Hiya, have loads of courgettes, I love them, so versatile, I was very interested to hear how you freeze them

I have 3 varieties, the white ones, green ones and monsters ;P

Depending on what i want to do with them I will either let them grow to about 3 inches and eat them sweet and raw, or 6 inches and do them in salad or cooked (I have so many oriental recipes), or I leave to grow to marrow size and stuff them lovely.....

If you want to hear more and some expert advice from another mum:

Have a look here:

Http://www.mumsgrowyourownorganicvegetables.com

It's great resource and ongoing support.

help... 12 plants... 34 kilos in the last 3 weeks! last year we had 18 plants and 37 kilos over the whole summer . It's bloomin courgette world here.. green ones, yellow ones, ball shaped..

Anyone in Bournemouth want any? Any ideas? particularly on how to preserve them for winter use maybe?

going to pick my 1st courgettes this weekend

and i have cauliflowers growing,fantastic! they are about the size of a tennis ball, but they look great

This thread has grown behind my back, much like my courgettes! We had our first at the weeekend, very finely sliced in a salad. Very very exciting! Going back to t'allotment tonight to hopefully harvest more. I have had a few flowers rotting and dropping off, but a few courgettes on the way too.
My squash look like they're about to flower. DH hates squash but I love it.

Courgette and chorizo pasta sounds yummy MadameCastafiore, how do you do it?
Did anyone watch Valentine Warner last night, he was griddling courgettes on the barbecue which looked yummy.

cougette recipe....slice one in half,scoop out the middle, fill with stuffing, mushrooms, cheese put back together,wrap in foil and bake in the oven..delicious

sorry maybe its me but snorkles "Your flowers may have been male which often seem to come first for some reason" make me snort.

Oooohhh an so happy there is a courgette thread!

We are currently supplying all our friends in the village with bloody courgettes - our 7 plants are churning them out at an alarming rate! I swear that they don't grow until you aren't looking at them then they swell to twice their size!

Also have a few small ones rotting at the flower end - not sure what this is but I gather this is normal from what you other guys are writing?

We often have summer veg risotto with the baby ones griddled with it or courgette and chorizo pasta which is just as yummy!

Delighted to find this thread - already had my most pressing courgette-growing question anwswered! (The rotting on the vine one - dh and I thought we were just doomed never to grow the world's easiest crop. Last year we only got males all summer )

Snorkle, you were asking for recipes. I picked up a recipe card in Waitrose the other day for courgette bake - was gorgeous. You slice several courgettes thinly, toss them in 1 or 2 tablespoons pesto, place in baking dish with 2 or 3 sliced tomatoes, top with breadcrumbs and cheese. Bake in mod oven about 25 mins til courgettes done. Really really nice.

I'd have thought they will come eventually. Not much point to them otherwise. Courgettes are strange things though, I have one plant this year that is producing long, thin curved courgettes, but it's the same variety as the others which are doing the usual shaped ones.

Yeb, no female flowers yet. Will they come eventually or have I go deformed plants!

there are little courgettes (maybe 2" long) behind the female flowers when they flower which then swell as the flower dies. Your flowers may have been male which often seem to come first for some reason. Probably around 2-3 weeks from flowers to courgettes at the start, but once the plants get going things speed up somewhat.

Hi Fruitstick. you can see the courgette fruit directly behind the female flower.
If you have no courgettes they either haven't been pollinated or you have no female flowers.
Have a look further down this thread one of my posts has a flower guide on it and there are tips for pollinating by hand.
HTH's

hello, new to this thread and to courgette growing (well actually last year's were sacrificed to the slugs fairly early on)

How long after the flowers do the courgettes come. I have had lots of flowers which have now gone but no courgettes as yet. Slightly concerned they weren't pollinated.

Cut the stem with a sharp knife when they are the size you want (they grow fast, so check them daily) & take care not to nick the adjacent stems... Enjoy!

Will get out there and cut them off tomorrow as it is now dark and I cant see them.

How do I cut them off, do I just cut the stem?

courgettes are just baby marrows - cut them small & they're courgettes, let them grow big & they are marrows. Some types are more suited to one or the other (ie: make tastier marrows, or better shaped courgettes) but as far as I know any courgette or marrow plant can be used to grow either vegetable (or indeed both, but once they've started forming big marrows they tend to stop growing more courgettes).

