Miles Collins

and not for Halloween either!

Squashes are going to be a prominent feature of my kitchen garden this year. Summer squashes are in the cold frame, hardening off before being planted out. I’ve got three or four varieties, some yellow, some green, some ball-shaped, some not. I am always the same with courgette plants, I either sow them myself or get given a couple of plants and either way I forget what they are until they mature. I shall endevour to make ammends this year.

One of the highlights of my kitchen garden is the sight of large squash laid out to dry in the late autumn sun and this year I am going for a particularly large variety called ‘hundredweight’ and another good ‘eater’ called ‘crown prince’.

They’ve all gone into individual pots in one of the greenhouses, there is no point sowing them any earlier, the young plants hate the cold and will soon catch up if planted slightly late. Squashes are relatively well behaved, they tend to look after themselves-just give them plenty of water and space to grow because grow they will!

There are plenty of recipes to gain from a pumpkin; ravioli, curry, soups, stews, they are very versatile and if stored correctly will last a long while.

Watch this space, if they germinate that is, if not I’ll let you know so you can switch your computer off!! 

Climbing borlotti beans were sown yesterday along with some cut and come again salad leaves. My angelica is looking particularly healthy and I have high hopes for the 12ft patch of wild flowers growing to attract birds away from the vegetables.

Swiss chard is next on the agenda but that’s another story…