Zucchini Season

Zucchini is available year-round in Australia, but peak supply runs from late autumn through winter (roughly May to September) when Queensland's warm growing regions are in full production and southern states have planted their cool-season crops. The thinnest months for availability are January and February, when summer heat slows yields in the main growing areas.

Zucchini is in season across winter and spring in Australia, with peak supply from May to November.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica) is a cucurbit closely related to pumpkin, cucumber and squash. Sustainable Gardening Australia notes plants are ready to harvest within 5 to 8 weeks of planting, which is why growers can turn over multiple crops in a year. They need at least six hours of sun, well-drained soil and bee pollination to set fruit. If bees are scarce, hand-pollination with a brush is used. Fruit should be harvested at 12–20 cm. Left much longer they blow out to coarser-fleshed marrows. In Queensland's northern Bowen-Burdekin and Bundaberg districts, zucchini grows almost year-round. Southern states are restricted to warmer months, with planting schedules staggered so cooler-climate crops come online as Queensland's summer production eases, according to QLD DAF's zucchini growing guide.

According to Wikipedia, zucchini was bred in northern Italy, most likely Milan, in the second half of the 19th century, with the earliest published description appearing in 1901. The underlying squash lineage traces back to Mesoamerica, where Cucurbita pepo was domesticated over 7,000 years ago. Italian immigrants brought zucchini to Australia in the early 20th century, which is why we use the Italian name while the British and French call them courgettes. In Australia, Queensland dominates at around 47%, concentrated in the Bowen-Burdekin and Bundaberg coast districts, with Victoria at 26% (mostly the Goulburn Valley) and NSW at 19%. Queensland's near-year-round climate is what drives that dominance, per AUSVEG's vegetable production data.

According to ABS Horticulture Statistics, Australia produced 35,880 tonnes of zucchini worth $58.7 million in 2024/25, down from a peak of around 44,000 tonnes in 2019/20. Virtually all goes to the domestic fresh market. Recorded export and import volumes are effectively zero. Queensland accounts for around 47% of national production, Victoria 26% and NSW 19%. Farmgate prices have been a flashpoint. ABC News (January 2025) reported northern Victorian farmer Ross Marsolino quitting after 40-plus years, citing the gap between his $1.60 per kilogram farmgate price and the $4.99 per kilogram retail price, a situation affecting 34% of vegetable growers nationally who were reportedly considering leaving within 12 months. A mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct passed parliament in late 2024 and came into effect in April 2025.