Sweetcorn needs a favourable position, in full sun, as it is tender and needs a long growing season. A sheltered site will protect the tall plants from being blown over or damaged by heavy rain. Any reasonable soil will do but avoid extremely wet or dry. The roots go deep into the soil, so dig the area over well and add plenty of well-rotted organic matter.

It is a myth that sweetcorn cannot be grown north of a line from the Bristol Channel to the Wash. Trials over several seasons at Harlow Carr Botanic Gardens in Harrogate found that most varieties produced a reasonable crop so long as they were started off under glass by April.

CALENDAR

April
In the mildest areas, sweetcorn can be sown directly in the soil, but it is better to sow in pots to get a head start. Sow one seed per 7-cm pot. Use tall pots if possible to avoid disturbing the main root when you plant out later. Germinate the seed somewhere warm. Sweetcorn needs a minimum temperature of 15°C, but the higher the temperature, the faster it will grow. Sometimes the seed is treated with a fungicide and colored pink or blue. Do not leave such seeds lying around if you have young children.

May
If the ground is not already rich in organic matter, fork in a little balanced fertilizer before planting.

Gradually get plants used to outdoor conditions by standing them outside on warm days and bringing them indoors on cold nights. Delay planting out until all danger of frost has passed (in most years this means from the middle of the month in the South or in mild areas. In the North or in cold areas, wait until June). Cover the plants with cloches or garden fleece to protect the young plants from late frosts and cold winds.

Because sweetcorn is a member of the grass family and is wind-pollinated, it is usually grown in blocks, rather than straight rows. Growing in blocks of at least nine plants (three by three) should ensure that pollen from the male flowers at the top of the plant reaches the female tassels that produce the kernels. Poor germination will lead to poorly filled, gappy cobs.

Place the plants 35cm apart to give you roughly two cobs per plant. With a spacing of 30cm each, you may get only one cob per plant.

To cut down on weeding later, you can plant sweetcorn through a sheet mulch. One that allows rain through is best.

June
Plant out in colder areas after the last frost date. Weed between young plants if necessary.

July
When flowering begins and the grains are swelling, give plants a thorough soak once or twice rather than just wetting the soil surface. On warm, windless days, give plants a gentle nudge to release the pollen from the taller male flowers.

August
In windy areas, use a hoe to heap earth around the stems to stop the plants blowing over as the cobs start to ripen.

September
Keep harvesting but stop once the grains are doughy when pressed with your nail. This is a sign that the cobs are overripe.

October
Pull up the harvested plants and put the remains on the compost heap.

HARVESTING

Harvest when the tassels on the cobs start to shrivel. Peel back the leafy sheaf and gently press your thumbnail into a grain. If the cob is ready, a creamy liquid will squirt out. If the liquid is watery, leave the cob a few days and test it again. Once picked, use as soon as possible. Sweetcorn is usually boiled and served with butter and seasoning but it is also delicious cooked in its husk, either under the grill or on a barbecue.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Sweet Corn
• How to Cook Corn on a Gas Grill

Shallots are widely used in cooking, especially in France, where small onions are preferred. Although they lack the strong smell of onions and do not make your eyes water, the taste is often more intense yet sweeter than that of onions, and they are used where delicate flavours are needed. The leaves are sometimes used as a substitute for chives, and in country areas shallots are often used as a substitute for pickling onions.

Shallots are a small form of onion, but instead of growing as single bulbs they tend to grow in bunches or clusters. The shapes and colours of shallots vary considerably, and France in particular has a great number of cultivars. Some are torpedo-shaped, others are rounded. The colour varies from yellows through browns to reds, and flavours range from delicate to strong.

CULTIVATION

An open, sunny position is required for growing shallots, and a light soil, which has been dug and manured during the previous autumn, is preferable. In the northern hemisphere the traditional day for planting shallots in many regions is Boxing Day, but this is too early for most areas, and late winter or early spring is a better time. Set them out in rows, planting the individual bulbs at 1 5-18cm/6-7in intervals. Use a dibber or trowel, and bury the bulbs so that only the tips are showing. The rows should be 30cm/12in apart. Keep weeded. Water in early summer if necessary.

