The Veg Plot

Mouse melons on the march

mouse melons growing in pot

Until recently our mouse melon seedlings had each been growing at a different rate, ranging from very slow to static. I began the hardening off process a few weeks ago by placing them outside on one of our less miserable days but even the more advanced plants objected, leading to crispy foliage all round. Since then half of the plants have shown an encouraging recovery and one specimen has, at last, put on a growing spurt.

The stronger plants have now adjusted to life outdoors during the day, but as the weather and resultant slug epidemic has been so bad I’m not yet ready to trust them to full-time life on the allotment. Hopefully a few other plants will increase their rate of growth soon and we can stagger the planting out process to see how they cope. More updates to follow.

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