Fruiting vegetables

Where to grow Tomatoes and cucumbers need full sun to do well, while marrows and courgettes can cope with a little shade but not dense gloom. All enjoy free-draining soil that has been enriched with well-rotted compost or manure. Tomatoes can cope with slightly poorer soil than courgettes, which like it really rich. Pumpkins need the richest of all, growing happily in pure manure, relishing its ample supplies of nutrients and moisture. Getting started Don’t rush. These are tender plants that will shrivel if planted out too soon. Wait until the weather is warming up before you sow, and ensure all risk of frost is passed before you plant them out – the end of May in most places – and they’ll soon romp away and overtake plants set out earlier. Problem solving Poor weather is the greatest enemy of these plants and low temperatures will affect fruit development – especially in courgettes. With tomatoes, make sure you know if you’re growing a bush variety or a single-stem type that will need sideshoots removing. Both kinds will benefit from staking. Tomatoes will develop sunken black areas on the underside of the fruits (blossom end rot) when watering is erratic. If space is really tight, tomatoes are worth growing in tubs, hanging baskets (the bushy, cherry types) and growing bags. Don’t be greedy – settle for three trusses of fruit and you’ll stand more chance of them ripening outdoors in an English summer. Peppers and aubergines are always a gamble outdoors – a greenhouse will produce more reliable crops.

Small, cherry tomatoes are more likely to ripen successfully than large-fruited types