Indoor cucumbers can be sown from April in an unheated greenhouse, sowing seeds singly in 7cm pots with good multipurpose compost.

You will need a heated propagator to maintain a temperature of 25C and a warm spot in which to grow the young plants. The seeds should germinate in about three days. Alternatively you can germinate them in an airing cupboard before transferring them to a warm, well-lit windowsill when the seedlings appear.

Pot them on a 12cm pot when the first leaves have fully opened, and about four weeks later when the young plants have around five leaves, they should be ready to plant out (although wait until June if your greenhouse is unheated). In a greenhouse, a couple of plants should give you a constant supply of cucumbers throughout the summer.

Most modern varieties are all-female hybrids, producing mostly only female flowers so the fruits develop without being pollinated.