Now having an allotment, this year has been the first when I’ve tried growing squash (Curcubita pepo). Instead of worrying about how much space it will take it, it seemed like an obvious choice to get some ground cover. The plants I’ve put in have been doing that and now they are coming into harvest.

The seeds came from a friend a few years ago and, if the label is correct, are a variety called ‘Crown Prince’. We had one today, a small but solid globe weighing about 500g. Technically, I think it could have been left on the plant longer but the stalk leading to the fruit was starting to yellow and an advantage of early picking is that the skin is much softer. Jane boiled it up and, served with a twist of ground pepper, was delicious.

There are several more fruits developing so, even if we reduce our total yield by picking early, I think we will have more than enough.