Courgette/Zucchini

They come in yellow or green, with stripes, and round or cylindrical shapes. These are are zucchini or zucchetti, as they are called in German-speaking Switzerland. Originally from Central America, they are a popular vegetable worldwide today. In botanical terms, zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) are members of the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae).

Sativa’s zucchini breeding focuses on good taste, early maturity, easy harvest and high yield, and plant health (virus and mildew tolerance).

Light green zucchini varieties have the most intense flavor, followed by yellow and green varieties. Stuffed yellow zucchini blossoms are considered a delicacy. In contrast to squashes, zucchini cannot be stored for a particularly long time, with the dark green varieties storing a little better than the rest.

Zucchini germinate better the higher the soil temperature. They are therefore usually pre-cultivated in pots but can also be sown directly in summer. Soaking them in lukewarm water for several hours accelerates germination. Zucchini also need warm conditions later on in order to grow well. These easy-to-cultivate plants have a high fertilizer requirement throughout the entire cultivation period. Plan about one square meter per plant in the plot and ideally follow zucchini with a different crop the next year. Zucchini plants are sensitive to cold. They should therefore only be planted out when there is no longer any danger of frost at night. If there is a risk of frost, they must be covered with fleece. The first two fruits, which are often misshapen, should be broken off if possible to allow the plant to grow more leaves. After that, regular harvesting of the smaller fruits (12-20cm) is important so that the plants produce new flowers repeatedly. Zucchini plants need a lot of water in summer. To prevent diseases, older leaves should be removed regularly.