• Crops in : July to frosts

Description

A first for British breeding! This unique 'dual-purpose' variety, Summer Ball can be grown as a courgette or as a pumpkin! Compact, bushy plants produce bright-yellow, round fruits which can be cut early as courgettes or left to mature to larger 1kg (2lbs) summer pumpkins. Pumpkin Summer Ball is ideal for growing in containers. Seeds are in the RHS Vegetable Collection.

Sowing Instructions

Sow seeds mid April to July under glass to transplant outdoors or mid May-July outdoors to produce pumpkins in October.

Sow seeds 2cm (¾in) deep in 7.5cm (3in) pots of good seed compost. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag and place at 21-25C (70-77F) until after germination which takes 5-7 days. Can also be sown direct outdoors once the soil has warmed and risk of frost has passed, 2.5cm (1in) deep at 75cm (30in) apart each way.

Growing Instructions

Gradually acclimatise plants to outdoor conditions for a few days before planting out after all risk of frost has passed, 75cm (30in) apart each way. Ideal container plant.

Aftercare

Feed with potash fertiliser once fruiting commences. Water and pick fruits regularly.

Nutritional Information

Pumpkins and winter squashes are a good source of Vitamins B1 and E and are also high in antioxidant levels.

Kitchen Notes

Delicious used raw, whole or sliced, when very small in salads, and baked as summer pumpkins.