We had a huge courgette curry tonight with green normal courgettes and patty pans. Any interesting recipes would be welcome.

hi all... Had a really slow start, loads of females but no male flowers!
Things looking much better the last fews days though and it looks like it'll be a bumper crop, especially with all the rain yesterday...
We're going to have to start coming up with unusual recipes very soon

Totally stupid question from a novice here.

We decided that this year we would grow stuff and the kids have grown strawberries (doing well) peas (could supply birds eye) potatoes (didn't plant them) beans (jury is out on those) and sweetcorn (hmm)onions (when are these ready?)

Grandad in his wisdom gave the girls two marrow plants.They have large yellow flowers and itty bitty marrows on them - are these courgettes then?If so when and how do I pick them as they are prickly.

Also we have two unknown plants which look a bit like a cross between a sunflower and a bean.Am waiting till it does something so I can work out what the heck it is.

Yes, stripy courgette Bumper. just don't let it get too big.
Mine still has only flowers.

You all know you can eat the male flowers don't you? (haven't read all of thread). Stick a small strip of mozzarella in the flower, dip in batter, deep fry.

Hello

Just cut off my first yellow courgette

One of my plants seems to be a marrow plant though which is disappointing. The veg is still small but marrow like rather than courgette like. Could it just be a stripey courgette?

Thanks snorkle, I have cut three shrivelling and yellowing courgettes off. I googled this and there seem to be quite a few people on various forums experiencing the same thing but going on to success. I have more coming but none are very big yet. The biggest has swollen at the stalk end, but not at the further end - wonder what that means?

And they say courgette growing is easy!

Yes quite likely they weren't pollinated. One of my first courgettes sort of rotted away too & I just cut it off.

Ok well I have lots of little courgettes now and even some male flowers at last, but on one plant (the first to produce courgettes) all the courgettes are now shrinking. Dh says I should cut them off to encourage the plant to produce new fruits. Does anyone know why they have shrunk while other courgettes on other plants are still growing? Is it because they were there before any male flowers?

marmaduke your quiche sounds lovely. Re: the pumpkins, mine were the same last summer, they just rotting off and not setting properly. I think it was only late julyish that one finally set and then it produced one mammouth pumpkin . Dh said it was a bit of a waste of space to have cossetted it all summer for one pumpkin! my pumpkins and butternuts haven 't started flowering yet so we'll have to see how they go this year.

Haningbelly, we weigh all of our produce too!

DD used to weigh our eggs (9 chooks), but a year on has finally stopped - unless it is a very big one.

I only have 4 plants, so cannot compete with you. Picked 1lb 11oz tonight, 1lb 7oz yesterday. Made a really scrummy quiche with courgettes, our eggs and some scraps of double glous with chives (and home made pastry) so am feeling virtuous and 'goodlife-ish'.

When does everyone pick theirs? when the flower goes brown, when it drops off? My yellow ones are not making huge size at the mo, so I tried extra water (and some tom food) and leaving on for a few more days - not much difference though.

Not quite courgettes but my pumpkins - yesterday 5 mini fruits had gone brown/dropped off under their flower - not pollinated? Or just plain unlucky? I am always careful to water earth not plant. Any ideas?

Our courgette plants are still tiny but last year we had squillions, I made a fab Courgette Risotto Cake. (I'll search out recipe and post it)

I love all the enthusiasm and enjoyment everyone on here has for their veggies and fruit!!

we've cut down this year, last year we had 20 plants and this year only 14 . We have yellow ones, green ones, light green ones, ball shaped ones in all colours - I bloody love them! and love being able to give them away to all our friends and family - no-one leaves the house without a courgette .

Last year we grew 37kgs over the course of the summer - (Dh a bit geeky and weighs everything he grows).

Anyone up for the weighing challenge this year?

Definitely bees & other flying insects that fly from flower to flower that do the pollinating. Blackfly always best squashed - can't think they are any use for anything except feeding ladybirds.

