TL;DR: Sow courgette seeds indoors in spring, transplant outdoors after the last frost, water regularly, and harvest small for the best flavour. Two or three plants will keep a whole family well supplied all summer.2
Why Grow Courgettes
Courgettes (also called zucchini, botanical name Cucurbita pepo) are one of the easiest vegetables a beginner can grow.1 They are forgiving, ridiculously productive, and perfect for anyone taking their first steps into growing their own food.4
You can expect three or four fruits per week from a single plant in good weather.1 Just two or three plants are enough to feed a family, with enough left over to give to friends.2
Choosing a Variety
Shops often sell one type of courgette — the straight green variety — but gardeners can grow a range of different shapes and colours.3 Fruits come in various shades of green or yellow, either long or rounded in shape.1
Climbing varieties can be trained vertically up canes or wires.1 Compact varieties work well in a large container or growing bag if you are short on space.1
When to Sow
Sow seeds indoors in April or May in pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost.2 Use 10 cm pots and sow each seed at a depth of about 2 cm — the seeds are large and germinate quickly, so avoid very small pots or modules.5
A warm windowsill, propagator, or glasshouse works well for germination.5 You can also sow outdoors from late May to early June for a later crop.2
Step 1 — Sow Indoors in Spring
Fill a 10 cm pot with peat-free compost and push one seed in at a depth of 2 cm.5 Keep the pot on a warm, sunny windowsill and water gently. The seeds are large and grow fast, so you will see results quickly.5
Step 2 — Pot On Seedlings
Once seedlings emerge and outgrow their starter pot, move them into a larger container before planting out.2 Keep them somewhere warm and bright while overnight temperatures outside are still low.
Step 3 — Choose the Right Spot
Courgettes are tender plants that need a warm, sunny, and sheltered position with rich soil.1 They form large, vigorous plants, so allow roughly a square metre of ground per plant.1
Space plants 90 cm apart with 90 cm between rows.3 Good air circulation around each plant helps keep it healthy through the season.
Step 4 — Plant Out After the Last Frost
Transplant seedlings outdoors in early summer, once the risk of frost has passed.1 Courgettes are tender, so a late frost will damage or kill young plants — wait until nights are reliably mild.1
You can also buy young courgette plants at the garden centre in late spring if you missed the sowing window.2 This is a handy shortcut that still gives a full summer of cropping.
Step 5 — Water Regularly
Courgettes like rich soil and regular watering.1 Water in dry spells to keep the soil evenly moist — inconsistent watering can stress the plant and reduce yields.
Once plants are established in midsummer, provided they are well watered and the fruit is picked young, each plant produces a phenomenal quantity of fruit.3
Step 6 — Harvest Small and Often
You can pick courgettes at any size, but flavour and texture are best when they are small.1 Regular harvesting encourages plants to keep on cropping.1
If left on the plant, courgette fruits will quickly grow into marrows.1 The flavour becomes less sweet, seeds grow larger, and the flesh thickens as the fruit matures.3 Check plants every two to three days in peak summer.
Using Your Harvest
Courgettes work in stir fry, lasagne, curry, or chopped fresh into salad.3 The flowers are also edible — pick and use them as soon as they open.1
Courgettes are prolific crops bearing masses of delicious, nutty fruits for use in summer dishes and salads.2 If you find yourself overwhelmed, they freeze well after slicing and blanching.
Quick Tips for Success
- Start seeds in warmth — a propagator or sunny windowsill is ideal.5
- Give each plant a full square metre of space.1
- Water consistently through dry spells.1
- Harvest regularly to keep the plant producing.1
- Two or three plants are plenty for a family.2
Courgettes are a gateway plant that can get you growing all sorts of other edibles and ornamental plants.4 Start with just two plants this spring, keep them watered, and harvest often — the results will surprise you.
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