Cucurbits

Cucurbits are courgettes, pumpkins and squash. They are easy to grow as long as they have a rich, fertile soil. Sow seed in pots on the windowsill and plant out from June, when the plants are around the size of your hand and with at least four leaves. You may need to protect young plants from slugs and snails. When flowers appear, feed weekly with an organic tomato feed (you can make your own using comfrey leaves), and water regularly in dry weather. Look out for 22-spot ladybirds, which like to eat the mildew from cucurbit leaves.

Growing courgettes

What?

It’s best to grow at least two courgettes together as this will dramatically improve pollination. You’ll have enough courgettes for a family all season. They are easy to grow in a warm sunny spot and you can grow them in pots or containers. You can start them off inside or sow later in the year straight outside. They are very similar to marrows, but are picked earlier while they are smaller. If you leave the courgettes to grow too big, then you can still pick them but use them in cooking like a marrow!

Where?

Whether started inside or sown outside in early summer, make sure it’s a well-dug bed with lots of lovely compost incorporated to give plants a boost. You can also feed plants with a liquid tomato feed. Watch out for slugs and snails, who love the seedlings!

The seeds are oval-shaped. Make sure you plant them on their sides, not pointing up and down. Plant them about 2 centimetres deep, and keep them well-watered. When they start to grow, don’t get the leaves wet when you are watering them. Keep the soil around them moist. And feed them with tomato fertiliser every few weeks as they grow.

When?

If you are starting them inside, you can sow in little pots from March. Keep them on a sunny windowsill and then if you have a greenhouse, they can go into that from the end of April. In a warm area, sow the seeds directly outside from the end of May or start of June. When the courgettes are about 10 centimetres long, start to pick them. Keep on picking a few a week to encourage even more to grow.