My first two courgettes seem to be moving into full production. I'm getting plenty, but not fed up with them yet either. My second batch aren't producing yet, how are yours DG - do you have flowers yet?

so who's been harvesting lots of courgettes then? I've had quite a few already. Not bored of them yet.....!

no, I think its bees and butterflies and hoverflies and things like that

When people talk about insects doing the pollination, they don't mean little black fly living on the underside of the leaves, do they? Cos, I saw one or two leaves had small holes in them and discovered some black fly larvae underneath and squashed them all!

Hope so!

If you leave them be, just making sure you pick off any rotting ones and keeping it well watered, you'll soon be inundated

If you leave them be, just making sure you pick off any rotting ones and keeping it well watered, you'll soon be inundated

Oh no, I came to this thread to let you all know my courgettes are coming along nicely now - 4 out of 5 plants have flower buds and baby courgettes - but now you are saying I have to hand pollinate them to go any further!

I thought they were easy to grow? My veg book says you only have to hand pollinate early in the season or if it is cold.

Please advise! I don't think I have any male flowers anyway...

She

Awwwww MDS he/she? is gorgeous!

<apols for incoming hijack - Puppy was adorable, collecting on July 10. DD crossing off days on a chart by her bed! see profile for pic>

As you were.

the female flowers don't open for very long, they are usually open first thing in the morning, you gotta get in there quick
<hi MDS,... cripes! I haven't checked my birds for red mites in weeks, I'll do it today if it's around. Hows the puppy? >

One one my courgettes doesn't have any male flowers, so had to prod the females with the male of a different variety (a paler green ridged one, rather than a smooth dark green).

I 'do' them when I let the chooks out too, will go for the paintbrush in future as seems more demure as my petals seem to be clamped closed <prim>! Have done some pumkins this am on my chook outing (PS ingles, am having a Hard Time with red mites - neighbour obv didn't plash enough PS around whilst I was on hols. Think OK now as have gone back up to 8 eggs Sat 9 Sun, was only 3 per day when we got back from hols)

Mine seem to be mostly male flowers <sulk>

Ta.

go for it... you're fine for another few weeks with most types.

I am going to plant a seed tomorrow - is it too late????

WITW, the male flowers are on long thin stems, the females are much closer to the plant with a tiny fruit behind...
hang on I'll see if I can find a picture.

Ok read ingles post thanks but do male flowers have a phallus or somink? [Mind boggles]

OK have just read a few posts. How do you recognise female to male flowers and how do you x-pollinate sorry beginner

Have 2 HUGE plants with quite a few flowers and the 1st courgette growinig

hey MDS ... Have you got the puppy!!!????
You're right about the artichokes, but god... I love them.
My courgettes are doing well, no sign of flowers yet though. We usually hand pollinate, you just pick a male flower, shove it in the female and wiggle it about or you can get a paintbrush.
For some reason, courgette plants go through years when they seem to produce a lot of male flowers and hardly any females I imagine it's something to do with the growing conditions, lots of rain or dry early in the season.
This means cross pollination isn't guaranteed even if you have bugs galore.. I usually do it first thing in the morning when I let the chooks out. Seems to work. I do the same for the pumpkins and squash.

Marmaduke - onions etc being pulled up = birds! Supposedly mistaking them for worms.

Tekk me about it! I didn't knoooowwwwww though, the lady at the Garden Center didn't say anything... she just smiled to herself as she scanned them all through. Never again!

! Tits - lol at 12 courgette plants. Thats enough for a market garden I reckon.

Oh no not Courgettes!

In my last house i lived on what used to be farming land so my garden had Cow Poo regualry dug into it for years before i lived there, it was a dream to grow veg in.

Anyhoo, i got a bit Veg happy and planted tons, even though there was only 5 of us lving there, one of which was a tiny DS who only had milk.

So i planted 12 Courgette plants, not knowing how much they provide and i ended u with about 30 Courgettes per plant, so about 360 Courgettes for 4 people, i was giving them out left, right and center.

I only have 1 plant this year in my new flat and it isn't actually doing very well but im not to bothered after the Cprgette plague of a few years ago.

Oh, forgot to add... if the females don't get polinated then the courgette behind doesn't grow - it just sort of withers and dies.

would anyone like any courgettes? - please?

