We would also consider renting the house out, on 3-6 monthly leases at a low rent, with the proviso that the house is kept nicely and access is granted for viewing by possible buyers. Send us an email to laura(at)fluxit.co.uk if you are interested or have any questions.

Particulars

Mas du Diable is a farmhouse on the Mediterranean side of the Cévennes mountains, Southern France, with far reaching views and a unique South facing position. It is a haven of tranquility and would best suite people who love the outdoors; writers, crafts-people, artists or those wanting to build a more self-sufficient life or just get away from it all.

Price  €445,000 around £380,000

House

The house is a beautiful 12^th Century stone farmhouse renovated to a high standard to create a light and spacious living space with double glazing, a modern kitchen and oil-fired central heating. There are approximately 175m2 currently habitable with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and pantry, living room with a traditional fireplace, a large light-filled dinning room and a mezzanine library/office. There are a further 100+m2 possible to renovate and an additional small mas, as well as a barn, cellars, workshops, potting shed and an outdoor studio.

The house was first built on this spot in the 12^th century over a natural water source, which still supplies the water today. The house has a unique south facing position; nestled into the mountain it is sheltered from the wind and has thick stone-walls, built to stay warm in winter and cool in summer. It has large windows the majority of which are new, handmade for the house in chestnut wood, double-glazed for insulation. There is oil-fired central heating throughout the living areas as well as a huge traditional Cevenol fireplace in the living room and a wood-burning stove in the master bedroom.

Location

Mas du Diable sits on the Mediterranean side of the Cévennes mountain range, in the Gard region of Languedoc-Roussillon.  It is an amazing rural location with far reaching views over the mountains yet only 20 minutes from a twice-weekly local farmers market, 40 minutes from the large town of Alés and an hour from the nearest airport in Nimes or 1.5 hours to Montpellier and the Mediterranean coast. The land backs onto one of the GR paths, a system of walking paths that run through France, from the Alps to the Atlantic, so it is also a great place for walkers.

Communications

There is an excellent land and mobile phone network and we have broadband.

Land

The house is situated on 9 hectares of land, with several natural spring sources, arrived at via a 1.8km track. The inner section of land has recently been fenced, with 1km of top quality fencing, to keep animals in and protect the main growing areas from boar and deer. The main growing areas include: orchards, vegetable gardens, polytunnel, chicken coop, and a 30ft irrigation tank (which doubles as a swimming pool in summer) the rest of the land is terraced or forested providing all the fire-wood you need. Mas du Diable benefits from a microclimate, which makes it possible to grow crops all year round and some pretty exotic stuff in the summer months.

USP

The unique thing about Mas du Diable is the tranquility. There are a few other things to boast about too, it is such a lovely home; full of sunlight and charm, with all the comforts of the modern world yet it retains its ancient character and all the rural know-how of its Cévenol heritage. They knew how to build houses in the old days and this house is built at just the right elevation of 480m to make the most of its south facing aspect and Mediterranean sun. If you want to read more about the climate go to Landscape and Climate or more about the house go to Mas du Diable and how the Mas got its name go to History

Rennovations

There are a couple of things left undone, nothing major, some paintwork to finish in hallway, livingroom snug end and mezzanine, electrics in Bedroom 3 and a chimny leak in the kitchen.

According to new legislation in France, all septic tanks need to meet new EU standards and as most don’t including ours which means it will need to be renewed in the next year.

Accommodation Details

180m² (estate agent measured)

Ground Floor (areas below house)

Garage, wood workshop, potting shed, boiler room and laundry, outdoor studio, open sun room, chicken coop.

1^st Floor (House interior)

Entrance Stairs to living level, built in bookcases

Large sunny dinning room 13,90m²

Access to sun terrace 15m²

Family Bathroom 7m²

Separate WC 1,50m²

Storage cupboard ?

Kitchen 9,20m² with fitted cupbards, double sink, 90cm cooker, dishwasher, extractor and plenty of storage.

Pantry 6,40m² with fitted cupbards, wall mounted shelving giving plenty of storage.

Living / Snug / dinning room with traditional open Fireplace at one end 23,40m²

Master Bedroom 32m² tiled floor, wood burning stove and a door to exterior back.

