a lot of food and water. Commonly planted on heaps of decayed manure, garden refuse or turf, but it may be grown on the level ground or even on a trellis or arch. In the latter position the flowers are well exposed to sunshine and air, and are therefore likely to bear fruits more freely than when the plants are grown on a mound of rich soil where the growth is so vigorous that the flowers are hidden among the large leaves.
Failure of the fruits to form - If the marrows or courgettes do not form, which is a common complaint ,especially in a dull, damp summer and you find the crop disappointing; this is mostly due to planting in too rich a soil or a somewhat too shady place, failure to fertilize the blooms, and to the flowers being smothered by the too luxuriant leafage.
If it is very cold, wet or windy while the plants are flowering then natural pollination is less likely to be successful. Hand pollination is the best method in these circumstances. To hand pollinate, remove the petals from a male flower; push the core into the centre of the female flower.
If grown entirely in a heated greenhouse marrow seed can be sown in situ in late winter, or early spring for transplanting to a cloche or cold frame. If you do not have any glass, then delay sowing marrow seed until late spring to avoid damage from heavy frost. A minimum temperature of 10c 50F will be needed for germination, which can be supplied in the greenhouse, glazed porch, or cold frame.
Sow the seeds singly 1. Sow the seeds on edge, not flat. Germination should take place days later. But if temperatures are higher you could expect sprouting in days. After germination the young plants will grow very quickly and will need re —potting almost at once.
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