Partenon F1
Courgette in the UK

Right, so you'll want to get your courgettes going indoors around April, especially up here in the North East. Pop a seed about 2.5 centimetres deep into a small pot of compost; they like it warm, around 18-21 degrees Celsius, so a windowsill or propagator is grand. Some varieties, like those Tromboncino, you can sow direct into the ground a bit later in May once the soil's warmed up properly, but for most, starting indoors gives them a good head start, you know what I mean.

Once your little plants are looking strong and the risk of frost has well and truly passed – usually mid to late May for us up here, maybe earlier down south – it's time to get 'em out. Give them a good hardening off first, mind, gradually getting them used to the outside. Plant them out about 90 centimetres apart; they do spread out a bit, so give 'em space. If you're growing in pots, make sure they're big ones, like 45-litre, and pick a variety that's bred for containers.