Ensuite shower room with stone-tiled Italian walk-in shower, toilet, bidet and stone sink  7m²

Bedroom 2 (currently used as studio) 21,80m² Has vaulted cieling and a lovely tiled floor.

Bedroom 3 12,40m² Has a stone floor and cave like cieling.

Study / possible 4th Bedroom on half mezzanine (currently used as office) above living room 11,50m²

Further space of approx 22m² to renovate with door to exterior right side of building.

2^nd Floor (Attic)

Un-renovated 100m²

Outbuildings

A small stone Cléde to renovate potential to be a 4 room house

Timber frame barn 20m²

Originally published Published on: Feb 4, 2012 @ 20:07  updated April 19th 2012 with pictures.

History
Asparagus is believed to be a native of the Mediterranean lands but it has been found “wild” in so many places that there is some confusion as to where it actually originated. There are references to asparagus in ancient Egypt, Greece, Syria and Spain. It is known to have been cultivated by the Romans since at least 200 B.C. but it was not until the 16th century that it became popular in France and England. From there the early colonists took it to America.

Site & Soil
Asparagus is best in full sun in an open site but not too exposed to wind. It requires rich, (low nitrogen) well-drained, sandy soil and prefers a PH of between 6.5 – 7.5. Asparagus grows best at 16-24c but needs cool winters during its dormant period to crop well in spring.  The natural habitat of Asparagus is maritime and it can be found growing wild in many seaside locations around the world.  It thrives in soils that are too saline for for many other plants and is an ideal plant for a seaside garden.

Preparation (asparagus trench)
Incorporate a good amount of manure before planting. (preferably in autumn leaving the soil rough until March). In March dig a trench 20cm deep and 30cm wide. If soil was not prepared beforehand incorporate manure and leaf mould. Shape soil at the bottom of the trench into a ridge 10cm high running the entire length of the trench and sprinkle with bone meal. Trials have shown that adding sheep manure, bone or wool to the very bottom of the trench ensures a slow release of nutrients over a long period and will benefit asparagus. We happened to have all of the above from the late sheep that roamed the mountain so they went into my trenches.
Propagation

• by division - divide roots in late winter or early spring when buds are just developing and before new root growth begins in earnest. Carefully lift crown with a fork. Shake off excess soil. Cut away any damaged or diseased growth from each section. Take great care not to damage or cut into any buds.  Pries apart the crown into sections each with at least one good bud. If necessary gently cut through the Crown. Place crowns 60cm (some say 30-45cm)  in a single bed or in beds with 2-3 rows 60-90cm apart. Lay crowns upon the prepared ridges spreading the roots down either side. Gently fill in the trench with sifted soil so that : only the buds are visible. Earth up as the asparagus grows to always keep the same amount of stem uncovered.  By autumn the trench should be filled In warmer climates cover the bud tips with 5cm of loose soil to stop them drying out.
• by seed - Sow seeds in a seed-bed 2.5cm deep and 8cm apart in rows 30cm apart. Transplant the largest as crowns to their permanent position the following spring (see above). Alternatively sow in modules in late winter – early spring (13-16c) and transplant in early summer ready to harvest after 2 years. TIP Soak seeds 2 days before sowing.

Care
An asparagus bed will provide spears for 15-30 years if well maintained so it is worth taking care of your beds. The roots store the energy produced by ferny stems during the growing season. Once harvested Asparagus should be left to grow ferns and be kept weeded, watered and fed so that a fresh crop of spears can be produced next year. Keep asparagus beds weed free and moist. Do not let the beds dry out or get  water logged. After spring harvesting apply a general fertiliser or seaweed based meal to nurture stem growth and build up plants for the following year. In autumn cut down the ferny stems once they have turned yellow (burn to avoid harbouring asparagus beetle eggs). Stumps should be left 3-4cm proud.  Apply a heavy top dressing of well rotted manure in Autumn to late winter or cover beds in seaweed. Remove in spring if the seaweed has not rotted down.  Feed again with fish meal, chicken dung, seaweed and add a sprinkling of salt in Spring.