HARVESTING

When the foliage shrivels in midsummer, ease the shallots from the soil with a fork. Place them on staging in a greenhouse or on racks of wire netting to dry. Once the leaves have completely dried, remove any dirt and dead foliage and break them up into individual bulbs before leaving to dry further.

STORAGE

Place shallots on wire racks or trays or in netting bags. Store them in a dark, cool but frost-free place, such as a cellar or garage. They should keep through the winter. Check on them regularly and throw out any that show signs of rotting.

PESTS AND DISEASES

On the whole, shallots are relatively trouble tree, but they may succumb to the same problems in terms of pests and diseases as onions. The main pest is likely to be onion eelworm, which produces distorted leaves. Onion fly may also be a problem. They lay their eggs in the bulbs, and the maggots then go on to eat the shallots, turn¬ing the leaves yellow and eventually killing them. Companion planting with parsley is a traditional deterrent. In both cases you will have to burn or destroy any infected bulbs.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Shallots
• How to Create Your Own Vegetable Garden

Neither rocket (arugula) nor lamb’s lettuce (mache) is new- indeed, both have been eaten for centuries – but their popularity seems to be on the increase, particularly in the United States, where numerous varieties are available. The choice is also increasing in Europe, where it has always been particularly popular in France, from where many of the varieties come.

Young rocket (arugula) leaves have a sharp taste, and the older the leaves, the bolter and spicier the taste. They are usually eaten raw in salads, but older leaves are sometimes cooked, and the dowers can be eaten too. They make an excellent winter crop. Lamb’s lettuce (mache) is also used as a winter crop. The leaves are milder than those of rocket, and it is also much slower growing, taking up to 12 weeks before being ready to cut, compared with three weeks for rocket.

Several other leaves can be grown, each needing similar cultivation to rocket (arugula) and lambs lettuce (mache). The leaves of land cress (Barbarea vernci) have a similar flavour to watercress. Mustard {Brassica liirtu) and the similar lasting salad rape (Brassica napus) are also worth growing. Cress (Lepidium sativum), also known as garden or curly cress, can be grown to complement the other leaves, and winter purslane (Claytonia perfoliata) is another mild leaf for the salad bowl.

CULTIVATION

All these salad leaves are plants for a cool climate and will rapidly run to seed in hotter areas. Because of this and because other salad materials tire scarce at that time, they are mainly grown for autumn and winter use. In cooler areas they can be sown in spring for summer use. Although they are hardy, they need to be protected by cloches to be at their best.

Both rocket (arugula) and lambs lettuce are sown in late summer; rocket can also be sown in early autumn. Sow in drills 1 cm deep and 30 cm apart. Thin the resulting seedlings to 15 cm apart for rocket and l0 cm for lamb’s lettuce. Keep lettuces watered if the weather is dry. Cover with cloches in late autumn or early winter.

HARVESTING

Either pick individual leaves or cut oil the tot as soon as they are large enough. They will sprout again.

STORAGE

Both plants should be picked as required because they will not store.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Both plants should be free of both pests and diseases, although rocket (arugula) may be attacked by flea beetle. If the tell-tale marks appear on the leaves, dust with derris.

Further Readings:

• HOW TO GROW EDIBLE PLANTS IN YOUR KITCHEN GARDEN
• How to Grow Salad Leaves

Trenching and adding well-rotted organic matter will help to retain moisture on light soil. Take out a trench about 25cm deep and 30cm wide, piling the soil to one side. Add a generous layer of organic matter and plant the tubers into this. Refill the trench and leave any surplus soil for earthing up later.

