Cucumber, Courgette, Marrow, Pumpkin & Squash

The Best Edible Cucurbita & Cucumis Varieties

Cucumbers, courgettes and marrows (which are almost the same thing), pumpkins, and squashes are a related yet diverse group of vigorous, heavy cropping annual vegetables, collectively called Cucurbits. They like a lot of sun, and most of them are sprawling plants that either need support to grow up, or space to spread out and something like a brick or plastic mulch sheet to keep the fruit up off of the soil. 

Scroll Down to Browse

They are a classic "quick success" vegetable for beginners, lending themselves to different growing styles that suit open or vertical spaces, and with some care they can produce crops that make jaws drop. For a giant, exhibition size pumpkin, marrow, courgette or squash, all you need to do is pinch off all but the single biggest fruit bud after flowering: if you have space, it's always fun to give this a try on one plant, and grow the rest normally.

With cucumbers, the best approach is to pick the fruit the instant that they ripen, which you learn with practice to observe. The plant will set more fruit as long as moisture and nutrients are steady and sufficient, not excessive. 

All Cucurbits come from around Central America, where they have been cultivated for centuries; botanically speaking, they are fruits (like tomatoes), but they are cooked as a vegetable in curries, risottos, stews and soups. 

Browse all of our vegetables and herbs.