Harvest 
It will normally take 3 years to crop from seed, but crowns can be bought at 1 or 2 years old which will crop in 1-2 years.  Asparagus is ready to harvest once the spears reach 10-17cm long. Cut them obliquely about 2.5-5cm just below the surface with a sharp knife or serrated asparagus blade, being careful not to damage any of the young shoots coming up behind. Harvest period is 6- 8weeks but do not harvest after midsummer as this will result in weaker spears next year. Our Asparagus season starts with the first spears in the first week of April and continues through to mid May at which point I stop cutting the spears to allow the plants time to grow a last flush of spears that will turn into ferns. 

Storage & Culinary
Asparagus is such a delicious vegetable that when it arrives you just want to eat it as fresh as possible. It is said that the water should be put on to boil before cuting the asparagus, so that the fresh spears can be dropped straight into the boiling water. Asparagus is also delicious stir fried, grilled over hot coals, in salads or made into a light soup. In ancient times asparagus was dried to be eaten over the winter nowadays we can freeze it.

Nutrition 
Asparagus is a wonder plant nutritionally. It  is high in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.  It is the best vegetable provider of folic acid, necessary for blood cell formation and growth, as well as liver disease prevention.  Asparagus has no Fat, contains no Cholesterol, is low in Sodium and is low in calories, each spear contains less than 4.

Companion
Asparagus grows well with Tomatoes, Parsley and Basil. I have found that growing New Zealand Spinach between the raised beds works well by allowing it to creep over the beds it helps retain moisture in the beds during the hot summer months. The light shade cast by asparagus ferns in the summer months could also be used to benefit other plants such as lettuces and spinach which struggle in the heat.

MDD Growing log

When we arrived at Mas du Diable in early winter I discovered a few straggly asparagus ferns growing in the orchard. I thought they were wild asparagus but it turned out these plants were the remains of an asparagus bed that had been planted around 15 years before.  After resuscitating the old crowns we still needed more so the plan is to grow the rest from seed and aim for a bed of at least 30 crowns. 

2004  In spring I dug the asparagus up just as the buds were emerging, dividing it carefully into 10 crowns and started our first asparagus bed in the veg patch. I left all the spears without cutting to turn into ferns. By autumn the ferns looked healthier than they had, abandoned in the orchard, but definitely needed beefing up. The beds were top dressed with seaweed meal and compost. 

2005 Each of the found crowns produced perhaps 5 or sow thin spears which we cut to eat until the beginning of June then left the plant to grow ferns. The ferns looked big and strong and an improvement on the previous year. 

2006 We sowed Jersey Knight Improved  (10 seeds from T&M) individually in pots in a heated propagator in January,  6 germinated. I set out the plants in a protected seed bed, uncovered cold frame, in April where they grew well.  Meanwhile the found crowns provided a decent harvest and have produced huge ferns which I hope means a better still crop next year. 

2007 I have another more generous packed of Argenteuil  (350 seeds from Franchi) to try which i plan to sow 1/4 in January and then again in March as the seed packet recommends March to the end of June.

2008 The beds are now well established and produce a good crop sometimes as early as February and I always follow the rule of not cutting beyond the summer solstice.

To start with the old wall is pulled back, the lines are marked and new footers are put in place. Starting at the end of the potager where a new freestanding wall, ‘the Yorkshire wall’ ends.

To set us on our way with the new retaining wall, Tracey and Andy laid the first course and Tracey started building a set of steps to provide access from the lower potager and the poly tunnel up to the main vegetable growing area.

I could then continue on with what Tracey and Andy started to finish the wall. Starting with a good foundation gave me the confidence to follow what they had taught us.  Working slowly and taking sections back down when they did not look right, I worked up to Tracey’s steps.

The guide line is tied to 2 metal poles which help the waller to stay true to the ‘batter’ – the line of the wall – which slopes inward making it stronger. The line also helps to work the wall up in courses – layers of stones – finally arriving at the last layer all at the same height and ready to place the top stones or ‘coping’ stones.

From this angle you can see the batter of the wall it is almost at a height level with the soil. A huge amount of stone get hammered into the back of the wall to ensure all gaps are filled and the wall is packed to ensure there is no movement.

