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With Defender, variety choice, care and harvesting follow each other. Read what the source confirms about the variety and discover how flowers, soil and young fruit guide your garden round.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
This growing advice helps you choose. Your variety, growth stage, weather and conditions in your space determine the actual timing.
Start under cover in warmth · Pumpkin & courgette (Cucurbita pepo)
April–early MayStart indoors in warmth and reserve enough bright space for raising plants.
These plants grow quickly. Do not start in February if you cannot plant out until late May.
RHS · courgette ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
Royal Horticultural Society · Zomer- en winterpompoenen kweken ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
University of Minnesota Extension · Zomerpompoen en courgette kweken ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.
The source context and any limitations are in the background information at the bottom.
Compare with another varietyThe options below belong to the plant. From these, choose the method that suits your variety's growth habit.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
Courgette or pattypan remains a different project from trailing storage squash.
For many bush courgette and pattypan varieties; not every variety stays equally compact.
Tick off your supplies →
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A suitable trailing type can grow upwards if variety and structure suit it.
For suitable small winter fruits; give large, heavy types a ground bed.
Tick off your supplies →The RHS describes Defender with open growth and medium-green fruit. Use this profile for recognition, not fixed yields. Label clearly from raising. Discover performance in your garden by following growth and harvest through the season.
Well-developed root balls help courgette planting. Avoid root damage delaying establishment. Choose sunny, fertile, draining sites. Include plant condition in plans; calendars alone cannot judge seedling readiness.
Water to reach roots and assess soil before repeating. Mulch can retain moisture but requires soil already warm enough. Record watering with plant observations to track care without assuming universal quantities.
Courgettes have male and female flowers. Small swellings behind female flowers are ovaries. Early falling male flowers alone do not prove failure. Observe flowering sequence; once both appear, pollination enters your plant's story.
Bees transfer courgette pollen. Poor pollination weather affects set. Inspect not just flowers but later fruitlets. Do not exclude pollinators with bloom-time covers. Rain/cold notes help review weeks with little set.
The RHS advice page lists Defender as having some resistance to cucumber mosaic virus. Its cultivar profile uses a stronger qualification; we use the limited wording here. CMV can spread through aphids and infected material. Handle tools carefully after contact with a suspect plant. This property promises no immunity and does not automatically apply to other viruses.
Young courgettes need not reach full size. Check regularly, cut carefully and avoid plant damage. General guidance links regular picking to continued production. Choose harvest size by cooking aims; variety names alone set no required fruit size.
Courgettes are young summer fruit; skins and seeds firm as they grow. Record quality with harvest timing. Planting, flowering and picking in one record build useful continuation. Compare the same site next year or clearly note changed conditions.
Tick what you already have. The extras depend on how you grow.
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SeedSteps editorial team · updated on 11 October 2026. The AI images illustrate species and practical growing situations; they do not prove an exact cultivar, observations from your own garden or yield.
Britse gewasadviezen worden gecombineerd met Nederlandse en Vlaamse informatie waar beschikbaar. Amerikaanse Extension-bronnen ondersteunen plantprincipes en herkenning; hun kalenderdata, lokale plaagdruk, bestrijdingsmiddelen en mestdoseringen worden niet rechtstreeks op Nederland of Vlaanderen toegepast. Vorst, bodemwarmte, standplaats en expliciete rasinformatie blijven de lokale controle. Commerciële bronnen onderbouwen uitsluitend benoemde ras- en plantkenmerken; zij zijn geen affiliate-aanbeveling.
Supporting evidence by chapter: A plant that needs checking between the leaves: Royal Horticultural Society. A steady start begins with the roots: Utah State University Extension. Look beyond a wet soil surface: Utah State University Extension. The first yellow flower need not become a fruit: University of Minnesota Extension. Watch what happens after flowering: University of Minnesota Extension. CMV resistance needs a precise explanation: Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Horticultural Society. Make picking part of your garden rhythm: Royal Horticultural Society. From variety name to your own growing experience: Utah State University Extension.
Frost-sensitive: Yes Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
Variety type: Courgette RHS beschrijft dit ras als courgette, binnen de bestaande registergroep Cucurbita pepo. Britse waarneming, geen Nederlandse verkoop- of opbrengstgarantie. Royal Horticultural Society
Growth habit: Open growth habit Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
Harvest method: Regular picking encourages harvesting RHS beschrijft dit ras als courgette, binnen de bestaande registergroep Cucurbita pepo. Britse waarneming, geen Nederlandse verkoop- of opbrengstgarantie. Royal Horticultural Society
Height: 10–50 cm Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
Light: Full sun Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
Main colour: Mid-green Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
Resistances: Some resistance to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) De RHS noemt Defender op de CMV-adviespagina met enige weerstand. Het rasprofiel gebruikt een sterkere kwalificatie. Geen immuniteit, weerstand tegen alle virussen of opbrengstgarantie. Royal Horticultural Society
Width: 50–100 cm Brits RHS-rasprofiel; beschrijving voor Britse groeiomstandigheden, geen vaste maat of opbrengstgarantie voor jouw tuin. Royal Horticultural Society
