Non-Trailing Zucchini - Cucurbita pepo

This Green Bush courgette for Market Gardeners is a high-quality variety, as its name suggests. It is very reliable and highly productive with beautiful dark green, oblong fruits speckled with cream.

They can reach up to twenty centimetres when ripe. The flavour is delicate and the flesh is suitable for all uses.
Cougettes and squashes are low in calories but rich in vitamins, especially provitamin A, vitamin B, and minerals.

Orange, green, red, yellow, black, or even blue, smooth, ribbed, warty, with tender skin, etc. squashes and courgettes have an astonishing variety of shapes, colours, and sizes, as they hybridise easily. That's why there are so many varieties.

Winter squash commonly refers to all kinds of pumpkins, potimarrons, butternut squashes, etc. with tough skin and delicately sweet flesh. Summer squashes or courgettes, on the other hand, are varieties that are harvested when the skin is still tender. The latter are consumed with the seeds.

They all originate from America and belong to the large family of cucurbits. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century.

• There are about ten species of squashes, four of which are the most cultivated in our vegetable gardens. These are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita moschata or musky squash, Cucurbita maxima, and finally Cucurbita argyrosperma.
• Cucurbita pepo: these are the most common in vegetable gardens and include some pumpkins, zucchinis, pattypan squashes, etc. They are generally recognised by their rigid and deeply cut leaves and their angular peduncle with at least 5 ribs that do not widen at the point of attachment to the fruit.
• Cucurbita moschata or musky squashes: they have soft leaves. The peduncle is very ribbed and visibly widens at the point of attachment to the fruit. The leaves are heart-shaped.
• Cucurbita maxima: these are mainly pumpkins. Their peduncle is round and becomes slightly spongy. As the name of the species suggests, it mainly includes varieties with large fruits. The leaves have 5 lobes.
• Cucurbita argyrosperma: very rare in our gardens, they have trilobed leaves and a very thick, robust, and non-ribbed peduncle.

They are generally trailing and cling to any support with their tendrils. Female flowers can be distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (under the flower), which resembles a small fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested just after pollination to be eaten stuffed or in fritters. There are many ways to eat squashes and courgettes. Sautéed, fried, gratin, soups, or stuffed. Courgettes are prominent in Provençal ratatouille, Italian caponata, Maghrebian couscous, or many Mediterranean dishes.

Harvest: Squashes and courgettes need a lot of water to give their best. Squashes are better when harvested ripe. Courgettes are harvested young and fresh, still immature. All must be handled with care and not damaged.

Storage: Courgettes can be cut into pieces and frozen. Their delicate skin is not suitable for storage as it is. Winter squashes with tough skin can be stored for several months and consumed throughout the winter. Unlike other fruits and vegetables, they need warmth for optimum storage. There is no need to store them in a dark place, so you might as well store them where their shape can be decorative.

Gardener's tip: Place a slate or tile under the fruit. It will then no longer be in direct contact with the ground, thus avoiding rotting due to moisture. They particularly like slightly moist soils, so mulch around the plants, especially during the height of summer. Squashes and courgettes are very susceptible to powdery mildew (a fungal disease that leaves a white fuzz on the surface of the leaves). Be careful not to water the leaves or flowers. Grow your squashes with alliums like chives, onions, or shallots, or with legumes like beans or peas. Growing squash and cucumber together may be detrimental to both parties.