The wall is now finished and extended beyond the steps. Andy Cauldwell built around the large chestnut tree, and the two Andy’s topped out the whole wall with huge stones laid flat. It is a great piece of work, so strong and looks as though it has always been there.

In the first autumn I planted up the top edge of the wall with lavender and Irises as they will be happy in the dry conditions next to the wall. The Lavender brings bees and another herb element to the garden whilst the Irises help stop erosion and leaching as the ground level slopes toward the wall. These two plants also provide a pretty border to the path. The picture below shows it in all its growing glory.

Originally posted 21/5/2006: updated with more info and pictures.

Swiss Chard is an excellent all-rounder, tough, reliable and productive throughout the year, making it an excellent choice for a kitchen garden, and its a must grow in my garden. The leaves can be used like spinach and ribs are a delicious vegetable in their own right. Swiss Chard is called poirée, bette or blette in France and is a very popular vegetable more so than in the UK. I urge anyone, who has not tried this vegetable yet, to give it a go. It is in season now and will be on and off until mid to late spring.

History  The cultivation of chard dates back to classic antiquity. The Greeks and Romans used it widely but it did not become popular in Europe until the middle ages.

Site & Soil  Swiss Chard is tough, tolerant of poor soils, shade, heat and temperatures down to –14c

Germinates 7-10days.   Crops Spring 60days Summer 45days

Propagation
1. Sow in situ in drills 1-3cm deep, in rows 30cm apart. Thin, when the seedlings have 4-5 leaves, to 22cm apart
2. Sow undercover in cells and transplant after 4-6weeks
3. Sow 3-4 seeds in stations 20-25cm apart in rows 45cm apart
4. Broadcast sow in 10cm wide drills and treat as a CCA.

Tip Soak seeds for 24hrs before sowing to break down the hard seed shell.

Timing
Chard will produce all year from a single sowing, it can be succession sown through the year or my preference is to make 2 sowings per year one in late winter/early spring and one in late summer/early autumn.
Sow
(Feb) March-June
August-Sept (Oct)
Harvest
(May) June – Nov
Dec – April

Care Best grown in temperatures between 10-25c in well-manured soil. Water well in dry weather, mulch with compost or other organic material to conserve moisture in summer.

Harvest by cutting outer leaves just above ground level from several plants rather than completely stripping one. Continual cutting of outer leaves through the season ensures the production of new young tender leaves. Chard can be harvested at the baby leaf stage for use in salad or as a cooked vegetable either use the thinnings or treat as a cut and come again by cutting the small plants down to just above the soil surface.

Companion
Swiss chard is said to grow well with carrots, cabbage, beans, radish and turnip/swede. I find it grows particularly well next to aubergines.

Nutrition
Swiss Chard is rich in Iron and Vitamin A as well as a useful amounts of Vitamin B & C.

Varieties

Verte a Carde Blanche Classic French variety with thick white succulent midribs and tasty dark green leaves. Really delicious and my favourite.
Bright Lights A swiss chard with a mix bright colourful stems and a mild, sweet flavour. It will overwinter to provide leaves during milder weather in winter and into spring.
Lucullus A swiss chard with thinner 2-3cm wide pale green to white ribs and light green crinkle edged leaves.
Zilver thick ribbed white ribs and green leaves i found it disappointing (i grew an organic variety from unwins).
Perpetual Spinach A long-standing easy to grow spinach like green, it is actually a slim stalked, smooth leaf swiss chard or leaf beet. It is quite hardy and prolific supplying a “perpetual” harvest of leaves throughout the year. It is much slower to bolt during the hot weather and long days of summer than true spinach. Maturity from fifty days onward.

