How To Extend The Harvest Of Baby Marrows

By March baby marrows are usually at the end of their productive lives, with most leaves covered in powdery mildew. Pulling them out is almost an act of kindness.

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Did you know that pruning a baby marrow can extend its productive life? This simply involves thinning out the leaves to improve air circulation, which reduces the risk of powdery mildew and also encourages pollination. The reason why fruit softens and falls off may not be a shortage of calcium but simply because the bees couldn’t find the flowers that are obscured by all the leaves. Pruning plants encourages them to push out new growth.

Here’s how to do it:

• Start by snapping or twisting off all the lower leaves, especially those lying on the soil. That will immediately clear space around the base of the plant, which makes it easier to water.

• Remove criss-crossing stems and leaves and those that overlap, especially in a bed with more than one baby marrow plant.

• Leaves that obscure the flowers can also go.