The Riverford founder has instead been cultivating a range of smaller, vibrant squash varieties — including crown prince, red onion, sweet lightning, futsu and stripetti — which he is offering in mixed boxes.
He said: “This time of the year should be a celebration of the wonderful abundance of seasonal vegetables that see us through autumn and winter.
“Squash come in an extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and colours, and offer just as much decorative potential, with considerably more flavour. Let’s paint a face on a squash instead and then eat it.”
Meanwhile, some growers have been experimenting with inventive techniques to overcome the drought’s effects.
Ali Goding, garden manager at RHS Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, said: “Pumpkins struggle to grow in heavy clay soil during drought conditions, so the team at RHS garden Harlow Carr have trialled a new, novel way to grow pumpkins this year in a compost cake which helps retain moisture, humidity and warmth and the results have been fantastic while also benefiting wildlife.”
She added: “Normally we are a bit cool, damp and too far north for them to develop a full flavour so the extra heat worked out well for us. A good year!”