Courgette Seeds 'Eight Ball'

• Round green courgettes with excellent flavour
• Compact, non-sprawling variety, ideal for pots
• Best harvested at the size of a snooker ball
• RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit

Courgette ‘Eight Ball’ is a useful compact variety that doesn’t sprawl like most courgette plants, making it ideal for pots and small spaces. It produces a good harvest of round green fruits with excellent flavour and texture. They taste best when picked small, so harvest them at the size of a snooker ball. This reliable variety holds the RHS Recommended: Award of Garden Merit.

Sow indoors

April-May: Sow 1cm (1?2in) deep in individual module trays of firm pre-watered compost. Place in warmth 21°C (70°F). Keep soil moist at all times.

Sow outdoors

May-June: Sow 1cm (1?2in) deep direct in harvest position. Keep soil moist at all times.

Plant out

June: Harden off young plants before planting out in the permanent position 90cm (36in) apart when risk of frost has passed.

Tips

Pick regularly when fruit is 10cm (4in) long. Water regularly. Once fruits start to swell feed with a liquid fertiliser.

Warning: Extremely rarely, courgettes may produce very bitter fruit that cause stomach upset. This can be tested by licking the cut surface of one fruit per plant; bitter fruit should not be eaten.