Courgette 'Summer Holidays' is a fun crop to grow on your veg patch, boasting bumper crops of round, stripey yellow fruits. These compact, almost spineless plants are easy to pick and can be harvested at various stages. The flesh remains firm but tender when cooked due to its high dry matter content which prevents it from turning mushy. Baby fruits are perfect for adding to vegetable skewers for the BBQ, tennis-ball-sized fruits are great for stuffing or for all-round use, or you can leave them to mature to large, round marrows.
Height: 70cm (28in). Spread: 80cm (31in).
Sowing Information
Sow courgette seed indoors from April to May for transplanting later on, or direct sow outdoors from late May to June. Prepare the soil in early spring by adding plenty of well rotted farmyard manure to improve its structure and fertility.
Indoors, sow seed at a depth of 2cm (¾") in 7.5cm (3") pots of free-draining, seed sowing compost. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 20-25C (68-77F) until germination which takes 5-7 days. Do not exclude light, as this helps germination. Once germinated, grow courgettes on in cooler conditions until all risk of frost has passed and courgette plants are large enough to be transplanted. Gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions over 7 - 10 days before planting courgettes outdoors in rich fertile, well drained soil in full sun at a distance of 90cm (36") apart. Cover with a protective netting or fleece to prevent attack from birds and insects. When growing courgettes, a thick mulch of organic matter spread around the plants will help to conserve moisture at the roots.
Alternatively direct sow courgettes outdoors at a depth of 2cm (¾") and a distance of 90cm (36") apart. Sow 2 seeds per hole and thin out the weakest seedling per station after germination.