If you have a lot of insects about then you don't really need to hand pollinate. If your courgettes are under cloches or in a greenhouse though then you should. If I'm walking past mine (outdoors) I generally stick my finger in the male flowers, rub off some pollen & then touch it to the female ones just to help things along, but I do it when the flowers are open, no need to part any petals (ooo-err).

In my gardening Which? it says to pollinate the courgettes by hand, have identified the male flowers and am ready to part the petals of the females [pervert]. But I don't recall that it says why I should do this? Does anyone here know?

Surely if I keep picking my plant will keep producing?

And stay away from that ingles, jerusalem artichokes <parp> dear god I can smell them from here! <hello lovely, coming down your way tomorrow to pick out pup from the litter>

This is my first proper year growing veg, I have had a few disasters.

Whilst I was away for 2 weeks my gardener plugged in my heated whatsit that you start seed off in, and fried my celery and peppers.

The rabbits broke in over the fence/neighbour left gate open and ate my peas, calabrese, caulis and sprouts, leeks and onions - they have since all recovered well, although poor loves are a bit behind now.

My sucesses from seeds have been a few types of climbing squash(hooligan and a small kabocha), butternuts, winter hybrid squash, pumpkin, melon, broad beans, peas, mangetouts, climbing french, runners - I cheated with the leeks and sweetcorn and bought small plants to grow on. My onions and garlic keep getting pulled up - maybe mice? And some pigeons are after my brassicas, I have some fleece on bent hazel sticks, but they are getting a bit tall now. My scarecrow just isn't scary enough.

We had our first two for tea tonight - Yum! .

Short of sticking a cloche or polytunnel over them I don't think there's much you can do to encourage more rapid growth dg. If you can provide extra warmth & shelter that does seem to work, but they should get going without before too much longer.

Yes you are definitely all ahead of me. I can't quite recall when I planted my seeds but it was a good fortnight after I heard it being recommended on the radio - maybe end of April, beginning of May. My worry is they are still so small (more or less, pot size). Is there anything I am not doing?

Planted beginning March, flowered middle of May, male flowers first followed by a couple of females that didn't do much. It is now in a plastic storage crate with some compost off the heap and a cut off bottle next to it.

I'm fairly sure yours wont't take as long DG, it used to be fairly cold on the window sill it was on which would have held it back.

The courgettes are in the fridge next to 5 mange tout pods I've just picked and I'm deciding what to do with them, though have chest infection and am off food though am managing soup.Courgette and rosemary soup sounds lovely and there is rosemary in the garden so I might see if DH will have a go at that tomorrow (not being lazy but really not been feeling well).

ooh I've just found this thread and I am a novice courgette (and any veg) grower so I'd like to join you.
I planted out my pumpkin and courgette seedlings at the end of May but timed it very badly as the weather was atrocious for a week and most got blasted by wind and heavy rain. There were a few that hadn't germintated yet so they went out last week and hopefully will do better.
My seed packets (from Focus I think) said pack contains 10 seeds however each pack had 20 seeds. I planted all of them but with the early ones getting wrecked I'm quite pleased I did.
I've also got potatoes, beetroot, cauliflower, leeks, blackcurrants, strawberries and herbs.
Flowers on the potatoes (some of them) and berries starting to turn on the blackcurrants but that's it.
Courgette and rosemary soup is devine

OK,

From my diary...

first ones planted 22/4, germinated 26/4. Planted out around 17/5, I think first flowers were 31/5 or soon after. 2 courgettes on each currently ~1.5" long & thickness of a crayon.

second batch planted 7/5, germinated 12/5? Left in cold frame last week of May & planted out 31/5. Not yet flowering.

Hope that helps, but I think a lot depends on how long they are in a pot and how big it is. Ideally they should be planted out when they have 2 true leaves I think. Cold at night after they are planted out can set them back too.

Oh Wynken and Snorkle, how long would say roughly between germination and first flower?

I am trying to be patient but the bloody snails/slugs have found the bed and each day I go out to see whether the leaves have grown more than they have been eaten.

mine are getting plenty of leaf on now, but still too early for flowers and fruit DG.... Fret not you have a least another month.
Am v. impressed with my cabbages though, and barely a nibble on them.
Will post some pics tomorrow

My first two courgette plants each have 2 baby courgettes on [smil], the next two are still rather small & don't look to be doing that well & the last two haven't germinated yet .

