Courgettes – Introduction

Courgettes or Zucchini are part of the Cucurbita family and was bred in Milan, Italy.

Courgettes are normally green but there are now varieties of yellow or orange colours. Courgettes also come in long shapes or ball types.

Courgette plants are vining plants and produce a lot of leaves. They can be grown in pots or containers or Raised Beds. When courgettes start forming from the ovary (small bulb) at the back of the female flower, they need regular watering to form the courgette.

In my opinion, courgettes are one of the most cost effective plants to grow because you get so many courgettes from only a few plants.

It’s worth noting Less is more with Courgettes, you will only need 2 or 3 plants to feed a family of four for a few months. Make sure you like Courgettes before you grow them because you will be inundated with them!

Sowing Courgettes

Sow Seeds: End April (after last frost date) to End May

• Sow one seed per 9cm diameter pot and cover with soil.
• Water well and put in an unheated or mini greenhouse.

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Planting Courgettes

This video teaches you how to plant Courgette plants from pots into a raised bed.

You will need:

• Trowel,
• Compost,
• Watering can with water.

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Video – How to Harvest a Courgette or Zucchini

This video shows how to harvest a courgette or zucchini by cutting the green stem with a pair of secateurs.

You will need:

• Secateurs

My Courgette Growing Experiences

Here’s my growing summary of dates sowed and dates harvested from two different types of Courgettes brown in a Raised Bed and in a Container.

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Courgette Planted in a Raised Bed

Variety: Summer Holiday F1

• Type: Yellow Stripy Ball Courgettes.
• Sowed Seeds: 27 April.
• Germinated: 7 May.
• Potted on into Large Pots: 21 May.
• Ready to Plant Outside: 2 June.
• Disease: Powdery Mildew on Leaves, removed infected leaves in mid July.
• Harvest: 9 August

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Courgette Planted in a Pot

Variety: Zephyr

Variety: Zephyr

Type: Yellow with green tips – Courgettes.

Sowed Seeds: 24 May.

Germinated: 11 June.

Potted on into Large Pots Outside: 7 July.

Pests & Diseases: None

Harvest: 2 x courgettes on 28 July 24.

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The Courgette Series

• How to Plant Courgettes in a Raised Bed with Video,
• Courgettes, Squash & Pumpkins – Male and Female Flowers Explained
• Growing Ball Courgettes
• Green Stripy Ball Courgettes
• Growing Yellow Ball Courgettes
• Courgette Glut Recipes
• Growing with Courgettes – Beef & Rice Stuffed Yellow Ball Courgettes