CALENDAR

January-February
Unpack seed potatoes straight away and start them into growth. Meanwhile, prepare the ground if you did not do so before Christmas. Dig the area deeply to loosen it and if you have well-rotted manure available, work this in at the same time. You can leave the surface fairly rough. On light soils it can be worthwhile preparing a trench but this is not essential on most soils.

March
Plant early varieties in milder areas, but wait until early April in colder areas.

April
Plant earlies in colder areas and follow with second earlies and maincrops by the end of the month.

Scatter a little balanced fertilizer over the area. Plant tubers about 15cm deep and about 40cm apart. Allow 75cm between rows of maincrops and 45cm between rows of early varieties.

When the first shoots appear above the surface, start to draw earth from between the rows over the centre of the row, to cover the shoots. Earthing up encourages underground shoots and hence more tubers. It also prevents tubers pushing above the surface and turning green, and protects young shoots from frost. Aim for a flat, round-topped ridge about 30cm across and 25cm high.

May
Cover the foliage, if frost is predicted, with garden fleece, cloches, straw or sacking. The foliage is easily blackened or killed by frost and the yield will be reduced.

June-July
Early potatoes will benefit from a thorough soaking each week in dry weather and when the tubers are swelling.

Do not water maincrops until later in the summer when the tubers are forming – you will only encourage leaves. Maincrop varieties can be given a scattering of general fertilizer along the row. Watch for the first symptoms of blight and aphids, which can infect the plants with virus.

When flowers start to appear, give maincrop potatoes a thorough soaking in dry weather.

September-October
Lift maincrop potatoes. Delaying beyond this time gives the slugs a chance to damage them, and the weather may deteriorate. Choose a day when the soil is fairly dry.

Further Readings:

• HOW TO GROW POTATOES
• How to Grow Potatoes

HOW TO START SEED POTATOES

Lay the tubers out in trays, with the ‘rose’ end – the one with the greatest concentration of eyes – uppermost. Place the trays in a cool, dry place with good light but not direct sunlight. After a few weeks, sprouts will start to grow.

This process, known as chitting, helps to start the tubers into growth and gains a few precious weeks while the soil is too cold for them to grow outdoors. Rub off all but the four strongest sprouts at the rose end.

HOW TO GET A SECOND CROP

You can make a second planting of early tubers in summer for an autumn crop of new potatoes. Specially treated tubers are available by mail-order for planting in July, but these are expensive. The first crop of earlies (planted in spring) will not usually sprout in time for a second planting the same year. So, here is a way you can cheat.

When you plant your early potatoes in spring, keep some tubers back. Spread them out in a tray and leave them somewhere cool and dry but with good light. They will develop short, fat, green sprouts. Keep a watch for aphids, which may introduce viruses. If necessary, cover the tubers with garden fleece to keep aphids off.

In early June, pot each tuber into a 15-cm pot and keep it well watered in a sheltered spot outside. The tubers, though shrivelled, will burst into growth.

From late June onwards, when you have space in containers or in the vegetable plot, dig a hole large enough to take the potato plant. Bury the base of the shoots, too.

The tubers should be ready in October or November and can be left in situ for use at Christmas.

CALENDAR

February
Seed potatoes (tubers for planting) are often sold in 3-kg bags. If you need just a couple of tubers, look for garden centres that sell loose ones by weight and ask if they will sell you single tubers. Failing that, you could ask a gardening friend for a couple of spare tubers. You can grow any variety in a container, but an early variety is best because it crops quicker and has less top growth.

March
In mild areas, or if you have a frost-free greenhouse or other place that is light and frost-free, plant your tubers. If you cannot guarantee to keep the plants frost-free, plant next month.

April
Prepare your container. This can be a large pot or tub with a capacity of at least ten litres. A plastic dustbin works well, too. Make some large drainage holes in the bottom if there aren’t any. Line the bottom with a layer of stones or broken polystyrene to help drainage. Half-fill the container with compost. You could use multipurpose compost, the contents of a growing bag or garden compost. To save money, you could mix the compost with garden topsoil.

