Zucchini Venus F1 - Cucurbita pepo

The Venus F1 Courgette is a very compact but nonetheless productive courgette that produces beautiful, long, shiny green fruits all summer long. This variety is well suited to small spaces and has been rewarded for its qualities by the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society: a guarantee of quality! It can be sown under cover from April to May or directly in the ground from late May to late June for a harvest from July to October.

Oranges, greens, reds, yellows, blacks, or even blues, smooth, ribbed, warty, with tender skin... Squashes and courgettes offer a surprising variability of shapes, colors, and sizes because they cross-breed with disconcerting ease. That's why there are so many varieties.

In common language, winter squashes refer to all kinds of pumpkins, potimarrons, and butternut squashes, with tough skin and delicately sweet flesh. Summer squashes or courgettes (in Latin, Cucurbita pepo) refers to the different varieties that are harvested when young and the skin is still tender. The latter are consumed with the seeds, when they are still tender.

They are all native to America and belong to the large family of cucurbits. They were introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Generally trailing, they cling to any support with the help of their tendrils. Female flowers are distinguished from male flowers by their inferior ovary (under the flower), which marks the presence of an embryo of fruit. In many regions, male flowers are harvested just after pollination to be eaten stuffed or in fritters.

In cooking, courgettes can be prepared in multiple ways: sautéed, fried, gratin, soups, or stuffed. They are essential ingredients in Provençal ratatouille, North African couscous, and many emblematic Mediterranean dishes. They are low in calories but rich in vitamins, especially provitamin A, vitamin B, and minerals.

Courgettes are fruit vegetables that need regular watering to bring out their best. They like heat and sun and do not settle in the garden before early June.

NB: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or mistakenly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities are not passed on to subsequent generations: it will therefore not be possible to recover the seeds for later sowing.

Harvest: Courgettes are harvested when young and fresh.

Storage: They can be stored for a few days at room temperature or in the bottom of the refrigerator, and can be cut into pieces and frozen for several months.

Gardener's tip: Don't forget the flowers! Even though the vegetable garden is primarily a garden for producing quality vegetables, it is always interesting to plant flowers in it. Firstly, for the aesthetic pleasure they provide, but also to repel pests and attract precious pollinators. So, don't hesitate to plant Gaillardias, Marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Nasturtiums, or even beautiful herbs like Dill in the middle of the rows or along the edges. However, be careful with some plants, even though they are useful, like Borage, which tends to self-seed abundantly in dedicated crop areas.