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Courgettes/Zucchini

Courgettes/Zucchini

Courgette (Cucurbita pepo)

Courgettes (sometimes referred to as Zucchini) are one of the most reliable and productive summer crops, often producing large quantities of fruit from just a few plants. They are well suited to Irish conditions and can be grown outdoors in a sunny, sheltered position or under cover for an earlier start.

Growing Conditions

  • Soil: Rich, moisture-retentive soil that doesn't get waterlogged, with plenty of organic matter. You'll need to apply a good bucket full of compost per square meter (which is about 1 bucket per plant) as courgettes, like other cucurbits are quite heavy feeders.
  • Light: Courgettes are best in full sun and a sheltered position as strong winds can cause problems with their large leaves (I have had plants catch the wind in the past, resulting in broken stems and losing the plant altogether).
  • Spacing: 80–100 cm between plants. This seems like a lot of space, but for what they produce, it's really very little and yo can always grow crops like lettuce that will mature more quickly, in between plants to make the most of your space.
  • Rotation: These are part of the cucurbit family along with pumpkins, squash and melons but they are not usually associated with soil born disease or pests and so you don't have to be too cautious as to where they fit in to your rotation.

Sowing & Planting

  • Sow indoors from mid to late April. These are best sown individually in 7-9cm pots on a warm windowsill. You can also keep them in a greenhouse or polytunnel as long as you protect them with fleece overnight as night-time temperatures at this time of year can still be very cold to freezing, something we can often forget when we're experiencing warmer days.
  • Sow seeds on their side to prevent rotting and offer more success of germination. 
  • Harden off and plant out from late May once frost risk has passed - you may need to pot them on once in between to prevent them becoming rootbound.
  • Even when planted out in May you might still want to offer a cloche or fleece for protection here in Ireland, given the cold gales we can sometimes get but by June they should be fine to soak up the warmer days - we hope.
  • Courgettes can be a great plant to have in a permaculture guild amongst climbers and larger shrubs and trees, as their large leaves will provide some ground cover and shade, keeping moisture in the soil for those plants around them. If used in this way, do make sure you have enough space for them to mature and plant them on the sunny side of other plants so that they don't become shaded out.

Care & Maintenance

  • Water regularly and generously during any dry spells. If we have any more heat waves, it may even be worth adding a thick mulch to keep moisture in but do be careful to keep any mulch clear of the growing stems as these can be prone to rot.
  • Other than that keep an eye on the fruit and harvest regularly so you don't end up with too many marrows! You can also feed with a potassium rich food, like tomato or comfrey feed (see our guide on fertilisers) once they start fruiting but to be honest, if you made sure the soil was prepared well, this shouldn't be necessary

Growing in Containers

  • If you are growing in containers they will need to be at least 30–40L in volume.
  • Choose compact varieties
  • Water frequently

Harvesting & Storage

Harvest regularly when fruits are small (10–15 cm) for best flavour and continued production. Courgettes will keep for about a week in the fridge but larger marrows with hardened skins can keep for up to 3 months in a cool frost free shed (away from anything that might eat them!).

Varieties to Try

  • Defender F1 – Reliable and productive with early dark green fruits.
  • Lingodor F1 – Disease resistant, yellow skinned variety that has a nuttier flavour than most green types.
  • Boldenice F1 – Round fruited variety harvested young for sweetness or grown on for stuffing.

Common Problems

  • Poor fruit set: Often weather or pollination related
  • Powdery mildew: Common later in season but it won't kill the plant.
  • Slugs: Damage young plants

Culinary Use

  • Grilled, roasted or fried
  • Soups and stews
  • Courgette bread or fritters

Recipe – Courgette Fritters

Ingredients

2 courgettes, grated
1 egg
50g flour
Salt and pepper

  • Squeeze excess moisture from courgettes.
  • Mix with egg and flour.
  • Fry spoonfuls until golden.

Nutritional Information

Per 100g:

  • Calories: 18kcal     
  • Protein: 1.8g     
  • Carbohydrate: 1.8g     
  • Fat: 0.4g     
  • Fibre: 0.9g (NSP)

Courgettes are low in calories and high in fibre, contain vitamin C and folate and are a good source of potassium, which contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.