Plant the sprouted tuber with a trowel, so that it is covered with compost. One tuber to a 10-15-litre pot, or two to a dustbin, is plenty. As the plants grow, keep adding more compost to just cover the tips. If frost is forecast, cover the pot with garden fleece or bring it indoors.

May
It should be safe to leave the potatoes outdoors in milder areas, but in colder parts continue to watch out for frosts. Keep the containers moist, but not too wet. Keep adding compost until it almost reaches the rim of the container.

June-July
Water regularly and feed a couple of times with a balanced fertilizer.

If you have saved tubers from the spring, plant them in containers now for a late crop of new potatoes. You can re-use the container after harvesting the first crop. Refresh the compost by replacing about half with fresh compost and add a handful of balanced fertilizer.

September – December
When frost is predicted, cover second crops of early potatoes with garden fleece, or pull the container under cover. If you want new potatoes for Christmas, simply leave the tubers in the container after the tops have died back and keep them somewhere frost-free.

HARVESTING

When the plants start to flower, tubers will be starting to form. Push your hand into the compost and feel for tubers. When you can feel several the size of a hen’s egg, pull them out but leave the plant to produce more. When the top dies down, tip the compost out and collect the tubers.

Both sweet peppers and chillies can be trained easily into neat, bushy plants and yield enough ripe fruits to more than pay for a prime site in a container on the patio. Chilli plants are particularly decorative, and just one plant should keep even the keenest chilli-eater supplied all winter. In a greenhouse, both types will grow happily with the tomatoes.

You should find young plants for sale in garden centres, but for considerable saving, and the greatest choice of variety, grow your own from seed.

CALENDAR

March
Sow two seeds to a 9-cm pot. You will need a heated propagator or at least a warm windowsill, where you can maintain a constant temperature of 20°C.

April
Gradually wean the seedlings, reducing the temperature to a minimum of 14°C at night. If both seeds germinate, remove the weaker one.

May
As the plants begin to fill their small pots, pot them on into 2-litre pots of multipurpose compost (or growing bag compost).

June
Pot the plants on into 5-litre pots. This final pot should be sufficient to produce neat, manageable plants. When the plants reach about 20cm high, pinch out the growing tip with your finger and thumb to encourage them to branch and bush out. Vigorous varieties may require further pinching to keep them bushy. Sweet peppers can also be planted directly into a greenhouse border or growing bags and trained as cordons in the same way as tomatoes.

Remove the first fruit that forms, to encourage branching and further fruits to develop.

July
Sweet peppers may need some support once the fruits start to swell, but chillies should look after themselves. During this period you may need to water the plants twice a day on hot days. After the first flowers start to form, feed regularly with a tomato fertilizer, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It is also worth moving the plants out of a greenhouse to a sunny position outside.

September
Peppers are sensitive to frost. If the fruits are still developing, move outdoor plants under cover at night.

HARVESTING

Pick peppers and chillies when they are ripe but while the skin is still smooth – avoid those with wrinkled skins. Fruits store well and will keep for up to ten days in the fridge. Wash cut fruit, and remove the seeds with a knife before eating.

Surplus chillies can be stored by drying or freezing. In tropical countries, ripe chillies are dried in the sun, but in the UK climate, it is much harder to dry them completely. The long, slim types with thin walls are best for drying. It is also possible to dry chillies in an oven on the lowest setting for 24 hours or more.

By far the easiest way to store chillies for winter use is to freeze them. The chemical capsaicin, which is responsible for the heat, is present in the flesh but is concentrated in the seeds and the membrane surrounding them. Removing the seeds and core will reduce the heat.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Bell Peppers
• HOW TO GROW BELL PEPPERS

Taller varieties are likely to crop over a longer period than the shorter varieties from a single sowing. However, by making several sowings of the shorter varieties throughout the summer, you can prolong cropping. An alternative is to make one sowing of an early and a maincrop variety.