Just logged on to find this thread as DH has just harvested our first two courgettes and I am very excited, sad aren't I?!

DG I'm sure yours will take off now, it is still early I think. The only reason ours is the size it is is due to DH planting ridiculously early. The one I planted is still minute, I bet yours are giants in comparison.

Any updates from anyone? My courgettes have now been in the garden for 2 weeks and at last seem to be growing a bit having taken this long to adjust to being potted out. (we are talking maybe 6-8 leaves at the most).

Do I really have a chance of getting any fruits? I am feeling a bit disheartened and imagining the rest of you with gigantic plants covered in flowers by now.

Went to visit my courgette babies this morning, they are growing! No water in any of the troughs so I couldn't water them but it's looking like it might rain today, they could do with a drink.

My courgettes are f*ing enormous sinc egetting back form hols. Today they have a couple of flower buds on them.

Do I need to kwep anything in mind as they seem to be taking over th green house

Haven't read the thread but marking my place as my plants just went into the ground in my allotment. I haven't a clue what I am doing!

Libra, I'm trying aubergines again this year - never had any success before. I have planted four plants on the allotment and have got three on a sunny windowsill at home. I grew them from seed and the smallest is about 7" and the tallest is about 13" - I noticed a couple of flower buds on two of the plants on the windowsill yesterday so I'm hopefull that I will actually get some aubergines this year but I have thrown away the packet and can't remember what variety they are - oops!

Our courgette plants are still tiny and some our our earlier seedlings didn't surviving and we had to sow some seeds a bit later than we would have liked but plenty of time to get a glut.

Once they get going they really get going! Some of the flowers will make fruit, some not. You can see if the flower has a fruit behind it. If not - you can eat the flowers.

Is anyone trying there luck with aubergines? My courgettes and tomatos are growing huge but my aubergines look tiny still! (The plants of course no veg yet)

Someone asked about rocket/lettuce. Tesco are doing 12 mixed varieties (already sprouting) for about £3, I have bunged them into a trough and they have taken beautifully.

Oh GUB, glad it's not just me. Might try lobbing a few in (if there are any left) and see what happens.

re allotments; we're in South Lanarkshire, and apparently there are two sites (one of which has only 9 allotments) in the entire county, a large part of which is to all intents and purposes within Glasgow, so lots of people too. I noticed in the local supermarket that there's a committee trying to identify new sites so who knows. Maybe I'll get one before I start drawing my pension (which will be so miniscule that I'll need to grow all my own food by then).

Another one getting excited about courgette plants here I have planted mine out in my new allotment but I haven't been down since Saturday so I hope they haven't shrivelled in the sun.
I have planted dwarf french beans in roottrainers, they did take ages to germinate but they're off and away now. I had them in the garden a couple of years ago and they were delicious.
Ingles2 I have grown squash from Franchi Seeds and they were good, I love the designs on the packets

oooo that's nice GUB and cheap too.
I use <cough> sparkling water bottles. I cut then in half and use the spout end. nifty eh?? <grin>
Sarah Raven is bloody expensive, but she has some really nice varieties that I just haven't seen anywhere else. It's not too bad if you buy 10 packets of seeds cos you usually get one or 2 free.
I've been having success with franchi seeds recently. and you get tons in the packet the tomatoes are particularly good

My baby courgette is a little darker in colour today I think and maybe a tiny bit larger but I could be imagining that.

The rocket has just bolted with non picking and the weather, but I've lopped the flower stem off and am hoping it might grow new leaves.

Dwarf french beans are a wash out here, I've planted about 20 seeds from two different packets and have had 2 germinate. I've lobbed some in the garden directly to see if anything has happened but am not holding my breath.

I'm really shocked by the 40 year allotment wait Midnightexpress, that is ridiculous. Have you seen the Landshare site ?

Ingles, I think that is actually quite irresponsible of you posting a link to the Sarah Raven site (though I was a bit shocked at the price of her courgette plants which put me off a bit)

These are my latest garden buy, arrived yesterday so haven't had a chance to put them up yet. I've blagged a spare melon plant going so am going to see if I can get anywhere with that, which I doubt, but you never know.

