Growing courgettes | 4Food

Growing Guides How to grow courgettes

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Date Published:: 15/10/2007

Courgettes are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and will rarely disappoint.

Give them decent soil and plenty of water, and each plant will produce up to 20 fruits (they're small, summer squashes - baby marrows in fact).

There are plenty of these prolific performers to choose from, and not all of them green and straight. You could try a yellow, white or striped variety, or even an attractive ball-shaped courgette.

The plants themselves come in two types. The majority grow as relatively compact bushes, whereas a select few climbing or trailing varieties, such as Tromboncino and Black Forest, can be trained up supports or over archways.

You'll need to be vigilant once the young fruits start to develop, as they can grow to harvest size within a couple of days.

Pick them regularly and they'll crop for most of the season. The flowers can also be stuffed as an attractive gourmet treat.