Zephyr: yellow with a green blossom end
Zephyr is a two-coloured F1 summer squash: yellow by the stalk and light green at the former flower end. Grow and harvest it young, like a courgette.
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.
- Position
- Sunny and sheltered
- Space
- Krachtige groei; ruim tuinbed
- Harvest
- Yellow with a green tip · F1
- Growing
- One growing season
Growing periods are guidelines for the Netherlands and Flanders. The last frost, warmth and your own growing space determine the timing. Read the courgette guide too for full care instructions.
Sowing under cover and raising seedlings
Start under cover in warmth · Courgette
April–early MayStart indoors in warmth and reserve enough bright space for raising plants.
- Germination and temperature
- Germinate in warmth, around 18–21 °C; avoid cold, waterlogged seed compost.
- After emergence
- Give seedlings light immediately after emergence. A dark loft needs suitable grow lights; warmth alone is insufficient. Ventilate and keep the compost moist without saturating it.
- Pricking out and potting on
- Sow in individual pots or deep modules. Do not prick out bare-rooted; move the whole root ball before the roots become restricted.
- Hardening off and planting out
- Gradually acclimatise indoor-raised plants to sun, wind and outdoor temperatures; shelter them again on cold nights. After the last frost and hardening off, usually late May–June, with the root ball intact.
These plants grow quickly. Do not start in February if you cannot plant out until late May.
Sources and use
RHS · courgette ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
Feggies · Courgette Ola Redonda — ras- en teeltbeschrijving ↗Nederlandse producent of teeltbron; de rasinstructie blijft leidend.
Feggies · Courgette Black Beauty — ras- en teeltbeschrijving ↗Nederlandse producent of teeltbron; de rasinstructie blijft leidend.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.
How to recognise Zephyr
Slender fruit is yellow with a light green blossom end and sometimes very fine pale lines. Johnny’s warns that green extent varies with stress and heat. The first fruit may have different striping too.
Choose the spot before you sow
The producer describes vigorous plants with rough, prickly parts. Give Zephyr a spacious bed and wear gloves for extensive work among leaves. Choose for two-coloured young fruit without expecting a fixed yield.
Mark the spot in your garden planner now. Leave a path clear too: you will need to reach the flowers and fruit stalks later. Measure the available space now rather than after planting out.
From seed to a young plant
For our outdoor summer season, usually start in April or May in an individual pot. The exact start depends on when you can safely plant out. Buy seed under the exact cultivar name and write that name on the label; this keeps different cultivars distinguishable.
Gradual hardening off and planting out
First let your plant get used to outdoor air and sunshine. Wait to plant out until the risk of night frost has passed and the bed is warm enough. Move the whole root ball carefully. A quick start comes from suitable conditions rather than putting plants outside as early as possible.
Care with attention to the roots
Check the soil regularly and water at the roots. If the soil is still wet, skip watering. Record what you do and watch how the plant responds. For the full step-by-step guide to water, soil and feeding, return to the courgette guide.
Flowers are the start of the harvest
When the first flowers appear, check whether there is a small ovary behind them. A flower on a thin stalk is male. Allow pollinating insects access to the flowers, even in a greenhouse or under protection. A small fruit that fails to grow first calls for a check of pollination and conditions.
When do you pick this cultivar?
For young fruit, Johnny’s mentions about 10–15 cm. The producer describes a nutty flavour and firm texture. Try keeping both colours visible in a dish, for example by slicing fruit lengthways.
Save your first harvest date in My garden. This gives you a personal reminder of the season and lets you look back later at which fruits you wanted to pick again.
A choice for next season
This is an F1 variety. Saved seed does not reliably reproduce the same traits. Keep the variety name on your wishlist and choose its seed again for a predictable next crop.
Judge the cultivar by what matters to you: its shape in the kitchen, ease of harvesting or the space the plant needed. The AI illustration helps you explore its appearance; your own photos and harvest records show how growing it actually went.
Continue with courgettes
More background, sources and image information
Courgette belongs to Cucurbita pepo, in the cucumber family. The producer describes Zephyr as a bicoloured summer squash. General growing advice has been adapted to our home gardening context; foreign spacing recommendations and variety characteristics remain clearly attributed to their sources.
SeedSteps editorial team · updated . The images were created with AI and illustrate the features described.
- World Checklist of Vascular Plants — 4 juni 2026Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · accessed 2026-10-07
- Courgettes kweken — RHSRoyal Horticultural Society · accessed 2026-10-08
- Zephyr F1 yellow summer squashJohnny’s Selected Seeds · accessed 2026-10-10
- Klimcourgette Ola Escaladora — producentbeschrijvingDe Bolster · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Black Beauty — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Caserta — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Cocozelle de Tripolis — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Geel — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette mengeling — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Mutabile — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Ola Escaladora — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Ola Redonda — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Ronde de Nice — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Tabergmouzt uit Marokko — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Verte d’Italie — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette wit uit Egypte — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgette Yellow Crookneck — ras- en teeltbeschrijvingFeggies · accessed 2026-10-11
- Courgettes: zaaien, verzorgen en oogstenRoyal Horticultural Society · accessed 2026-10-10
- Courgette, marrow and squash problemsRoyal Horticultural Society · accessed 2026-10-10
- Growing summer squash in a home gardenUniversity of Maryland Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
- Growing summer squash and zucchini in home gardensUniversity of Minnesota Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
- Summer and winter squash in the gardenUtah State University Extension · accessed 2026-10-10
Supporting evidence by chapter: How to recognise Zephyr: Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Choose the spot before you sow: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Utah State University Extension. From seed to a young plant: Royal Horticultural Society. Gradual hardening off and planting out: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Care with attention to the roots: University of Minnesota Extension. Flowers are the start of the harvest: Royal Horticultural Society. When do you pick this cultivar?: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, University of Maryland Extension. A choice for next season: Royal Horticultural Society, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.