MDD Growing Log
2004 Bright Lights. Excellent set out early May, produced all year and into following spring.
2005 Bright Lights Sown September direct harvest from April onwards. Lucullus Set out in spring from a late sowing indoors, crop affected by bugs but late summer crop recovered and harvestable autumn. NB ribs are thin on thin on Lucullus and not such a good taste.
2006 Bright Lights Sown September in cells, set out March produced all year. Verte a Carde Blanche March sowing in cells set out May produced all year.
2007 Zilver sown Feb in cells harvest through season and Verte a Carde Blanches own seed sown May produced late season and into following spring.
2008 Perpetual Spinach sown spring produced all year though some frost damage in winter. Crop from previous year in spring. Did not like it as much as thick ribbed chard. My favourite variety of Swiss Chard so far is Verte a Carde Blanche pictured above in April 2008 having grown all through winter producing and early crop in spring when little else is available to eat.
2009 Verte a Carde Blanche cropped right through till following April from a single spring sowing
2010 Verte a Carde Blanche cropped right through till following April from a single spring sowing
2011 Verte a Carde Blanche I won’t be growing any other variety from now on.

Tetragoniaceae: Tetragonia tetragonioides

Formerly classified as Aizoaceae (ice plant)

Half-Hardy self-seeding perennial leafy plant

Also known as New Zealand Spinach although it has no botanical relation to Spinach. Tetragon is a half-hardy perennial originating in temperate, subtropical and coastal regions of the Southern Hemisphere. It is a quick growing leafy vegetable with succulent like leaves and a low spreading habit, often over several feet, which can be left to spread or can apparently be trained to grow over trellising though I have not tried that myself. I prefer to grow it as an edible ground cover crop and I think it is a good choice for forest and perennial gardeners. A useful edible in warm climates as it can stand heat and draught without bolting.

History An heirloom leafy vegetable that was a popular among the Maori people of New Zealand and first brought to Europe by Joseph Banks in 1771 on his return aboard the Endeavour with Captain Cook.

Site & Soil  Prefers a sunny site sheltered from frost with well-drained, sandy soil rich in organic matter and a PH range of 6.8-7. It is a resilient crop tolerant of very poor soils, high temperatures and maritime exposures but not of frost. Add well-rotted compost to the top 15cm of the soil before sowing.

Propagation Sow 1-2cm deep in fine soil and keep moist until seedlings emerge.

1.        Sow directly in mid-late spring after the last frost.

2.        Sow undercover and set out when 5cm high when all danger of frost has past.

Tip Germination can be slow; soaking the seeds for 24hrs before sowing will help break down the hard outer coating of the seed.

Care Tetragon needs very little care. Pinch out the growing tips to encourage bushy growth. Hoe to keep weeds down during seedling stage after that the foliage will act as a ground cover and suppress weeds. Water in very dry weather.

Pests & Diseases Tetragon is relatively pest free; slugs and snails don’t even seem to bother it.

Harvest Regular picking promotes new growth and plants can be cut down near to ground level and still re-grow.

Spread  120cm

Storage Will store for several days wrapped in paper in a salad drawer.

Botany and Seed Saving Seeds are very easy to collect. Flowers are produced at leaf axis along the growing stem leaving green buds with small spikes once these buds start to turn brown they are ready to harvest. Finish drying the seeds and store in a paper bags in cool temperatures. Be careful to harvest all the seeds before they drop, unless you want to start a self-seeding bed, as Tetragon is very good at propagating itself.

Use The tips and young leaves are used in place of spinach or other leafy greens. A particularly useful crop in hot dry areas or in summer when few other delicate greens will grow.

Nutrition Tetragon is high in Vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. In France Tetragon is used to make a quiche like tart with the boiled greens mashed up with egg, nutmeg and Crème fraîche and baked in a pastry shell. It is also steamed or boiled and drizzled with olive oil.

Varieties I have so far not come accross any named varieties

The best time to plant winter leeks in my garden is late summer, depending on the weather. If it is too hot and dry I’ll leave it until later, even as late as the end of October.  Leeks are best started in a seed bed and planted out when about the thicknesss shown below. In France it is common place for gardeners to buy baby leeks at this stage rather than go to the trouble of raising the seedlings themselves.

