About
Cucurbita pepo 'Jemmer' is a robust annual plant, reaching dimensions of 1.2 meters in height and width. It features a thick, horizontal stem and broad, deeply lobed leaves that are dark green with silver markings. Both the stems and the undersides of the leaves are covered in coarse bristles. In summer, it produces large yellow flowers, with male and female blooms occurring on separate plants. This variety yields elongated, smooth-skinned yellow fruits that can be harvested as courgettes or summer squash.
About the genus
This genus consists of small, annual herbaceous plants that either climb or trail. Several species within this group are cultivated for their edible fruits and other applications. They originate from Central and South America. The flowers are typically solitary and star-shaped, exhibiting a golden-yellow hue. The leaves are characterized by their palmately lobed structure and are adorned with fine, prickly hairs.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Bushy, Trailing
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants, Wildlife gardens
- Toxicity
- Humans/Pets: If crop is bitter, don't eat or feed to pets. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Start seeds off indoors from mid-April, or outdoors after all risk of frost has passed. Grow in soil enriched with compost or well-rotted manure, or in a peat-free growing bag, or large tub of peat-free multipurpose compost. Keep well-watered and feed every 10-14 days with a high potash liquid fertiliser once the first fruits start to swell. See courgette cultivation
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to slugs and snails
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to grey moulds on the fruit and powdery mildews on the foliage but this cultivar has some resistance