Kitchen Garden Forum

I usually grow Defender but as I try to squeeze as much as possible into my small vegetable patch wonder if anybody can recommend a courgette variety that is particularly compact and might take up less space?

Hello Primrose
For a couple of years now I have grown 'Parthenon F1'. I suppose its much the same size as other varieties but its big advantage is that its self-fertile so you get fruits much earlier and whatever the weather - excellent fruits also.
I think with all courgettes you can do a bit of careful pruning around the edges and remove a few of the big outer leaves to keep the plant with your limits.

John

Dear Primrose, Defender is a lovely courgette, but it does grow in an open habit.

Picchio F1 and Bambino F1 are both compact plants.

There is also a so called climbing courgette called Black Forest F1, it can be trained up canes or the like, but i have not tried it so don't know how good it is.

If you like the yellow varieties, F1 Jemmer is prolific and a compact bush. So is the round one F1
Floridor.

Beryl.

A nice open pollinated variety with a very good flavour is Verde di Italiano from Real Seeds. It is a compact plant too and very productive.

What about the 'Nice' variety? Little round balls, as per Lidl seed at 29p per packet?!

If space is what counts, "black forest" is a good choice. It needs to be encoraged to climb up a wigwam of canes (it will need tying in). I have grown it a few times, and will do this year. It has nice dark glossy green corgettes.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'll look around for some seed packets and see what I can find.

I'd also vouch for Jemmer, I generally have one in a tub in my tiny backgarden as well as some on my plot. It gives a few early courgettes in a 18" pot, but more in the open ground.

yellow courgettes can't sneakily hide and turn into marrows either.