Preparation

Carefully dig up the young leeks and put straight into a bucket of water, keep them like this until you are ready ready to pant, which you need to do within a day or two. Take the seedling leeks and cut the roots back to 3 or 4cm, then I cut the tops off just above the smallest inside leaf. It may seem a bit harsh on the plant but it really does work for seedling alliums. The reason for doing this is to reduce any damaged or unnecessary plant material so that the roots are not supporting what they don’t need.  Reducing the roots is optional but I find that it does help the leeks to re-establish and it cuts back roots which may have been damaged when the seedlings were pulled up. It also makes the seedlings more manageable, getting huge long roots into the planting hole is difficult, roots can get congested or damaged. This method allows the roots room to start again and water to be taken up more readily on planting. It is an old technique used in the UK and more commonly in France when planting anything out in summer, even lettuces get this treatment, which I do find a bit barbaric and my observation is that they never quite recover from it. Lettuces are much better plug sown and planted out without too much disturbance. Anyway I digress. Leeks do seem to like this treatment so I carry on doing it.

Planting

1. Clear any weeds from the planting area. In this case I am using land that had corn and pumpkins on previously so it was heavily manured earlier in the year.
2. Hoe the top 6-10cm of soil to loosen and work in a little bonemeal and woodashes or not previously manured.
3. Mark a line for the row of leeks and with a knife or trowel dig a planting hole about 10cm deep, at intervals of 20 to 30cm. Spacing will depend on the variety or how big you want the leeks to grow.
4. Drop each baby leek into a hole and water well. In dry weather water the holes before putting the leeks in, as well as after.

Note There is no need to push the soil back in around the leek. The roots are safely at the bottom of the hole and the hole has been filled with water. Gradually the hole will fill with soil and or the leek expand to fill the hole. Either way you get a nice blanched stem and a leek with plenty of water directed to the roots.

Aftercare

Water well every few days making sure each hole gets filled for the first couple of weeks until the roots get a chance to establish then water as normal once a week or so.

It butts up against a freestanding wall edging the potager. I really should have taken the old bit of wall down to the ground but I did not want to destabilise the freestanding wall and a tree and its roots had grown into the wall so i had to leave a foot or two untouched at the bottom so this is one of the least pretty walls I’ve done but it does the job.

Nothing goes to waste in an organic garden. In my garden the soil, which is thin over rock, is full of stones and as I work our patch of  land I take out the stones from soil where I am preparing seeds beds for onions, brassicas and lettuces or to sow crops that don’t like stony ground. Buckets of stones come out of the ground every season and what better use to put them than to make paths.  They suppress weeds and make walking around a lot easier.

I use the larger flatter stones to place around capsicums, when planting out, to help retain the sun’s heat that will radiate back at night and help plants get a good start.

The plant debris and weeds are first cleared and the earth lightly worked to lighten the top soil, incorporating seaweed manure and bonemeal.  For areas that are not to be planted now I cover the soil with leaves, grass cuttings and best of all chopped nettles. This protects the soil and keeps it in great condition ready for sowing later.

The first of the heat loving summer crops are planted directly in the tunnel in mid-March. For the beans I prepare long bean trenches filled with rotted garden compost. Tradition in these parts is to sow the first Haricot of the year on St. Josephs day undercover. This year I sowed a dwarf French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Tendergreen from Thomas Etty and behind that the exotic climbing Long Bean (Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis) also known as snake bean, yard long or asparagus bean a wonderful bean that grows to 60cm or more in length. I’ve grown it every year since I got the tunnel and maintain the seeds.  Also sown direct into the tunnel in mid march are the cucurbits; courgettes, cucumbers and other gourds. I am careful to make sure only one variety from each sub family of the cucrbits and legumes are sown in the tunnel so that I will be able to collect seed without danger of crossing. So this year in the tunnel I sowed Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Burpless Tasty Green, an unusual Hairy Cucumber (Cucucmis Melo) Bari distinct from a regular cucumber in that it is botanically a melon. Achoca (Cyclanthera pedata) Fat Baby this is a small spiny cucumber like gourd that grows to form a hollow shell which is delicious stuffed. A courgette, (cucurbita pepo) Ronde de Nice a lovely round courgette with dense flesh and a gourd. Later in the year, when it is warm enough, the tomatoes, peppers, chillis and peanuts will be planted out that i’ve grown from seed in the house. Coriander gets sown all year round so another few short rows went in to keep us in supply.

Work in the tunnel this spring was made much easier with the help of Laura Beyney, who is here for a week helping out in the garden and learning about edible veg, plus the odd spot of fishing in the Ardeche.

