With a heatwave sweeping across the UK, it's the perfect time to plant pumpkins and squashes.
But if you're not naturally green-fingered and need a helping hand, then look no further.
Gardening expert Monty Don has revealed the best way to plant a pumpkin – and claims it achieves "absolutely delicious" results every time.
Speaking in an episode of BBC’s Gardeners' World, the horticulturist explains that like most people, he usually grows squashes with support from wigwams or a trellis which are strong enough to hold the heavy vegetable.
But what if you don't have access to either of the support systems?
Well, according to Monty Don, there's a very simple yet effective solution – “plant them flat on the ground”.
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The gardening guru is then seen making room in his garden and carefully marks out the spacing between each pumpkin.
“What I would say is don’t be tempted to put them any closer together than this," he warns.
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“A metre in any direction is the closest you should plant.
“And if you’ve got more space, two metres is not absurd.”
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The reason? Because squashes and pumpkins require plenty of nutrients to grow to their famously large sizes.
He goes on to highlight the important of compost – and urges anyone green-fingered to get this sorted before planting the vegetable.
“The best thing you can do to give them a start in life is some compost – not only will that feed [them], but it will act as a sponge to hold moisture," he says.
He can then be seen putting the compost on the ground, before planting one of his favourite types of pumpkin – the “Marina di Chioggia” variety – into it.
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He notes that once the pumpkin has been planted, he makes “a slight circle around it."
This is so what when he waters it, the water "doesn’t run off away from it”.
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