Squashes in Oxford
Cucurbita spp.
Squash come in summer and winter types, offering versatile fruits from tender courgette-like harvests to hard-skinned varieties that store through winter. They're vigorous plants that love sun and rich soil, producing colourful, flavourful crops perfect for roasting, soups, or stuffing. With trailing or compact options, there's a squash for every garden size.
Growing Guide
Step-by-step instructions for growing Squash
Planting Calendar
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Ideal for patios or smaller plots using bush varieties like patty pan or compact butternuts, often grown in large pots or bags.
1 Start Seeds Indoors
Sow seeds on their side in pots of peat-free compost about deep, keeping warm at around for good germination.
2 Transplant to Final Container
Move seedlings to large containers at least wide filled with rich compost once frost risk has passed in Oxford.
3 Ongoing Care
Water consistently to prevent drying out, especially during dry spells, and feed regularly with high-potash fertiliser as fruits develop.
4 Harvest Fruits
Pick summer types young and regularly, or let winter types mature fully before cutting with a stem attached.
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Potato
Potatoes are popular tuberous vegetables that are easy to grow and provide a versatile harvest for the kitchen. They are herbaceous perennials grown as annuals, native to South America and part of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). UK gardeners typically group potatoes by harvest time: first earlies (new potatoes), second earlies, and maincrop. First and second earlies produce smaller 'new' potatoes earlier in the summer, while maincrop varieties mature later and yield larger potatoes for storage. Potatoes grow best in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Regular watering and 'earthing up' (mounding soil around the stems) as they grow will help produce a good crop and prevent tubers from turning green.
Pumpkin
Pumpkins are vigorous annual vines grown for their large, colourful autumn fruits. They thrive in warm, sunny conditions and produce long, sprawling stems that can easily run several metres. Pumpkins are frost-tender and need a good, rich soil and consistent watering through summer. With enough warmth and space, they reward you with hard-skinned fruits that store well and are ideal for both cooking and seasonal decoration.
Spring Onion
Spring onions are fast-growing, mild-flavoured onions grown for their green stems and small bulbs. They are easy to grow and can be sown in succession for a continuous harvest. Hardy varieties can even be sown in late autumn to overwinter for an early spring crop. Spring onions don't take much space and grow well in containers or between slower-growing vegetables.