CALENDAR

February
In mild areas, it is worth making an early sowing under cloches or garden fleece. Take precautions against mice. In colder areas, start peas off in small pots or modular trays in the greenhouse or coldframe.

March
Sow tall peas for the ornamental border in pots under cover. Sow a couple of seeds per 7-cm pot and do not worry if more than one comes up.

Make the first outdoor sowings in milder areas. Peas are normally sown in wide (10cm) drills about 2.5-5cm deep. Sow seed thinly, aiming for one every 5cm each way. If you prefer, sow single rows with seeds 5cm apart or triple rows with seeds 12cm apart. Allow 60cm between adjacent rows or bands, slightly more for taller varieties.

All but the very dwarf varieties will need support of some kind. Tall varieties will need very solid supports. Twiggy branches called pea sticks are the traditional solution – simply push them into the rows.

April
Make outdoor sowings in colder areas, cover with garden fleece if severe weather is forecast. Peas will germinate at 4°C, but nearer 10°C is preferable. Try growing a crop in a container. Aim for 8 plants to a 10-litre pot, sowing a few more seed to allow for failures. Push a couple of twiggy sticks into the pot for support.

May
The earliest crop should be ready. Pick frequently, removing all the pods that are ready. Leaving pods on the plants for too long will shorten the cropping season.

June
Peas that are in flower now are at risk from pea moth but peas sown now should escape damage.

July
Later crops are still at risk from pea moth. It may be worth a very late sowing in milder areas: use an early variety.

August-September
Keep picking over later sowings regularly. When the crop is finished, cut the tops off the plants at ground level and leave the roots with their nodules to fertilise the next crop.

October-November
Now is the time to sow the hardiest varieties for a very early crop the following spring. These plants are guaranteed to be free of pea moth.

Spare borders in the greenhouse can be used for an overwintering crop of mangetout peas – they will be well out of the way when you need the space for tomatoes.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Peas
• How to Grow Runner Beans

There is not much to see of the parsnip above ground, except for its inedible leaves. It is the large, swollen root that is the part that is eaten. Some varieties, especially when they are in light, fertile soil, can grow very big, to 45cm or even longer. For most purposes, however, smaller roots are more than adequate.

There are more than 30 different varieties of parsnip. They differ little from each other, although some are more resistant to canker, while others have less hard cores. Certainly, none is more decorative than any other, cither in the garden or on the plate. Ultimately, your choice of variety will be based on which grows best for you and which taste you prefer, although, in truth, there is not a great deal of difference.

CULTIVATION

An open, sunny position is required. Parsnips can be grown in heavy soils, but they prefer light ones, and although they do best in a fertile soil, do not sow them on freshly manured ground (the parsnips fork) Sow in soil that was manured the previous season or dug in the autumn. Always use fresh seed; last year’s is unlikely to germinate. The seed should be station sown at 15-20cm intervals in 1cm drills. The rows should be 30cm apart. Do not sow too early – the soil should be at least 7°C/45°F — but they do need a long growing season, so sow as soon as you can. Parsnips are slow to germinate so sow a few radishes between the stations of parsnips. These will appear quickly and mark the line of the rows, making it easier to hoe without acci-dentally disturbing the germinating parsnips.

In heavy or stony soils the parsnips may fork and produce stunted growth, rather than the desired conical shape. To avoid this, make holes with a crowbar at each sowing station, moving it in a circle to make an inverted conical hole in the ground. Fill this with potting compost (soil mix) or good loam and sow the seeds in this.

Thin the seeds to one to each station as soon as they are big enough to handle. Keep free from weeds. Water in dry spells because sudden rain after a prolonged dry spell may cause the roots to split. In very cold climates cover the rows of parsnips with straw during the winter.

