On your fruit & veg plot
These bountiful, easy-to-grow summer squashes are raring to go!
Courgettes and other summer squashes grow quickly, and now is the perfect time to plant them outside. They can be grown on the allotment, in raised beds, and even in pots on the patio.
Wherever they are planted, they have a few basic requirements: plenty of warmth and sunshine, and lots of water and feeding. If all their needs are met, they’ll produce a bumper crop over many months.
If planting in pots, you can use multi-purpose compost, but, because they need lots of nutrients, it’s wise to add a controlled-release fertiliser to the compost before planting. Once cropping starts, you can apply additional liquid feed once a week. Never let the plants dry out. You can grow one plant in a pot about 40cm wide and deep or plant two in a growing bag.
In the garden itself, fork in plenty of organic material, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, and mulch around them once planted. Organic matter will supply some nutrients, but also help retain soil moisture. Space the plants about 60-75cm apart. Keep well watered at all times and protect them from slugs and snails. When in strong growth, courgettes are generally easy to look after.
TOP TIPS
1 Mildew causes white ‘powder’ on the older leaves and will weaken the plants. It is caused by drought, so water regularly.
2 Sometimes avirus, often spread by aphids, causes stunted and yellowstreaked foliage. Affected plants should be pulled up.
3 In wet, cool weather, rotting can affect fruits. These should be cut off and afew leaves removed to improve air circulation..
4 If afew courgettes become large, it will prevent afurther flush. Keep picking them as they appear, when soft and tender.
Prick out basil seedlings
Prick out basil while the young plants still have fewer than five leaves. Have the new pots nearly filled with compost, ready to transplant them into, and hold the seedlings by their leaves, not th
