| Sowing time | April to June |
|---|---|
| Seed sowing distance | 90cm (3ft) apart, or start off in individual pots |
| Seed sowing depth | 2.5cm (1in) deep |
| Where to sow it | Under cover in pots or directly outside after frosts |
Courgette plants love a sunny position in the garden. They are heavy feeders so will benefit from soil enriched with plenty of well-rotted manure or compost.
Prepare whole borders by digging in this organic matter or concentrate a bucketful in the area where each plant is to be grown.
Seeds can be sown directly in the ground from mid-May to mid-June. Sow two together, spacing each pair 90cm (3ft) apart. Once they're large enough to handle, remove the weaker of the two seedlings.
Protect emerging plants from the cold by covering them with a horticultural fleece (finely woven material, available from garden centres) or plastic drinks bottles cut in half.
Alternatively, seeds can be sown under cover. This makes them more likely to germinate, as they will be free from extremes of temperature and hungry slugs.
Push them about 2.5cm (1in) deep into pots filled with good-quality seed compost. Make sure they're on their sides (it reduces the risk of rot) and keep them moist but not saturated.
Seeds can be sown about a month before the last frosts (mid to late May) to give them the best possible start before planting out.
To do this, place them outside during the day for progressively longer periods to acclimatise them to the cooler conditions, before eventually leaving them out over night.
| Plant in final growing position | After last frosts in late May |
|---|---|
| Planting distance | 90cm (3ft) apart |
| Planting depth | Slightly deeper than they were in their pots |
Young plants grown under cover should be 'hardened off' about two weeks before they're due to be planted out.
Once they are fully hardened off they can be planted into their final positions.
Courgette plants need plenty of room, so space them at least 90cm (3ft) apart. Some of the stronger-growing trailing varieties will need an even more generous spacing of 1.2–1.5m (4–5ft).
Carefully lift the young plants out of their pots and plant them just below the level they were at in the compost, to provide additional support for the stem.
Water thoroughly, even on a rainy day, to settle the soil around the roots.
If the weather is still on the cool side, covering the young plants with halved plastic bottles will help to protect them.
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