We went a bit OTT with cucurbits in the allotment this year.

 

We knew from growing at home that a couple of courgette plants cover a lot of ground pretty swiftly once they get established and as we had to get at least three quarters of the plot cultivated within the first year we reckoned that a cucurbit bed would allow us to test new crops while using a decent chunk of the plot.

 

The pictures below show that the plants started fairly slowly, but aided by the damp summer really took off once they got going.

By the end of the summer they had climbed over the frame that had hosted the early peas and run half way down the poly tunnel as well as tried to climb out of the plot.  However, in doing this they also yielded a great crop.  At its height the yellow courgette was producing a handful of fruit every day and with three other plants as well, we were giving away a lot, even late in the season we were still getting great value from the plants.

 

The picture below shows a week’s worth of harvest in mid-September.

 

Meanwhile the squashes and pumpkins matured slowly in the cool damp summer, but the late burst of heat in September helped them to ripen up leaving a substantial and colourful harvest of vegetables that should store well into the winter to complement the brassicas that are now maturing.

We also found that allowing the courgettes to mature into marrows means that the much tougher skin enables them to be kept far longer.