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I adore home-grown courgettes. They lack that slightly bitter taste and spongy texture you can get with supermarket specimens. My first fruits were a bit late this year, as I’d delayed planting because of cold weather. They were well worth the wait

The weather this year has been far from ideal for raising squashes - my plants are still undersized and you'd almost need a magnifying glass to see the fruits! Courgettes and marrows, though, have had a brilliant year, with the marrows reaching epic

they have been for the last ten or twelve weeks. I felt all the more smug when I saw the price of three none-too-sprightly looking organic courgettes in the supermarket yesterday, which is testament to the fact that each and every one of us should grow veg

In most years I usually plant some of the more tender veg crops, such as courgette and squash, by late April. If I had done so this year, the plants would be dead by now, as May was so unusually cold. (And I don't even think the chunky bell cloches

out three more courgette plants this weekend, along with a whole host of other veg plants. And in just a few months time I’ll be using the bell cloches and horticultural fleece to extend the cropping period at the end of the growing season!

, but my thoughts are turning to the Mediterranean, and summer holidays. I like to imagine what I'll be growing and eating in the summer: masses of zingy tomatoes, sweet and crisp peppers, juicy cucumbers and buttery salad leaves. Oh, and warm ratatouille

with the easy crops I've mentioned above, then expand their horizons with broccoli, carrots, sweet peppers, peas, sweet corn, beans and courgettes. So you're giving them several things all in one go: the freshest, tastiest food, veg-growing know-how, fun

It's that time of year again. When the weather gets grim, I like to peruse the vegetable seed catalogues, checking the availability of my favourite varieties and finding out what's new. I enjoy choosing what vegetables to grow next year, but I try

The weather has been pretty grotty lately, and I've had to grab every possible opportunity to get out in the garden. I don't think I've ever been so far behind with sowing and planting fruit and vegetable crops. This time last year my courgettes