I got my allotment at not the best of times, just the time of the year when most of the sowing and planting out that happens in Spring is done. Which means that I should have to wait for over a year before harvesting most crops. Sure enough there are exceptions to this rule: fast growing crops like salad that can be planted all through summer and even autumn, and even a few winter crops. However, my nice neighbours have come to my aid and kindly offered some of their plants. And that is how I found myself the proud owner of 10 courgette plants! I have read somewhere that four are enough to feed a family of four and we are only two, but they so much insisted, obviously a bit guilty for not having anything better to offer, I could not refuse them.
Courgette and marrow (Cucurbita pepo)
- Soil
- moist, fertile, plenty of organic matter (compost or manure)
- Aspect
- warm, sunny, sheltered
- Spacing between plants
- 180 cm *
- Germination
- 1 week
- Time to maturity
- 15 weeks
- Sow outside
- May
- Sow undercover
- April-May
- Plant outside
- June
- Harvest
- July-October
- Pest/diseases
- mildew
* Spacing is different for different varieties, read the seed package if you have access to it. 180cm is the maximum spacing you may need, to keep on the safe side. Some varieties only need as little as 60 cm.
Update (Jul 5): I just picked my first courgette today. It is my first harvest!
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