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How to grow courgettes

Sow

• Do not Sow in January
• Do not Sow in February
• Do not Sow in March
• Do Sow in April
• Do Sow in May
• Do Sow in June
• Do not Sow in July
• Do not Sow in August
• Do not Sow in September
• Do not Sow in October
• Do not Sow in November
• Do not Sow in December

Plant

• Do not Plant in January
• Do not Plant in February
• Do not Plant in March
• Do not Plant in April
• Do Plant in May
• Do Plant in June
• Do not Plant in July
• Do not Plant in August
• Do not Plant in September
• Do not Plant in October
• Do not Plant in November
• Do not Plant in December

Harvest

• Do not Harvest in January
• Do not Harvest in February
• Do not Harvest in March
• Do not Harvest in April
• Do not Harvest in May
• Do not Harvest in June
• Do Harvest in July
• Do Harvest in August
• Do Harvest in September
• Do Harvest in October
• Do not Harvest in November
• Do not Harvest in December

Average Yield

• 4.5kg per 3m row

Spacing 

• 90cm apart 
• 90cm between rows

Depth 2.5cm

Courgettes are easy to grow and highly productive plants, bearing masses of delicious, nutty courgettes for use in summer dishes and salads. Just two or three courgettes plants are enough to feed a family, or grow more to give to friends.

How to grow courgettes

Sow courgette seeds in April in pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost. Pot on seedlings when they’re big enough to handle, and plant outside when all risk of frost has passed. Courgettes are hungry plants, so do well grown in soil enriched with plenty of well-rotted horse manure or compost. Water plants regularly and feed weekly with a high potash fertiliser such as tomato food. harvest courgettes when they are around 10cm long – leaving courgettes to grow larger will reduce the plant’s vigour and fruiting potential.

How to sow courgette seeds

Sow courgette seeds indoors in mid-spring. Sow seeds in pots or module trays using moist, peat-free multi-purpose compost. For later crops, sow seeds outside in late spring.

When seedlings appear, move stronger ones to larger pots. Throw away weaker seedlings. Grow on indoors until ready to plant outside in late spring, after the last frost. Space plants 90cm apart, then mulch the surrounding soil generously to hold in moisture.

How to sow pumpkin and courgette seeds

Mid-April is the ideal time to sow pumpkins and courgettes, so they're ready to plant out by late May. Monty Don explains how to get them off to a good start and recommends varieties to try.

If you don’t have the time or space to sow seeds indoors, then you can buy courgette plants from most garden centres in late spring.

How to care for courgette plants

Moisture is the key to success when growing courgettes. A constantly just-moist soil is essential if plants are to crop to their full potential. It’s therefore important to water courgettes regularly and apply a thick layer of mulch around the plants, to hold water in the soil.

In dry conditions, most varieties produce mainly non-fruiting male flowers. To encourage female (fruiting) flowers, water generously and regularly. Apply tomato fertiliser once a fortnight to promote growth and flowering.

How to grow courggetes - harvesting courgettes

Cut courgettes while they are small (about 10cm long is ideal), rather than leaving them to grow to the size of marrows – this will help to encourage more courgettes to develop over a longer period.

How to harvest courgettes

Courgette rot is a common problem in damp weather. It often spreads from the faded flower into the end of the courgette itself. Never water plants from above – always direct water down onto the soil around the stem. Keep a close eye on plants during wet weather and remove any soggy flowers from the end of developing fruits. Deter slugs by putting crushed shells around the stem base, or use a biological pest control. Use wildlife-friendly slug pellets as a last resort.