Courgette
Cucurbita pepo
Also called Zucchini and Summer squash
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitPick them small and often. Miss one for a week and the plant stops making any more.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 2 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun
- Feed
- Every 10 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 1.25 m tall · 1.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Origin
- Mesoamerica
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsSafe for pets
PeopleNothing recorded against it
Safe to eat: fruit.
Checked against ASPCA, RHS, Johnny's Selected Seeds and Clemson HGIC on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- White dusty rounds on the upper surface of the oldest leaves in the centre of the plant, spreading outward along the leaf stalks.Powdery mildew · disease
- A newly planted seedling's stem is grazed to a bare white stalk overnight, with silver tracks on the leaf above and the soil beside it.Slugs and snails · pest
- Baby courgettes yellow and go soft from the flower end while still finger-sized — the female flower was never pollinated, and cold or wet weather at flowering is why.Poor pollination · disorder