Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
give up the ghost. They are also more likely to continue production during
extended damp or cold weather. They won't, however, survive the winter, and
should be taken out in time to use the space for plants that will mature in time
for the hungry gap.
Preparation
Courgettes like deep, rich, porous soil - if you plant one on top of a compost
heap it will think it's in heaven. They are hungry plants and can get very big, so
in the restricted space of a polytunnel they need to be sited with care. Dig in
plenty of well-rotted compost or manure beforehand - and stand well back.
Sowing
Courgettes are such heavy producers that the general rule is 'plant two and hope
one dies', and this is especially true in the polytunnel. Unless you are really fond
of courgettes, one plant is plenty, so if you plant two and the second survives it's
a bonus; find a spot for it outside.
Soak the seeds overnight and plant two per 8cm or 9cm biodegradable pot,
2-2.5cm deep, and keep them warm (around 19°C) until they are up. Nip out the
weaker seedling. Starting seeds in March, while tempting, may be slightly too
early as they do not recover well from a check to growth caused by a cold snap
or becoming pot-bound; if they get too large for their pots before conditions
warm up, your only real option is to pot them on. In most years, sowing in mid-
April is early enough.
Growing
Plant the seedlings out once you are sure there is no further chance of frost,
which in a polytunnel is probably near the beginning of May.
Courgettes will need plenty of water, especially if grown in a well-drained situa-
tion. With the exception of some F1 varieties (which are not suitable for seed
saving), courgettes rely on flying insects for pollination. This is not usually a
problem, but if you do not see insect activity in the flowers it will be necessary to
hand-pollinate them as for melons (see page 113).
If you do plant more than one courgette, place them at least 60cm apart. The
growth will spread to fill any gap, after which the main stem - even in a 'bush'
type - will tend to grow away from the planting point in a lush green sprawl. It
can only be steered during the first few weeks, after which the plant will be too
heavy and fragile to move. Make the most of this opportunity and aim the two
plants away from each other, or you will end up with a tangled mess. 'Trailing'
varieties can theoretically be trained up strings, but this seldom works in prac-
tice; they are just too heavy to climb well, and don't put out as many tendrils as
cucumbers and melons.