HARVESTING

Parsnips can be harvested from autumn onwards. Although they can be harvested before the leaves die back, most gardeners wait for this. Many gardeners also wait until alter the first frosts, because these make parsnips taste sweeter. Dig the roots from the ground with a fork. In heavy soil or if the parsnips have deep roots, take care or the fork may slash through the Mesh rather than lilting it out of the ground.

STORAGE

Parsnips are very hardy and should be left in the ground until they are required. If a frosty spell is forecast, however, it can he a good idea to lift a few while you can still get them out of the ground, and place them in trays of just-moist peat (peat moss) or sand until they are required. They are a late crop and may be harvested in spring well beyond the time that the ground may require preparing for the next crops. The parsnips can he dug up and temporarily heeled into another piece of ground or stored in sand or peat as described.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Parsnips can be attacked by such pests as celery fly or carrot flies, but on the whole they are usually pest free.

Parsnips are also prone to canker, but you can help reduce the chances of this occurring by choosing one of the increasing number of varieties that have been grown with a resistance to this problem.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Parsnip

Traditionally, the large, round onions that are mainly used for cooking are grown from sets, which are small bulbs that have started their life during the previous season when they were sown as seed by seed merchants, they are harvested at the end of their first season, when they are approximately 1-2.5cm in diameter. They are then either sold loose or, as is more frequently the case these days, they are pre-packaged and bought by weight or, less often, by number.

Some varieties can be grown from seed as long as they are sown early enough, and this usually means sowing under glass in midwinter in order to get a sufficiently long growing season. Another group, known as Japanese onions, has been developed for sowing as seed or for planting out as sets in autumn for harvesting earlier than sets planted out in spring. Smaller bulb onions are either shallots or pickling onions. Pickling onions are small, round onions that are grown from seed.

There are over one hundred different varieties of onion available. They can be broken down into three basic types accord¬ing to colour: golden-brown, red and white. Most are round, but some varieties are torpedo-shaped. The main criteria — unless you are growing for showing, when unifor¬mity and appearance are important – are taste and storage qualities. Golden varieties are generally best for storing, but the reds and whites provide, respectively, sweeter and milder flavours.

CULTIVATION

Onions should be planted in an open position in a light soil that has been manured during the previous autumn, Plant the sets out in early spring. Some varieties are heat treated, which prevents them from bolting, and they can be planted out later, in mid- to late spring when the soil is warmer. Plant them at 10cm/4in intervals in rows that are spaced about 30cm/12in apart. Plant with a dibber and cover the bulbs so that only the tips are showing.

Spring-sown seed can be sown in trays under glass in midwinter. Harden off and plant out in rows in mid-spring. Sow Japan¬ese onions directly in beds in late summer or plant out as sets in early autumn. Keep the plants weed free. There is generally no need to water unless the summer is particularly dry.

HARVESTING

Onion bulbs can be lifted at any point in their growth for immediate use. However, for storage they must be fully developed, and the foliage should be beginning to die back. This is usually in late summer (mid¬summer for Japanese onions). As the foliage begins to turn yellow, lift each bulb slightly with a fork so that the roots start to break. Two weeks later carefully lift the bulbs. Clean off any soil and place them in a sunny, dry place to finish drying. A green¬house is ideal, but if they are placed out¬side, move them under cover at night or if rain threatens.

STORAGE

Tie the onions into ropes or place them in net bags or on trays. Store them in a cool but frost-tree place, such as a cellar, garage or shed. Check regularly, throwing out any that show signs of rotting.

PESTS AND DISEASES

The main pest is onion fly, whose maggots eat the onions, turning the leaves yellow and eventually killing them. Sets are less susceptible to onion fly than seed-grow n onions are. Rum or destroy any affected bulbs. Onion eelworm produce distorted leaves. Again, burn or destroy affected plants.

Various fungal diseases, such as neck rot and white rot, can affect the bulbs. Destroy all infected bulbs.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Spring Onions (Scallions)
• How to Grow Onions

The history of the marrow (zucchini) is not really known, and although they came to Europe from North America, there are no longer any native species that correspond to the plants we grow today. The marrow reached Europe in the 16th century and has been grown ever since. The idea of eating immature marrows as courgettes (zucchini) is a relatively recent development.

