How to grow them
Sow as for courgettes and plant out in early June, on a spot where you have buried a bucketful of compost. Trailing kinds will run two metres or more: train them in a circle, or along the edge of the plot.
Squash, corn and cucumbers
Squash and pumpkins
They take a lot of room, then sit on a shelf and feed you through the winter.
- Buy as
- Seed
- Space
- 100cm between plants, 150cm between rows
- Position
- Full sun
- Rotation
- Fits anywhere
- Difficulty
- Needs a little care
- Frost
- Tender: killed by frost. Nothing outside until the last one has passed.
The year
Sow indoors
Plant out
Harvest
When to pick
Leave the fruits on the plant until the stems dry and the skin is hard, but bring them in before the first frost. Cure them in the sun for ten days and they will keep for months.
What goes wrong
Problems, and what to do
Few fruits
Cold weather at flowering. You can pollinate by hand with a male flower.
Mildew
Normal by September.
Slugs
Protect young plants.
Good neighbours: Sweetcorn, Runner beans, Nasturtiums.
Same family
More from squash, corn and cucumbers
CourgettesTwo plants are plenty. Three and you will be leaving them on neighbours' doorsteps.
Outdoor cucumbersRidge cucumbers are shorter and rougher than the shop kind, with far more flavour.
SweetcornIts sugar starts turning to starch the moment it is picked. Put the pan on before you go to the plot.