Variety
Defender
The UK's most reliable courgette — disease-resistant, prolific, and consistent
Defender is the benchmark courgette for UK kitchen gardens — an F1 hybrid that produces abundant dark green fruits with excellent disease resistance, particularly to cucumber mosaic virus. Compact, bushy plants produce steadily through summer without the overtly aggressive vigour of some varieties. The fruit has a classic courgette flavour and texture: mild, slightly nutty, and tender when harvested young.
Flavour
Classic, clean courgette flavour — mild, slightly sweet, with a tender flesh that has more character than imported equivalents when harvested at 15–18cm. The skin has a good snap when young and the flesh is dense and flavourful. The flavour improves significantly with high-heat cooking — grilling or roasting concentrates the mild flesh and develops sweetness.
In the kitchen
Extremely versatile — slice lengthways and grill over direct fire until char lines appear and the flesh softens, 4–5 minutes per side. Dress with olive oil, mint, lemon, and chilli for a classic Italian-style grilled courgette. Also excellent in fritters, pasta, ratatouille, or sliced very thinly raw in a salad.
Growing
F1 hybrid. Sow indoors in April in individual pots at 18°C; transplant after frosts. Space 90cm apart in full sun in rich, moisture-retentive soil. Water consistently and feed with a potash-rich fertiliser once flowering begins. Harvest at 15–20cm — pick every 2–3 days at the height of summer or production will slow as the plant puts energy into maturing the existing fruit.