First Potatoes, Sweetcorn, Cucurbits, Beans

A milestone in the year, our first potatoes. Chitting sweetcorn prior to planting, soaking cucumber seeds before sowing. Optimum temperatures for fast germination of squashes and beans.

Cucurbits sown into pots and now in the propagator.

First Potatoes of 2026

We enjoyed the first home-grown potatoes of the year. I thought they were about a week further away than they turned out to be. In fact, it was pure accident that told me there were potatoes under the surface. I was watering and washed the soil off one. Some delving under the surface revealed enough for a couple of meals, and, literally two hours later we sat down to eat them. Yummy!

They’re Casablanca, a first early, and grown in a raised bed in the polytunnel.

Sweet corn

I chitted a pack of 45 sweet corn seeds, var. Swift. Placed between damp sheets of kitchen roll in a sealed container which was placed on a shelf above a radiator in the lounge, 40 were sprouted and ready to pot up in just four days.

I then planted out the seeds in pots which went on a heat pad in the Eden greenhouse, set to keep the compost at 20ºC for a couple of days. Once a couple of shoots emerged, they came off heat and are now sitting on the bench. Somewhat warmer at night on the bench than on the floor.

The 16 best plants will go into the centre bed in the polytunnel and any decent plants will go outside, in front of the brassica tunnel. That’s got lovely soil now and quite a lot of manure under the surface. It is ideal for hungry plants, which is why the squashes will go into the same bed.

Cucurbits

The squash family, which includes cucumbers, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins and gourds.

Cucumbers

Started with the cucumbers. I’ve a pack of Marketmore which is past the best and a new pack of Mini Munch, quite expensive at nearly 30p a seed. Both were soaked in water at 30ºC for a couple of hours before sowing to improve germination.

Two Mini Munch were sown individually and about 4 Marketmore per pot. They’ll be thinned to one per pot… if they show at all. Then, like all the cucurbits, into the propagator set at 30ºC

The optimum for cucurbits is apparently 35ºC but 30ºC is plenty to awaken them from dormancy.

Squashes and Pumpkin

Next up were the squashes at two per pot:

• Butternut Hunter
• Uchiki Kuri
• Spaghetti
• Pumpkin Wicked

Courgettes

Finally for the propagator, I sowed courgette Defender. A couple of plants will probably produce more than we need, better to have a surplus than a shortage – especially the way things look in the world at the moment.

French Beans

Sowed my climbing French beans into pots. 2 per pot, with a few at 3 per pot to use them up. I could direct sow, especially as they’re going to be in the polytunnel, but I’ve better germination with pots. They’re on the heat pad in the Eden greenhouse, set for 20ºC. Optimum is 27ºC but 20ºC is sufficient to ensure speedy, reliable germination.

I used to go for one plant per string at 15cm spacing, but now I go for two or even three plants. As long as they’ve enough food and water, massive yield from a small space.

Varieties: Cobra and Neckargold