'El Greco' Courgette Plants (2024)

FAQs

Is courgette the same as zucchini? ›

Courgette or Zucchini

English zucchini goes by courgette in England, the French word for the green gourd. The United States inherited the Italian name, and both terms reference the summer squash.

Each courgette plant can produce around 20 fruits so 2 or 3 plants are plenty for most households. Courgette seed requires soil temperatures of 13-15C to germinate so a sunny windowsill will suffice, although a heated propagator on a low setting will speed up germination.

Courgettes are thirsty plants and need regular watering, especially if growing in a container. Aim to keep the soil consistently moist. During hot spells, plants may even need watering daily. When you water, try not to wet the leaves, as this can encourage fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew.

What is a courgette? Despite the green skin and vegetable-like appearance, courgettes are technically a fruit. This is because they come from a flower, and grow from a golden blossom that blooms from under the leaves. Courgettes belong to the family Cucurbitaceae along with pumpkins, cucumbers and melons.

Courgettes are called “zucchini" in the US, similar to the Italian term. Most likely, the Italians brought the term with then when they came to America, and their name for the vegetable won out and spread across the US.

Young courgettes can be eaten raw, either shaved into ribbons or finely sliced into a salad – they're delicious dressed simply with chilli, chopped mint, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. You can sauté, roast, grill or barbecue courgettes, or add them to cakes for a sweet treat. Larger courgettes can be stuffed.

Courgettes need a sheltered position in full sun and a fertile soil that holds plenty of moisture. They are reasonably large plants, so need plenty of room, spacing them up to 90cm (3ft) apart. Some more compact varieties are also available - and these are best suited for growing in containers.

Choose a pot with drainage holes as courgettes prefer a moist but well-drained soil. Each plant will need a pot that is at least 45 cm high and 45 cm wide to thrive. Smaller containers can be used, but the plant may not reach its full potential and produce fewer harvestable fruits.

Overwatered zucchini plants often have yellowing leaves that may look wilted or lifeless. Despite this wilting appearance, the leaves often feel soft and bloated due to excess water. Zucchini plant roots of overwatered plants may become waterlogged, leading to root rot, further deteriorating the plant's health.

Some people consider the flavour similar to aubergine, others find it more resembling to a courgette. Okra is the main ingredient for stew Gumbo. The okra is high in fibre, magnesium, folic acid and antioxidants, a must try in soul food.

What are the benefits of eating courgettes? ›

Courgettes contain minimal calories and lots of water, making them far from fattening. While they aren't packed full of nutrients, they do contain plenty of Vitamin C, which is good for supporting the immune system, and potassium, which can help maintain normal blood pressure.

The zucchini (/zuˈkiːni/; pl. : zucchini or zucchinis), courgette (/kʊərˈʒɛt/) or baby marrow (Cucurbita pepo) is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible.

It's one of the most popular vegetables in the squash family, being extremely versatile, tender and easy to cook. Just don't boil them! They have a deep green skin with firm pale flesh and are also known as zucchini.

In the posh parts, they`re called cumbercues. The famous actor Benedict Cumberbatch`s family were the original growers of it. The first lot were called Cumber`s batch, hence the surname. Up north, the Geordies and Scousers call them green dild*es.

The name 'zucchin' comes from the Italian word 'zucca' which means squash, the male plural of which is'zucchini'. In France 'courgette' comes from the 'courge' meaning squash. The zucchini appears to have been first recorded in the United States in the early 1900's and was brought to Australia by early migrants.