I laugh in the face of your 4-year wait Liath. I put my name down and then read in the local paper that it's a 40-year wait. So, I'll be 83 by the time I get one. Hey ho.

But thanks for the info on the courgettes. I have quite a few seedlings and the ones I planted direct are starting to sprout too now (woo-hoo), so I think I'll chance a couple in a growbag and the rest can take their chances in the garden.

I have a nice Nigel Slater courgette recipe which I'll post later if I get a minute.

Now, anyone doing dwarf french beans? I have planted a kerjillion and ONE has sprouted. ONE measly bean. Where am I going wrong? I used seed compost, put some in pots and some in loo rolls, had them in a propagator. I thought they were supposed to be easy???

It is really exciting. I've been growing seriously for about 6 yrs now and get such a thrill still from all my little seedlings
You wait DG, the seed catalogue will become your favourite winter reading.
To the serious stuff...
Rocket and beetroot are really easy to grow with very little in the way of problems.
Try growing the rocket in a pot or grow bag where you see it easily every day. It can be quick to bolt if it's left in the summer. and it's a more you pick the more it grows plant.
this is the beetroot I grow it's stripey! so beautiful and really tasty!
Sarah Raven's website is definitely gardening porn
My major disasters over the years have been your common or garden veg, my carrots have always been riddled with carrot fly, parsnips had blight, potatoes just take up too much room for the crop and they are cheap in the supermarket. These days I stick to the more expensive things that are a pleasure to grow.

Wow so much to choose from! I want to start off small and I will only grow things that I feel will be relatively successful and that I would want to eat at the end. From the lists both GUB (ah, that has answered my next question for ingles - who or what is GUB, but I have worked out it is GreatUncleBulgaria ) and ingles have suggested the ones that leap out at me as being good ones for me are rocket and beetroot as I eat a lot of both for lunch, although carrots would be good for my family as a whole as it is a popular veg with them.

Does rocket need a cold frame or greenhouse?

My parents have always had masses of soft fruit bushes so I am very familiar with them and love soft fruits and am also a big jam maker so I am hoping to have lots of bushes one day - raspberries, blackberries, red and blackcurrants, gooseberries, those are the ones I want most.

It's exciting isn't it? (well I think so).

midnightexpress, I had courgette plants in a grobag last year and they did OK until we got all that wet weather then got mildewed and rotten. The 2 I had in a raised bed carried on fine and gave more than enough courgettes.

I'm doing them in pots this year as the raised beds are full of oriental veg and stawberries.

Just joined the waiting list for an allotment - FOUR YEARS !

I got some courgette plants at a sale of work last week so am going to try growing them directly in the compost bins.

Slight disaster with the rest of the vegetable patch which was ram raided by a gang of chickens - they ate all the parsley, whitecurrants, trampled the onions then made a dust bath in the middle. I am on to them.

fruitshoot - that recipe sounds like heaven

DG...there's plenty you can start growing now from seed.
GUB has a good list.
You can plant lettuce/rocket all through summer and autumn. Last year I had it in a bed, but this year I had a couple of left over growbags so sowed seed there. I've now got plentiful supplies and it's so easy. I have converted half of a large cold frame this week, so am planning on filling that with edible leaves and it's right next to my kitchen door. Perfect!
If you've never grown beetroot give that a go. Again really easy, you can make successional sowings, but make sure you soak the seed for 1/2 hour first. It's really delicious roasted and nothing like the purple golf balls we all ate in the 70's.
Fruit wise, we have an orchard and fruit bushes but my favourites are the gooseberries... huge great big plump things that make great jam, fools, crumbles
and rhubarb....rhubarb jam with ginger is just fantastic!
Hope I've tempted you a bit

Dumblesdoregirl, it sounds a lot but there's not a lot of most of them and I think with the exception of strawberries, courgettes and tomatoes we will have very little of each. We've got 3 raised beds that are 6ft x 6 ft. One for strawberries, one for raspberries, then the 3rd is divided into squares in an attempt at square foot gardening, so that makes 36 squares. Things like spinach has been munched by slugs so there's enough to feed about one baby out there at the moment !

Mange tout and french beans are hopefully climbing a rose arch I got in Lidl for £5. Potatoes are in hessian sacks, tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, peppers, chillis and aubergines are in pots distributed round the garden.