Polytunnel Planting Plan 2011

Spacing
If you want a bumper crop, pumpkins need space. For our needs we don’t need that many so I prefer to stuff them in wherever I can; on the edges of beds to run under large brassicas or corn or to grow along perimeter fencing or over trellicing. As a general guide at a minimum plant bush varieties about 75cm (2ft) apart and trailing varieties 3-4ft apart or give them more space and plant bush varieties 1.5m (3-5ft) apart and trailing varieties 2-2.5m (6-8ft) apart. Allow plenty of room for the plants to spread or climb.

Site & Soil
Pumpkins are fairly greedy and thirsty plants requiring well drained, moist, rich soil in full sun. Cucurbits require a growing season of 3-4 months with a mean monthly temp of 18-27c. Minimum soil temp should be 13c. Avoid cold sites and exposed positions. To prepare a cucurbit bed: Dig out planting holes at your chosen spacing at least 30cm (1ft) deep and 45cm-60cm. Work-in a bucket-full of compost/manure. Return topsoil leaving a shallow depression in the top. Form a ridge 5cm (2in) high surrounding each planting hole to help retain moisture.

Propagation

potting on a cucurbit plug

Most cucurbits will not transplant very well so in warm conditions it is best to sow direct. However if you want to get an early start or the beds are not free yet you can sow in pots undercover and plant out to minimise root disturbance.

1. Sow undercover 3-4 weeks before the last frost is expected, (at the same time the planting holes are being prepared outside). Sow seeds, on their side, in a good free draining seed compost in 7.5cm biodegradable or plastic pots, 2 seeds per pot . Apply a layer of compost or vermiculite, 1cm (½in.) deep. Place in a propagator or polythene bag until the seeds germinate. Thin out the weeker seedling. When the remaining seedling has 3-6 true leaves and the roots have filled the pot (usually after 2-3 weeks). Harden off (1-2 weeks in a cold frame or in a sheltered spot) and plant-out once all danger of frost has past, to the level of the soil in the pot. The neck of the plant can be vulnerable to rot so should not be buried.
2. Sow in plugs – curcubits grow well in the little pucks availble from gardening shops. Hydrate the pucks and sow one seed in the centre of each, press the sides to cover and keep moist at all times. When the roots appear at the edges of the puck plant out or on into a pot and treat as above.
3. Sow direct when the soil has warmed up and all danger of frost has past, in our area that is early May. Sow 2 seeds (1in deep) into each of your prepared planting holes. Cover with a mini cloche (a cut down water bottle) if necessary for protection. When the plants emerge thin to the strongest.

Germination at 20-30C usually takes 5-10days. Seeds can be soaked over night to aid germination or chitted and sown when sprouted. Seeds should be sown on their sides not flat.

Pollination Male and female flowers are usually born separately and are insect pollinated. The female flower can be distinguished by the tiny bump behind the petals which develops into the fruit after fertilisation. Hand pollination may be necessary if fruits fail to set (best done in the morning).

Planting by the moon
Sowing at the optimum point of the lunar calendar really does seem to make a difference to Cucurbits. In our small scale trials cucurbits have germinated significantly better when sown 1 day before a full moon.

Care
Water-in thoroughly after planting out. Water regularly and liquid feed (seaweed) every 14 days once fruit start to develop. Mark the position of the plant, with a tall stick, as it can be difficult to see where the root of the plant is when in full growth. Train Tie into supports if growing up and If growing on the ground train the leading shoot to grow in a circle, it looks great saves space and can increase plants food supply. Pin down the stems / or bury at intervals the cucurbit should develop roots on the stem thereby increasing food intake. Prune Fruits develop on laterals as well as the main stem so if the plants become too rampant nip out the main growing point and cut back laterals to within a couple of inches of the nearest developing fruit. Thin small fruit and use them in the kitchen to encourage larger fruit later. MULCH Make sure supports are strong enough to take the weight of the plant and be prepared to individually support the larger fruit if necessary.

Companion: Cucurbits tend to grow well with; beans, peas, sweetcorn, capsicums, nasturtium but mostly do NOT grow well with potatoes. Plant flowers around Cucurbit beds to encourage pollinating insects.

