If you look at most seed catalogues, you'll find them full of modern hybrid courgettes , bred for the needs of agri-business, not home gardeners.

But some really good traditional varieties do still exist, and these are the best we have found.
(NB: "Summer squash" are picked young and used just like courgettes but are different shapes & colours.)

A note about plant sizes, that not everyone realises:
Some are big sprawling vines, others are dwarf bushes. But in general you get a set amount of produce per square foot of plant,
so there's no free lunch (or dinner) - if you want loads of courgettes you need to plant up several square yards of plants.

Ben would normally grow about 6 plants for our own use, which is why we give you at least 10 seeds.
But then, he likes courgettes a lot, so you might only want to grow 3 or 4.

TIP: Mice love courgette seed, and slugs love the baby plants. The seed will also germinate best with a bit of heat,
so we recommend sowing indoors in small pots, then planting out when they have 3 true leaves. Don't rush - often
plants that go out slightly later will catch up and do much better than earlier plantings battered by spring storms.

'White Volunteer' Cousa Courgette WEB-SPECIAL
We got these back in 2002, they were originally selected from 1 unusual plant in a whole field of different courgettes.

This amazing variety starts early and is a prolific producer of short, fat, white (well, really a very pale green) courgettes. They start producing fast, and then just keep making more and more fruit as the season goes on.

They also have a good dense texture and stay firm and delicious even when large. Our friend Rods verdict? "I only planted 4 plants & I just can't keep up with them!"

We only have room in our growing schedule to produce them every now and then. Who knows when seed of this fantastic variety will be available again? If you like them, why not check out our seed-saving instructions -you only need 2 rubber bands and about 10 minutes work to save pure seed from a courgette plant.

Staggeringly early & productive. (note: the string in the picture is to identify the fruit as one chosen to be saved for seed production)

Feedback: Rave reviews from everyone.
Abi Gbbens from Sheffield wrote: "FANTASTIC!! Wow, not only have I got loads of courgettes, but they are the most beautiful I have ever tasted! I thought all courgettes were small and thin, but these big chubby beauties are just delicious, no matter whatsize they reach . . . Thank you for all your efforts, please keep it up"

'Striato d'Napoli' Courgette
A good early courgette from Italy. Big bushy plants giving lots of long, pretty fruit with alternating light and dark green stripes. Perfectly smooth and round in cross-section, and the flesh doesn't go as 'soft' when cooked as other courgettes do.

We like it a lot: very productive, but it doesn't sprawl too much, so it's a good choice if you have a small plot. .

'Tondo di Piacenza' Courgette
An early courgette which is almost perfectly spherical. Very productive, with pretty fruits which look good on the plant and on the plate.

Most of the round courgettes available are very pale , but these are a nice glossy dark green colour, which helps them absorb a bit more heat. Definitely worth a try if you fancy something a little bit different.

Kate would like to point out that we have actually found one small flaw with these. Because they're round, if you try to carry a huge armful all at once, it's very easy to loose control and end up with them rolling away in all directions! The bushes are also very big and sprawling - so better for the larger plot - but then they make an awful lot of courgettes.

Trieste White Cousa Courgette
Trieste White is a Cousa-type courgette from the Middle East.

The bushes are very quick growing and make short, chubby, slightly bulbous white courgettes. (Well, really a very, very pale green rather than ‘white’.)

We prefer Cousa courgettes like this one, as they fruit earlier and more heavily than normal courgettes, and the fruit stay tender to a greater size.

They have very gentle ridges along their length in the style of the courgettes grown in the North of Italy. The flesh of these pale green courgettes is very soft and delicately-flavoured .

This is a small bush (not a vine), making medium-sized very dark green (almost black) courgettes.

Because it is smaller plant it is a good choice for those of you with a tiny plot ( and also for all those with a huge plot who are just always hopelessly over-optimistic about how many different things can be squeezed in!)

~ Seed for OTHER TYPES of SUMMER SQUASH ~

Summer squash are grown and cooked just like courgettes. They have a slightly nuttier flavour, and offer a whole new range of different shapes & colours.

To avoid any confusion - we perhaps didn't make this clear enough last year - just as with courgettes, you should pick these plants regularly, and pick all these squash when they are small, only a couple of inches across. The plants rapidly make more! (Otherwise you will end up with - for example - the patty-pan equivalent of a marrow!)

'Pattison Blanc' Patty Pan Squash
Patty-pan squash are flattened, saucer-shaped courgettes.

This old French heirloom produces white saucer-shaped fruit, which are cut when young (about 3 inches across) and cooked or fried just like a courgette.

The flavour is a little richer and more substantial than courgettes, with a slight 'nutty' taste.

Very popular each year, they can be quite prolific indeed in a good summer.

Saucer-shaped white courgette!

Sorry, not available 2010 - we have seed but its germination was a bit poor, so we're not offering it. The Orange one below is really nice though.

'Pattison Orange' Patty Pan Squash
This is a patty-pan variety that has orange fruit, a bit fatter than the white strain – they’re more shaped like a pudding than a flying saucer.

Again, you take them when young like a courgette and cook in just the same way. Good nutty flavour. .

Orange, pudding shaped , quick.

Order SSPO - 14 seed £1.65

'Summer Crookneck' summer squash
This is an amazing knobbly yellow squash, with bulbous fruit and a curved neck (hence the name).

Although botanically a 'squash' it is always picked early, sliced whole, & used just like a courgette - with a great nutty flavour.

We think that it is much tastier than courgettes though - firmer fleshed and better flavoured! It is a bit slower to get going though, as it does like some warmth, so we always grow both for good crops right through the season.

Always a favourite of ours

Order SSSC 12 seed £1.69

Saving Courgette & Summer Squash Seed:

It is very easy to save your own courgette seed, but you really do have to do it properly.

For seed production, you really must pollinate the flowers by hand,
otherwise they will cross with all the other squash and pumpkins,
giving tasteless watery mongrels that are no good to eat.

The rubber bands hold the flowers shut so the bees can't get in and cross-pollinate them before you get there.

Don't be daunted! It only takes a few minutes to do this properly, and you'll get great seed.

Seed-saving instructions are included with your seeds, so you can do this yourself.
And of course, seed-saving is only possible because these are all real, non-hybrid varieties.

The Real Seed Catalogue

The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden

~ Seed for COURGETTES & SUMMER SQUASH ~

~ Seed for OTHER TYPES of SUMMER SQUASH ~

Saving Courgette & Summer Squash Seed:

The Real Seed Catalogue The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden

~ Seed for COURGETTES & SUMMER SQUASH ~

~ Seed for OTHER TYPES of SUMMER SQUASH ~

Saving Courgette & Summer Squash Seed:

The Real Seed Catalogue

The best vegetable seeds for the Kitchen Garden