I haven't really got a clue what I am doing but my Joy Larkcom book says that in June you can sow directly into the ground:

French and runner beans, beetroot, broccoli, calabrese, carrots, mini caul, all chicories, chinese cabbage, courgettes, cucumbers, endive, mini kale, kohl rabi, komatsuna, land cress, lettuce, marrows, mizuna greens, japenese bunching and spring onions, pak choi, peas, pumpkins, summers purslane, summer and oriental radish, salad rocket, spinach beet, summer and New Zealand spinach, winter squash, swedes, sweetcorn and turnips.

There is a really good forum on the growfruitandveg.co.uk site which is full of people who know loads and loads and I've had lots of helpful tips from there.

Sorry to go so far off the topic of courgettes. I'm hoping lots of you have loads of delicious recipes for the courgette glut I'm sure we will all get....

midnightexpress, my courgettes are in vegetable sacks from the garden centre.

bennyand joon, thanks for the watering tip! off to force feed the kids a bottle of cola

also growing
potatoes
garlic
tomatoes
runner beans
sweetcorn
sprouts
strawberries
caulis

1st proper try at it so very excited
i know, i need to get out more

I dont have much success with courgettes for one thing the slugs and snails absolutely love them in my garden...

Then again, I haven't got many gardening credentials and all of mine might be about to die....

Littlerach, 10 courgettes per plant then? Hmmm, I can just see my kids' faces now!

I imagine it depends on when you planted the seeds Watfordmummy. If it helps you to know this, I planted mine about 4 weeks ago and my biggest plant now only has about 5 leaves. I can't see any of them getting flowers for weeks yet.

Last year we harvested about 70 courgettes from 7 plants.

seriously, they keep going forever.
Dig out your recipe books now

I have planted 4 thisd year, and 2 yellow ones.
Our neighbours already look worried

I don't have any flowers yet on my courgette, should I?

Good grief GreatUncleBulgaria - that sounds like a veritable gardenful! How fantastic for you. I am really envious. Dh and I have a large garden and want to devote an entire side lawn area to growing veg. It was going to be our project this year as last year we had builders in extending our house by converting some outbuildings, but unfortunately, they took longer than they promised and only left last month. I just couldn't face a new project until the old one was done so the lawn didn't get dug up. The courgettes are the only thing I have growing veggie-wise, although we do have some herbs. Your list of fruits and vegetables sounds just the sort of thing I am hoping to have. Are there any seeds I can be thinking about planting at this time of year, maybe to get some winter vegetables?

Oh me too. Has anyone got courgettes in a growbag? I have put one in the garden, but it doesn't get a huge amount of sun, so I have three more in pots and am thinking of putting at least one of them in a growbag in our courtyard, which is sunnier. Will they be OK without really deep root area?

I'm trying nematodes for the slugs as ours are enormous and arrive in multitudes to eat everything.

I have spent the morning weeding at my friend's allotment and peaked over the fence at her neighbours courgette plants, they are so large you can see them over the fence (admittedly it is a small fence) .

We have a fair bit on the go this year, strawberry patch is doing really well, have a few peas, mange tout, beetroot, parsnips, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, potatoes, chilli, sweetcorn, climbing and dwarf french beans, spinach, rocket, carrots, spring onions, leeks, cucumber, pumpkin purple sprouting broccoli, raspberries & blueberries, rosemary, thyme, garlic chives, basil & coriander. But small amounts of most of them with the exception of the tomatoes.

This is our third year of trying and am hoping we will actually get stuff this year and not run out of steam as we usually do after a few weeks in previous years. Everything has been grown from seed though this year so I feel quite protective about them

missingtheaction

hello, can I join in?
I'm hoping for a prolific year in the garden. I've got courgettes, pumpkins, butternut squash, sprouting broccolli, cavolo nero, artichokes, jerusalem artichokes, beetroots, peas, tomatoes, chard, and shallots atm <phew>
This years big disaster is my broad beans.. they are being seriously attacked by birds and I've only got a few, pathetic, half eaten little specimens left.
Any one else growing them this year?

BennyandJoon if you want a courgette plant and are anywhere near Farnham you can have one of mine! I think 3 is overdoing it!