Harvesting and Storage
Because Pumpkins store so well they are an excellent source of food over the winter months. On average they will keep for 6months but some store for 12 months or more. Store in well ventilated conditions at temperatures between 7 and 16c. At higher temperatures they will dry out. Pumpkins can be used immature cutting early will result in a heavier crop for winter but when harvesting for winter storage they must be harvested mature.

Signs of maturity are:

• Skin colour changing from light to dark some green types may also loose their gloss.
• Stalks become corky and dry (about 50% brown is a good sign of maturity.
• Skin cannot be pierced with a thumb nail.
• Flesh is orange rather than yellow and the seeds are hard.
• Cracks appear on stems and skins

Leave on the plant as long as possible but bring in before 1st frost. Cut with 3-5cm (1-2in) of stalk. Cure in a sunny sheltered position (27-32c) (e.g. against a sunny wall) for 4 -10days to allow stalk to seal and skin to harden. Protect from night frost.

Nutrition and Culinary
Pumpkins have a higher nutritional value than courgettes and marrows (summer squash) and the Cucurbita moschata have a particularly high Vitamin C content 30% more than maxima and 80% more than pepo. Pumpkins are pretty versatile they can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. As a vegetable they can be pureed, cut into chunks and stir fried, deep fried, boiled or stewed. They can be added to soups and casseroles or cooked with mustard greens. They can be made into excellent sweet pickles, the ripe seeds can be roasted as a snack or added to salads and the flowers are a delicacy. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of essential fatty acids, potassium, and magnesium.

Favourite Varieties
There are so many varieties of pumpkin it is impossible to grow all of them in one life time, but here are some of my favourites so far. I tend to prefer the dryer nuttier types of pumpkin.

Butternut (moschata)
reliable large cropper, creamy ochre smooth skin with a pear shape, flesh is golden-orange with a lovely hazelnut flavour. Fruit are high in Vitamin C. Great roasted, pureed or in stews, curries etc. Keeps 12months. Seed source: from organic seeds given to me by another organic grower.

Green Hokkaido (maxima)- pictured above
fattish round pumpkin with slight ribbing, dark green skin with a dense, nutty, dry, yellow to orange flesh. Each plant produces 1-3 fruit around 13-25cm in diameter with an average weight of 1-2.2kg. Matures in 98 days from direct sowing. Keeps well, 9-12months. Source Ferme St. Marthe

Marina di Chioggia (maxima) – pictured aboveItalian Heirloom – magnificent to look at, dark green knobbly skin with deep yellow orange flesh, growing up to. 5kg. lovely baked. Stores well 9-12months and flavour often improves with age. Seed source: Seeds of Italy, Seeds of Kokopelli, Ferme St. Marthe

Potimarron Red Kuri (maxima)  A Japanese ‘Orange Hokkaido’ type pumpkin also known as Uchiki Kury. Brick-red tear drop shaped fruits weigh in at 1.5-2.5 kg and an average diameter of 15cm. They have a wonderful dense dry flesh and a deep chestnut flavour. Stores 4-6 months. pictured above

Potimarron (maxima) originally brought from Japan by Macrobiotic master Oshawa. Now a French classic. Chestnut flavoured dense flesh 2-4kg Keeps fairly well, 4-8 months. Matures in 90days from direct sowing. Seed source: Seeds of Kokopelli, Ferme St. Marthe

Blue Hubbard (maxima) Huge, teardrop-shaped fruit weigh 15-40 lbs and have sweet, fine-grained, golden flesh. Great for baking, pies, and soup. The hard, blue-gray shell helps these keep for long periods in storage. Gregory Seed Company introduced this fine New England variety in 1909, and Mr. Gregory considered it his best introduction. pictured right

Musquee de Provence (moschata) French southern heirloom variety smooth skin, green ripening to ochre with deep ribs and sweet, aromatic firm orange flesh, They look a bit like a Cinderella pumpkin. Vines are vigorous and can grow up to 6m bearing 2-5 9kg fruit. Matures in 110days from direct sowing. Keeps well.