marrow 'Long Green Bush 4'
marrow or Cucurbita pepo Long Green Bush 4
Grow a record-breaker for the local show with this traditional cultivated variety, marrow 'Long Green Bush 4', producing dark green fruits with a characteristic yellow striping and a delicious, tender flavour. The big, beefy plants have a bush habit so won't scramble out of their veg bed: harvest the fruit small, like courgettes, or allow to grow into whoppers to show off to the neighbours.
How to care for marrow Long Green Bush 4:
Plant marrows in a sunny, sheltered spot with well-drained, fertile soil. They like plenty of space to spread, so give each plant about 1m², and avoid areas where other courgettes or squashes have grown recently to reduce disease risk.
Once your marrow plants are growing, keep the soil consistently moist and mulch around the base to retain water and suppress weeds. Feed regularly with a high-potash fertiliser to encourage fruiting. Support the fruits if they’re large to prevent them from sitting on damp soil and rotting.
Harvest marrows when they’re firm and about 20-30cm (8-12in) long for eating, cutting them with a sharp knife to avoid damaging the plant; leaving them too long makes the skin tough. Regular picking also encourages the plant to produce more fruit.
Once your marrow plants are growing, keep the soil consistently moist and mulch around the base to retain water and suppress weeds. Feed regularly with a high-potash fertiliser to encourage fruiting. Support the fruits if they’re large to prevent them from sitting on damp soil and rotting.
Harvest marrows when they’re firm and about 20-30cm (8-12in) long for eating, cutting them with a sharp knife to avoid damaging the plant; leaving them too long makes the skin tough. Regular picking also encourages the plant to produce more fruit.
Sowing instructions:
Sow three seeds to a 10cm (4in) pot in a greenhouse or sunny windowsill. Pot on seedlings as they grow, and once all threat of frost has passed harden off carefully and plant out into rich soil in a sunny, sheltered spot, allowing 60cm (2ft) between plants.
Protect from slugs and water regularly in dry spells. To ripen a marrow thoroughly, lift it up on bricks, remove any leaves shading the fruit, and turn every few days so the sun ripens the skin evenly. Once ripe it should keep for several months in a cool, dark place.
Protect from slugs and water regularly in dry spells. To ripen a marrow thoroughly, lift it up on bricks, remove any leaves shading the fruit, and turn every few days so the sun ripens the skin evenly. Once ripe it should keep for several months in a cool, dark place.
Eventual height:
1m
Eventual spread:
1m
Position:
Full sun
Rate of growth:
Fast-growing
Soil:
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness:
Frost tender
-
Humans/Pets: If crop is bitter, don't eat or feed to pets
approx 20 seeds
was £2.29
now £1.83
available to order from summer
Unavailable
1
