SOLOMON HUGHES recommends Sunjeev Sahota’s recent novel set in a trade union election campaign for its fresh approach to what unites and divides workers, but wishes the union backdrop was truer to life
A SUCCESSFUL courgette plant can take up a fair amount of space on the vegetable patch by midsummer, so if you’re short of room you could try growing them vertically instead of horizontally.
This approach involves a bit more intervention than growing them on the flat does, and some cultivars of courgette respond better to the treatment than others — one called Black Forest, for instance, is particularly recommended as a climber.
But if you don’t mind the extra labour, it can be a useful way of getting more food per square foot of ground as well as minimising the risk of a rampant courg smothering neighbouring crops.
MAT COWARD takes a look at some of the options for keen gardeners as we enter 2026
MAT COWARD sings the praises of the Giant Winter’s full-depth, earthy and ferrous flavour perfect for rich meals in the dark months
MAT COWARD presents a peculiar cabbage that will only do its bodybuilding once the summer dies down
MAT COWARD rises over such semantics to offer step by step, fool-proof cultivating tips



