Growing Courgettes

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Sowing & Growing Courgettes

1. Two weeks before planting or sowing seed outdoors, make planting pockets 90cm (3ft) apart for courgettes, 1.2m (4ft) for marrows, 90 cm (3ft) for bush plants of summer squashes and 1.5m (5ft) for trailing plants of summer squashes.

2. For indoor-raised seedlings, plant outside on top of your planting pocket in early June, hardening off (acclimatising) before doing so. Do this by moving them into a coldframe for a week or if you don’t have a coldframe, move plants outdoors during the day, then bring in at night for a week, then the following week, leave them out in a sheltered spot all day and night.

You can also grow courgettes, marrows and summer squashes in growbags or containers (at least 45cm/18in wide). Plant one or two per growbag, or one per container.

3. Keep the soil constantly moist by watering around the plants, not over them. They need plenty of water, so sink a 15cm (6in) pot alongside the plants when planting out.

4. Feed every 10-14 days with a high potash liquid fertiliser once the first fruits start to swell.

Examples: Any of the quality Tomato Liquid Feeds

Category: Recipes

Fagiolini in Umido

This is a great dish to use some of the abundant Green Beans that should be available in the summer months Fagiolini in Umido is an Italian dside dish simply means Green Beans cooked in Tomato.

Oca or Potato Homity Pie Recipe

Homity Pie

Homity pie is a traditional British open vegetable pie. The pastry case traditionally contains a filling of potatoes and an onion and leek mixture, which is then covered with cheese. It has a history that dates back to the efforts of the Land girls of the Second World War and the restrictions imposed by wartime rationing.

Rhubarb & Custard Cocktail

Rhubarb & custard cocktail
An elegant vodka-based drink that'll wow your guests - it's made with creamy advocaat iqueur and homemade fruit syrup

Category: The Growing Season

Jobs to do in June

Summer should be here!

Usually the risk of frost has passed by now, and with longer days there comes more sunshine and time to be in your allotment. If the weather is dry, then water your seed drills well before sowing any seeds – this way the young plants will develop a good root system.

Jobs to do in April

Spring should be here but watch out for frosts!

Sow seed outdoors
Vegetable growing really takes off this month. Chit and plant out second early potatoes in the first half of the month, maincrop potatoes in the second half. It's also time to sow seed outdoors in well-prepared soil.

The Growing Season

The Growing Season varies in different parts of the United Kingdom, but in Hatfield Peverel we are blessed with a milder climate and enjoy a longer season than many parts of the country.

In this section of the web site I have tried to separate the season out into monthly sections to help and guide you through the most popular tasks and crops regularly grown on the allotment site, but if you would like a feature made of a particular vegetable or task, please get in touch and I will do my best to add it to the web site for you.

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