TYPICAL SPACING90 cm
VEGETABLE · ANNUAL
Courgette Growing Guide
Plan courgettes or zucchini for frost-free planting, realistic spacing, watering and frequent summer harvests.
PLANT PROFILE
Track in My Garden →Courgette · Zucchini
Broad planning defaults are available in the connected calculators; variety instructions and local conditions take priority.
INDOOR LEAD4 weeks
BROAD MATURITY55 days
LIFECYCLEAnnual
Give courgette the right place before you calculate dates.
Courgettes grow quickly once conditions are warm, which means they usually do not need a very early indoor start. Their main planning needs are frost avoidance, generous space and steady access to water once the plants become large and productive.
Give each plant enough room for a broad leaf canopy and easy harvest access. A position with strong light and fertile, moisture-retentive soil suits the crop well. In a small garden, one well-spaced plant can be more useful than several cramped plants.
Plan the start around the way this plant actually grows.
Seeds can be started indoors a few weeks before planting out or sown directly once the soil is warm enough. Because seedlings grow fast, starting them much too early can create large plants that are difficult to hold indoors while nights remain cold.
Large leaves and rapid fruit growth can use substantial water during dry weather. Water the root zone rather than repeatedly wetting the foliage, and use mulch where appropriate to reduce evaporation. Check plants frequently because fruit can move from small to oversized quickly.
Use maturity as a window, then check the real plant.
Frequent picking encourages a steady supply of smaller fruit. If a courgette is left to become very large, the plant invests more energy in that fruit and the texture changes. Harvest rhythm is therefore part of crop management, not just the final step.
Use the frost-risk checker before planting out, then calculate realistic spacing and a watering target for the bed.
How should I use the numbers on this page?
Spacing: 90 cm is the current broad planning default. Do not tighten spacing simply to increase the plant count.
Maturity: 55 days is a broad planning estimate. Weather and cultivar can materially change the real timing.
Local conditions: Frost pockets, wind exposure, soil drainage and container size can make two gardens in the same town behave differently.