Ronde de Nice Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

Also known as: Rond de Nice, Tondo di Nizza, Round French Zucchini


The classic French Provençal round zucchini — small, tennis-ball-sized fruit on a compact bush, pale green with faint mottling and a shape made for stuffing. Best picked young at 5–10cm across, when the flesh is firm and mild and the fruit sits easily in the palm. Traditionally hollowed and filled for courgettes farcies — rice, herbs, and a soft cheese baked in the shell — but equally good sliced into rounds for the pan or halved and grilled. Compact enough for smaller gardens or large pots, and prolific through a warm summer if kept picked. Bush habit — no trellis or trailing room required.

Days to harvest 45–55 days from sowing
Fruit size Round to slightly oval, best picked young at 5–10cm
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. Ronde de Nice 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 at 5–10cm for the tenderest eating and the best shape for stuffing. 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, tennis-ball-sized fruit — designed for stuffing whole
  • Firm, mild flesh with a clean flavour
  • Compact bush habit — no vine to train
  • Prolific and long-producing
  • Well suited to small gardens and large containers
  • A classic Provençal variety with centuries of Riviera pedigree

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


A traditional heirloom zucchini from Nice on the French Riviera, long cultivated across Provence for the local kitchen tradition of stuffing summer squashes whole. Its round shape is not decorative but functional — the fruit was bred to hold a filling and hold its form through baking — and it remains a fixture of Mediterranean home gardens for exactly that reason. Widely carried today by heirloom seed keepers around the world, still valued for the same qualities that made it a Riviera staple.