How to Store Courgettes & Marrows
Young courgettes are not a storage crop and taste best soon after harvest. Mature marrows, however, have tougher skins and can keep for several weeks if cured and kept dry. Pick both on a dry day, retaining a short stem, and choose only firm fruits without cuts, bruises, soft patches or damaged skins.
Best storage conditions
Courgettes keep best for only a short time at 7 to 10 degrees C in a cool, dry, airy room, not a cold refrigerator. Mature marrows prefer 10 to 15 degrees C, darkness or low light, and moderate humidity in a frost-free shed, garage, porch or spare room. Keep fruits dry, off cold concrete and away from damp. Temperatures below 7 degrees C can shorten their keeping quality.
How long it keeps
Use courgettes within 3 to 7 days for the best texture. Properly mature, cured marrows can keep for 4 to 8 weeks, occasionally longer in ideal conditions. Inspect every few days, especially the stem end. Once a marrow softens or develops mould, cook the sound portion promptly only if it is clearly unaffected.
Storage methods
For marrows, allow fruits to mature until skins are hard, then harvest with a short dry stem. Cure them for 7 to 10 days in a warm, dry, airy place, protected from rain and frost. After curing, place each marrow on a slatted shelf, apple rack or dry straw in a cool frost-free shed, garage or porch, ensuring fruits do not touch. Turn them occasionally and keep them off concrete. Courgettes should simply be kept cool and used quickly, not packed into boxes or net bags. Store only sound, dry fruit and remove anything rotting immediately.
Preserving
Slice or grate a courgette glut, blanch briefly if desired, cool, dry and freeze in portions for soups, sauces and baking. Cooked courgette dishes also freeze well. Courgettes and marrows make excellent chutney, relish and pickles; follow a trusted recipe for preserving. Marrow flesh can be roasted or cooked into sauce before freezing, which saves valuable freezer space.
Tips
Do not confuse a large courgette with a true storage marrow: thin-skinned overgrown courgettes deteriorate quickly. Leave the stem intact, as a broken stem provides an entry point for rot. Check stored marrows individually rather than moving the whole batch. Use any fruit with a fading stem first, before softness spreads into the flesh.
Storing Courgettes & Marrows: frequently asked questions
How do I store courgettes & marrows?
For marrows, allow fruits to mature until skins are hard, then harvest with a short dry stem.
How long does courgettes & marrows keep in storage?
Use courgettes within 3 to 7 days for the best texture.
What are the best conditions for storing courgettes & marrows?
Courgettes keep best for only a short time at 7 to 10 degrees C in a cool, dry, airy room, not a cold refrigerator.
Store only sound, dry produce and check regularly. For bottling and preserving, follow a trusted recipe. Page updated 19 Sep 2026.