I have no courgette plants this year, but do have a good watering tip:-

Cut the bottom off a plastic bottle, bury it next to your plant, upside down. Courgettes like wet roots but not wet leaves, so when you water you can just fill up your upside-down bottle. The triffid courgette plant will hide the bottle soon enough if you are worried about how it looks

Well how sad am I? I popped out into the garden first thing to check on my courgettes and to see if they made it through their first night in the ground. They look fine, even the one I thought I bashed as I was transferring it from the pot.

I am not sure I am going to abandon the idea of feeding them though. Mine went into really poor soil with no fertiliser or anything

I am very excited this is my first try at courgettes, I planted 10 seeds in pots and got 9 plants so not bad going. Have given 6 away however as apparently they are prolific. The 3 I have are in a trench shaped container and I am a little worried it's not big enough. No flowers yet

I also have tomatos and aubergines!

I'll abandon the feeding it bit right away then! Am going downstairs in a minute to do an inspection of baby courgette.

If we get tomatoes from our two million tomato plants plus courgettes then I guess I'd better think ratouille.

Love the yellow flowers, they are so cheerful and a change from the white ones I have on my strawberries and peas.

oooh exciting I have got one (sad i know) alone in my very small plot. Peas which i grew last year and butternut squash (1), cucumber (1), and oinions and leeks.

Quite excited as to what I am going to get.

Amish joke: 'why do Amish people lock their cars in August' 'so their friends don't give them any more courgettes'.

A happy courgette plant will churn out more courgettes than you can believe once it gets going. Personally I hate defrosted courgettes, only put them in casseroles as filler. Mrs Muddle, if you are going to plant 10 out I suggest you sort out your contract to supply Tesco right now.

They only need water and sunshine. I've never dared feed mine, would probably take over the world.

You need to keep cropping them to keep the courgettes coming.

If one grows to a marrow (i swear it happens while you are admiring your carrots - look away for a min and that lovely flower is a monster blob) just chop it off, new courgettes will grow.

Wathch out for ones growing at ground level, they can rot and slugs can get in. Just chop them off and new ones will come.

oooh I love courgettes. I have just found a receipe for chocolate courgette cake but I will have to buy some to make it as we haven't grown any yet.

How do you freeze them? We have four that we've planted out too early, and have subsequently almost died and come back to life, but we have six in pots in a cold frame that are much more healthy looking.

i have 4 plants grown in a vegetable sack, just had a flower last week but it disappeared i think my 2 yr old got to it more flowers coming through.
i have been watering daily.

I have a great courgette and couscous recipe if anyone wants it once their courgettes are done!

It's in a pot, rather belatedly being hardened off. DH slightly split the stem when he potted it up last time so goodness knows if it will survive going into soil, but we'll have a go at the weekend.

Very encouraging to hear about your freezer Eccentrica, gives me hope !

haven't done courgettes this year as still have a freezer full from last years bumper crop. They are dead easy, just water and away you go.

Exciting isnt it? If you have one plant sunbathing on the deck does that mean it is in a pot?

I need this thread ! DH planted some seeds ages and ages ago and we have a monster plant which is currently sunbathing on the deck with what is hopefully its first courgette growing.

I planted 4 seeds weeks ago and could only get one to germinate, it's about 2 inches tall and looks pathetic, which is highly annoying when DH's is a monster.

Things I have read about courgettes:

They are very easy so you should get loads off 5 plants and had better start reading up on courgette recipes.

They are very thirsty so will need daily watering when very hot.

I think I read that they are very hungry plants so will need feeding, I'm planning to use well rotted manure as have a free supply.

Our neighbours got us in to pick their courgettes when they were away, I think you're right about needing to pick them whilst small to get them to continue cropping.

I have decided to start this thread as discussing courgettes in the middle of a G&T thread did not seem very polite.

So, my 5 small plants left the safety and security of their pots on the kitchen window sill today and went into the Big Open Ground that is my garden.

What chance I will get any courgettes?

Do they need daiy watering?

How about feeding?

I read on the packet they will fruit in August but we are away for 2 weeks then. Will I lose them all to marrows? I don't mind marrows per se but I am sure you have to keep picking the courgettes when small to ensure continuation of the crop. Is this right? Do I need to get someone in to pick them for me while I am away?