When do i pick my marrow

Our bestselling books for growing success! Search Allotment Garden Articles. Sowing and Growing Marrow Marrows are cultivated in the same way as courgettes, except that the fruits are left on the plant to develop and limited to four per plant. They need a lot of food and water. Try growing in an old bucket, or similar, with drainage holes made in the bottom. Sow three seeds 2. Cover with a cloche to hasten germination.

When the first true leaves appear, thin out leaving only the strongest seedlings. Trailing varieties grow outwards not upwards. You'll need to train the trails by pinning them in circles on the ground or encouraging them over a sturdy support, tied at regular intervals. Pinch out the tips of the main shoots of trailing varieties when they reach 60cm long. Water heavily every days as soon as the fruit starts to form.

Courgette rot can occur if you have bad weather at the start of the growing season. If your plants catch rot, the vegetable will die on the plant. Fortunately this is only a temporary problem which improves with the weather. Cucumber mosaic virus is also a common problem, though some modern strains are resistant.

Do this by moving young plants into a coldframe for a week. Then the following week, leave them out in a sheltered spot all day and night. Marrows need a sunny spot and rich soil, so prepare the planting site for indoor-raised plants as follows:.

Then plant one marrow in the centre. Plant one or two per bag or one per container. Marrows are thirsty plants and need regular and generous watering as they grow. When you water, try not to splash the leaves. A useful tip is to sink a 15cm 6in pot into the ground alongside your plant. This is a physiological problem, caused by the growing conditions, not a pest or disease. It is a problem when the weather in early summer is cool and this causes inadequate pollination.

This is usually a temporary problem and once the weather starts to improve, so will pollination. But this is a bit of a hassle, and normally the plant will correct this problem itself. A usually grey, fuzzy fungal growth which can begin as pale or discoloured patches. Grey mould botrytis is a common disease especially in damp or humid conditions. Spores enter plants via damaged tissue, wounds or open flowers. Mould can also damage ripening fruit such as strawberries. Black resting spores survive over winter.

Diameter and height should be at least 45cm. These big plants need plenty of water to keep healthy. Take care to water the soil, not the plant, as overly moist conditions topside can lead to damage. If possible, dig a small hole next to the marrow, taking care not to damage it, and water into that: This will ensure that the water goes to the roots rather than the parts of the plant just below the soil.

Hydrating roots rather than plant material reduces the risk of rot. Once you spot your first fledgling marrow, feed the plant fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser. Doing so will encourage more growth, giving you bountiful marrows further down the line. Not many vegetables need this step, so you may not have seen it before. We recommend placing each marrow on a flat surface like a tile to keep it away from the soil.

This prevents scuffing on the bottom, and should lead to better looking veggies at harvest time. When the marrow is at the size you want it, simply pluck it from the stem.

Marrows are ready to harvest in July and will continue to ripen until October, giving you a long harvest season.