There are two types of marrows (zucchini): trailing and bush. The trailing forms throw out long stems that cover a great deal of space, and can be trained over a trellis or archway. The fruits appear at intervals along the stems. Bush varieties are much more compact, and the fruits grow from the cen¬tral cluster of stems. They take up less space and are far better plants for small gardens. Courgettes (zucchini) are usually only grow n as bushes; marrows are grown as either type.

In recent years courgettes (zucchini) have become much more popular than marrows, partly because many people find that marrows are watery and bland and partly because, as families have become smaller, a whole marrow is difficult to dispose of in one sitting. However, marrows still have their devotees, and there are some wry tasty ways of cooking them.

Courgettes (zucchini), on the other hand, are not only a more convenient size but, being immature, they do not dissolve into pulp quite so readily when they are cooked. They also have a more positive flavour. Nearly everybody who grow s courgettes accidentally leaves at least one on the plant, which develops into a marrow (zucchini), so there is even, opportunity of trying both. The flowers can also be eaten, either raw or cooked.

Marrows (zucchini) were traditionally grown on compost heaps. The heaps or bins were made up during winter and spring, topped with earth and left until the following autumn before being spread. The high concentration of rich, fibrous material meant that moisture and nutrients were in abundant supply, creating the ideal conditions for these plants during the summer growing season. They can, of course, be grown in ordinary vegetable plots, but using the compost heap does save space, which can be used for other crops.

CULTIVATION

Marrows and courgettes (zucchini) like an open, sunny situation and a rich, moisture-retentive soil. As noted above, they can be grown on the compost heap or in a bed that has been heavily manured during the previous autumn. They are host tender, so plants should not be put outside before the last frosts have passed, unless they are protected with cloches.

Plants can be raised under glass by sowing the Hat seed edgeways in individual pots or in modules in late spring or sown direct in the soil in early summer. Germination is speeded up by soaking the seed in water overnight. Keep seed that has been planted in the open warm by covering the soil with a jamjar or cloche until the seed has germinated. Sow two seeds at each position and remove the weaker if both germinate. Even if you sow in the open, sow a few in pots as insurance against sudden cold weather or the ravages of slugs.

Bush types can be left to develop by themselves but trailing varieties may need to be trimmed back if they get too vigorous. They can be left to trail outwards, like the spokes of a wheel, if there is enough space or they can be trained round in a circle, if the stems are pegged down as they grow. If they are grown up a trellis or some other support, the shoots must be tied in regularly. Towards the end of summer remove the tips of each shoot. Keep well watered.

HARVESTING

Courgettes (zucchini) are best harvested while they are still young – that is, when they are about 10cm long – but in practice they can be harvested at any time, and circumstances usually dictate that they are picked at any stage between being a cour-gette and a small marrow (zucchini). If they are left on the plant, courgettes will eventu¬ally develop into full marrows and can be cut at any time until the first frosts. Whatever the size of the crop, cut through the stem 2cm or more away from the fruit.

STORAGE

Courgettes (zucchini) are difficult to store for more than a few days and are best eaten fresh from the plant. They can be frozen, although they become less firm. Marrows (zucchini), in contrast, will last for several weeks after picking, especially it they have been left to mature and ripen. Pick marrows at the end of the season, before the first frosts, and then store them in a frost-free place for several weeks, on trays or hanging in net bags.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Although generally trouble live, slugs are the most severe problem, eating right through the stem it not checked.

Cucumber mosaic virus is the most common disease, causing mottled leaves and distorted fruit. The plant should be burned or destroyed. In some years powdery mildew is also a problem; rightly or wrongly gardeners tend to ignore it.

Further Readings:

• How to Grow Marrow
• How to Grow Courgettes