Gardening expert Lucie Bradley has shared her top tips for growing one popular food item in your garden. She says it’s perfect for beginners and will keep growing throughout the summer.
According to gardening expert Lucie Bradley from Easy Garden Irrigation, one vegetable is particularly well-suited for beginners and grows easily if planted soon.
She said: “You can plant the seeds directly into the ground where they’re going to grow from mid-May onwards.”
To ensure successful germination, the soil should be at least 15C and free from frost risk. Gardeners can use garden fleece or tunnel cloches to warm the soil before planting, creating an ideal environment for seeds to sprout.
This popular vegetable is none other than the humble courgette, which is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in your garden.
Lucie notes that when sowing courgettes outdoors, harvest can be expected around eight weeks later, depending on the weather. For the best flavour, she recommends picking them while they’re still small, between 10cm to 20cm in length.
“The smaller the size, the stronger the flavour,” she adds.
However, courgettes are not without their challenges. “The most common pests to look out for when growing courgettes are slugs and snails,” Lucie warns
These pests can quickly damage young plants, so she suggests using physical barriers like bell cloches or tunnel cloches to protect them. Green thumbs up!
Bell cloches with vents are just the ticket for single plants, and for those lush rows, a tunnel cloche can’t be beaten.
Fancy growing some courgettes? It’s perfect for first-timers in the gardening game!
Our gardening guru Lucie reckons you’ll have no trouble with courgette seeds because they’re nice and big – easy to sow without them jostling for space, reports the Express.
“Sowing courgette seeds is simple as they are large, making them easy to handle and plant without overcrowding,” she explains.
Her tip-top advice is to stick two seeds about 13mm into the soil, leaving a good 90cm gap between them. Wait for the seedlings to pop up, then pick out the strongest one of the pair.
And here’s the secret: beef up that earth with top-notch compost and keep your courgettes sipping water when the weather’s dry. Stick with this, and you’ll be swimming in courgettes all summer long.