Crop type: Courgettes
Cucurbita pepo ‘Lorea’
Common name: Courgette ‘Lorea’
Crop slug: courgettes
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile. Check the source and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Lorea’ is a productive French courgette with a sweet, delicate taste and versatile kitchen uses. Its cylindrical fruits are often described as white, but the RHS identifies their true colour as a very pale light green. This unusual colouring makes the crop easy to distinguish from conventional dark-green cultivars.
It is a semi-late variety, with harvesting expected from July until October. Yellow flowers can continue into autumn, providing pollen and nectar for insects. The RHS profile displays the Award of Garden Merit and Plants for Pollinators status.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.5–1 metre
- Ultimate spread
- 1–1.5 metres
- Time to ultimate size
- 1 year
‘Lorea’ is larger than many compact courgettes. Allow generous width around its bushy plant so the broad leaves and pale fruits are not crowded.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam, sand, clay and chalk
- Moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH
- Acid or neutral
Choose rich soil with free drainage and incorporate well-rotted horse manure or compost in the preceding autumn or during spring. Adjust unsuitable pH if necessary. This hungry, thirsty plant needs dependable moisture without waterlogging.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- East-, south- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H2 — tolerant of cool conditions around 1–5°C but unable to survive freezing
Grow as a tender annual in a warm sheltered position. Do not expose young plants to frost, and favour a site receiving long periods of direct sun.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
Green spring foliage forms the framework for yellow flowers and very pale light-green cylindrical fruits in summer. Flowers, foliage and fruits may persist into autumn, matching the July-to-October harvest window. The pale crop should not be mistaken for unripe dark-green courgettes.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Bushy
- Name status
- Accepted
Genus
Cucurbita is a small genus of climbing or trailing annual herbaceous fruiting plants native to Central and South America. Edible species commonly have palmately lobed, prickly-haired leaves and solitary golden-yellow star-shaped flowers.
Safety
If any fruit tastes bitter, do not eat it or feed it to pets. Wear gloves and suitable protection when handling if the foliage irritates skin.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in a sunny position in rich, well-drained soil. Enrich the ground with well-rotted manure or compost before planting. Water regularly, directing water to the root zone. Once the first fruits begin to swell, apply a high-potassium liquid fertiliser, such as tomato feed, every 10–14 days.
Harvest the cylindrical fruits from July to October while their skins remain tender and their colour is very pale green. Frequent picking encourages more fruit and preserves the cultivar’s delicate flavour.
Propagation
Propagate by seed.
Suggested locations
- Patio and container plants
- Wildlife gardens
- Spacious sunny vegetable beds
Pruning
No pruning is required. Regular harvesting extends cropping.
Pests
May be susceptible to slugs and snails.
Diseases
May be susceptible to aphids, powdery mildew, downy mildew and grey mould. Maintain airflow, avoid overhead watering and remove affected or decaying growth promptly.