Squash Harvest (gouache style)

Pumpkins and winter squashes are cucurbits, originally from the Americas, and three species cover most garden kinds. Cucurbita pepo includes many pumpkins, Cucurbita maxima the big blue-grey and turban squashes such as 'Crown Prince', and Cucurbita moschata the butternuts. Unlike summer squashes, which are eaten young, winter types are left to mature until their rinds are hard. They're vigorous trailing plants with large lobed leaves and big yellow flowers.

Sow seed indoors in late April or May, one seed on its edge in a small pot. Harden them off and plant out in early June, once frost has passed, into ground rich in compost or manure. Give them space and water well at the base in dry weather. A high-potash liquid feed helps once fruits form, and a tile underneath keeps them off damp soil. Cut fruits with a length of stalk before the first frosts, cure them in the sun, then store somewhere dry and frost-free.

Pumpkins and winter squashes are piled beside a shed door in autumn in this image. It's the picture of a harvest safely in: fruits that took the whole summer to swell, gathered before the frosts arrive. The pile by the door suggests stores laid down for the colder months ahead.