Kadisha Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

Also known as: Kadisha Valley Zucchini, Lebanese Round


A traditional Lebanese heirloom from the Kadisha Valley in the mountains of northern Lebanon, carrying small round dark-green fruit with a fine pale mottling across the skin. Best picked young from about 6cm across, when the whole fruit sits neatly in the palm and the flesh is at its most tender and sweet — the perfect size for stuffing whole in the Levantine tradition of kousa mahshi. Also excellent halved and grilled, sliced into rounds for the pan, or dropped whole into a summer stew. Compact bush habit and long-cropping when kept picked. Bush habit — no trellis or trailing room required.

Days to harvest 45–55 days from sowing
Fruit size Round, best picked young from 6cm across
Sowing depth 15–20mm
Germination 6–10 days at soil temperature 21–30°C
Spacing 60–90cm between plants
Aspect Full sun; moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter
Frost tolerance Frost-tender — sow after last frost only

Growing notes

A warm, sunny position suits it best. Kadisha starts producing quickly once the weather warms and rewards regular picking through the season.

Soil preparation: Well-rotted compost and aged manure worked in before sowing. Zucchini are heavy feeders, so build the bed generously.

Sowing method: Sow 2–3 seeds per station 60–90cm apart, either direct into warm soil or into large pots for transplant, then thin to the strongest seedling per station.

Support: None needed — the plant holds itself upright as a compact bush.

Containers: Suits a large pot of 40L or more. Keep water and feed consistent, as pots dry out faster than beds and zucchini are thirsty croppers.

Watering & feeding: Deep, consistent watering at the base — like other summer squash, susceptible to mildew, so keep water off the leaves. Side-dress with well-rotted manure or a balanced liquid feed once flowering starts.

Harvest: Pick every two to three days once fruiting begins, cutting fruit from 6cm across for the tenderest eating and the best shape for stuffing whole. Larger fruit turn tough and slow the plant down, so pick even the ones you don't need. Fresh use only — this is a summer squash, not a keeper.

Timing: First fruit ready 45–55 days from sowing.

Key features

  • Round dark-green fruit with pale mottling
  • Small, single-serve size — ideal for stuffing whole
  • Tender flesh and clean, sweet flavour
  • Compact bush habit — no vine to train
  • Well suited to small gardens and large containers
  • Lebanese heirloom with a specific mountain-valley origin

Short season tips


Direct sow into warm ground from mid-spring to early summer once frost risk has passed. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, that means mid-November onwards. If time is tight, start seed indoors in large pots 2–3 weeks before transplanting — cucurbits resent root disturbance, so handle carefully and move on with the root ball intact. A staggered sowing three to four weeks after the first extends the picking window into autumn.

  • Spring
  • Summer

Annual

  • Corn, climbing beans, nasturtium, borage, marigold
  • Potatoes, other cucurbits within cross-pollination distance if saving seed


An heirloom zucchini from the Kadisha Valley of northern Lebanon — a deep mountain valley in the Lebanon range, famous for its Maronite Christian monasteries carved into the cliffs and for centuries of small-scale terraced agriculture. The valley's cool nights and long warm days produced a distinctive round-fruited zucchini kept in continuous cultivation by local families, and preserved outward through Lebanese seed-savers as the variety travelled with diaspora communities. Now offered by a small number of heirloom seed keepers around the world.