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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

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

will only eat cooked carrots if they are a purple variety and they both rule out shop-bought veg for much of the year. At least they're interested, and can be easily co-opted into helping clear further growing space in the garden. Now I just have to pare