Sensational squash family, resilient salad leaves and succession sowing
Sow squashes
I adore pumpkins, courgettes and squashes - and I know I’m not alone. So, let’s take a look at this vast group of huge edibles - there’s more to them than you might think.
Botanically, all these plants are in the cucurbit family. Specifically, seven main species have been domesticated -Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, C. ficifolia, C. foetidissima, C. argyrosperma, C. digitata and C. pepo. Collectively, these give us winter squashes, butternuts, figleafs, pumpkins, gourds, hubbards, courgettes, patty pans, marrows, cushaws - the list goes on. But it doesn’t stop there - the cucurbit family is HUGE and there are many other productive edibles that we can call ‘squashes’ within it.
Take, for example, achocha (Cyclanthera pedata) which is a vigorous vine with claw-shaped inflated fruits that taste a bit like a mild green pepper. These performed beautifully on my plot in 2021, the late summer harvests were prolonged and abundant. Or how about the bitter gourd, Momordica charantia, which I grew in a greenhouse in 2022. The knobbly fruits are eaten whilst immature, but I left a few to mature so I could keep the seed - wow, they turned bright red and burst open - it was an amazing sight! Look also for Lagenaria siceraria (bottle gourd), Sicyos edule (chayote) and Benincasa hispida (wax gourd) as a few other edible cucurbits to float your boat.
Don’t be put off by the botany - all these plants can be treated just as you would a conventional courgette. Simply sow seeds now, individually, in large pots, keep at 18-24°C, then move them outside into deep, nutrient-rich soil in a warm sunny spot once all risk of frost has passed. Sinking an upturned bottle alongside each plant helps target your irrigation (I mark mine with a cane to locate it once plants develop a sea of leaves. Your generous application of water will be equalled by these plants’ yield. Roll on, summer.
Sow more resilient salad leaves
✿ Are you a fan of mixed salads or wilted greens? Then let lettuce and spinach temporarily stand aside as you sow a few of their lesser known comrades. Many are more suited to the hotter conditions of summer (isn’t it frustrating when lettuce and annual spinach run to seed at the slightest whiff of heat?). I’m talking about amaranth, shiso, Malabar spinach, red orache, New Zealand spinach, good King Henry, tree spinach, summer purslane and Aztec broccoli, to name a few of my favourites.
They’re all quick-growing, heattolerant, generously yielding plants. Most are tender (or borderline hardy) annuals, so they thrive by being sown each spring. In mild spots you could sow directly into the
