'Summer Ball' Courgette Plants

Our vegetable plug plants are bred for good pest and disease resistance, but may still be susceptible to common problems.The most common courgette pests and diseases are powdery mildew, whitefly, aphids, slugs and snails.The best protection against these scourges is to try and prevent too much water sitting on the leaves by watering in the morning and preventing splashing from the soil to the leaves. Also planting companion plants such as marigolds will attract predators such as ladybirds and hoverflies which will eat the pests.

Courgettes are pretty thirsty plants - water the plants regularly to keep the ground constantly moist. If you are unsure, feel the soil with your hand. If it feels dry up to a fingernail deep then you can give the plant a watering. During very hot, dry spells you may have to water up to twice a day.

Courgettes are best planted in full sun. Position your plants where they will receive 6-8 hours of direct sunlight every day.

It is always a good idea to work in a decent amount of organic matter such as garden compost into your garden soil until it becomes crumbly and rich. If your soil is very sandy or clay heavy then you should use a mix of three parts quality compost and one part garden top soil.

Courgettes are particularly hungry plants which benefit from an initial feed added to the soil such as chicken manure pellets to add a boost of nutrients. When they start flowering, start feeding weekly. Use a fertilizer high in potash such as chicken manure pellets or liquid tomato feed. Potash, or potassium, is one of the three main elements in fertilisers along with nitrogen and phosphorus. Potash stimulates growth in the fruits and vegetables and so typically gardeners apply it as the plant begins to develop them. If possible you should add a layer of well-rotted manure to your soil the previous autumn and let it break down. This will add extra nutrients to the soil as well as improve its texture.