Could someone help me with my courgette plant

[Deux]

Have never grown courgettes before, but so far so good and so satisfying. The plant has about 12 courgettes on it in various stages of growth. I have some questions.

There are lots of leaves on the plant, should I be trimming some of them off?

Some of the courgettes are yellowing at the ends, what does this indicate and should I be picking these?

When do I pick the courgettes? The largest ones currently are about 5 inches long.

Thanks.

I pick when they are about 10cm long.
Pick them if they are yellowy on the end as I htink this is not good.
No need to trim leaves.

I make a lovely chutney with them - River Cottage recipe - google it.

I made courgette and chocolate muffins once - but should have peeled them.

Small boy who was visiting bit into his muffin and yelled "UGH - bogey cakes!"

Also at my nephew's wedding we had deep-fried courgette flowers as one of the appetisers - they were delicious.

can I suggest Onion Squash - this year I have them in pots as they took over the garden last year - they are scrambling up the hedge/bean poles so don't take up much room. They grow fairly large,(but not as big as a pumpkin) are orange and round, lovely roasted with beetroot.

Glad to see that I might get some female courgette flowers - so far all male here.

First year of allotment and any form of gardening/veg growing... my courgettes are like massive, massive marrows?

Lunavix

You must pick the courgettes when they are very very small and also take off the flowers from the male plants (the ones which are on a long stalk). You can fry the flowers in a batter - they are delicious.

Flowers are lovely fried in batter or breadcrumbs. You can also make a lovely pasta sauce by lightly frying courgette flowers and shrimps/prawns in a mixture of olive oil and butter.

I've also eaten them stuffed with ricotta but have never made them myself that way.

grandmabet - why must you take off the male flowers? I am a first timer too and I have been picking the corgettes but not the flowers?

I end up making a tortilla with mine: gently soften and colour onions in olive oil, add peppers and the courgettes (and flowers) and colour those, then pour over an egg mix (6 plus milk and S&P, usually). I usually grate some cheese on top, then brown the top under the grill.

That's a low carb version, actually: I might add chopped potato, too.

I could eat a whole one when it's chilled ... god it's fantastic.

thanks for this thread- I have 3 plants, just 1 courgette so far (another one started to grow but rotted). It's my first time growing them and I didn't know that there are male and female flowers- I will pick off the male ones (they're the ones on long stalks, yes?) and poke them in the direction of the lady flowers for fertilisation purposes!

I might involve DS in that process ... although I am wondering why kind of conversation I'll be setting myself up for ...

My courgettes did quite well the first time I grew them, but this year we only have the male flowers (I didn't realise they were gendered! thought they were just flowers that hadn't been fertilised). THey've been coming for about three weeks now and no sign of any fruit. Also, we have horrible blackfly on the, so frying the flowers isn't really appetising. What's the best way to get rid of the critters without using poisonous chemicals? (Am pregnant, and DS takes an active interest in the contents of the growbags.)

I thought mine were going to be a complete washout this year (planted late, very hot, no rain) but this evening harvested enough little and medium ones for courgette pasta for three. Yum yum. You could really tell the tidlers from the bigger ones!

Reshape: ladybirds.

So, er, just conjure yourself some up from thin air ...

Reshape - If you can't round up enough ladybirds, you could try spraying them with a washing up liquid solution. Apparently they breathe through their skin and the washing up solution suffocates them. Give the courgettes a good wash before you eat them though!

I like to slice them, brush with olive oil and then barbeque. Yum!

Mine are covered in blackfly too. We've had quite a lot of medium sized courgettes though so far, all grown in pots on the patio.
Also have broad beans, peas, sweetcorn and french beans in pots.

I'm growing a butternut squash and a pumpkin but can't remember which is which [doh] One of them has grown out of the raised bed and into the next one and carrying on [trifid]. Should I be putting something in for it to climb up rather than trail on the ground? And is that going to be the squash?

Oh and my courgettes are going yellow when they're only an inch or so long. Is it all the rain making htem mank or something else?
Thanks!

I planted courgettes this year, and they are still tiny - only a few leaves on each plant, and no flowers or courgettes. Is there still hope that I might get some courgettes this year or should I just give up?
Im in north Scotland if that makes a difference to the time of year that they flower at?

I always plant a few extra seeds, 'just in case',
they all germinate,
I give some of them to other allotmenteers,
they give me green ones in return, (I only plant yellow ones),
I can't refuse 'cos I am polite,
then I can't bear to throw healthy plants away,
they all grow like mad,
I go to allotment to find there are 10 courgettes all ripe at the same time,
I give them away til people are sick of them,
I say 'never again'
I do it again the next year!!

I am having exactly the same experience wwith celariac, The packet said lightly sprinkle seeds over a tray of compost, thin and pot on. There must be 150 plants, of which I have planted 30. I'll give some away, but hate throwing away perfectly healthy plants.

I'm loving this courgette thread. Well I harvested all my little ones and the ones that were going yellow at the end. They were delicious, just pan fried with a little chopped red onion and splash of balsamic vinegar.

The others have gone nuts since I harvested -is this coincidence? I don't seem to have any male flowers now, just female ones.

On the subject of recipies, I found a recipe for chocolate brownies with courgettes. Will try it and report back.

This is by far and away the most interesting thing I've grown so far.

Big stripey - what about putting a cloche over it?

BigStripeyTiger: in the north of scotland you are best putting a courgette in a polytunnel or under a cloche. They do prefer warmer weather.

Oh thats a shame, No courgettes for me this year then I expect.
Will have to be more careful about what I try and grow next year.

Just cosset them a bit more - do you have a Polytunnel / greenhouse/ coldframe? Or erect a frame covered in a clear plastic sheet over it leaving the lee side open for the insects? Its only July - you may still have time.

I'll send you some of the buggers, just popped over for some parsley for my mushroom stroganoff and there were SEVEN enormous ones that were the size of crayons yesterday!!

I'm sure you can grow courgettes in cooler places, anyway it's not that cold up there!
We're in the North East England and I'v grown them for years. find them the easiest veg to grow actually.
did you start them a bit late, if so they might still come to something.
I've still been picking courgettes in September some years so a little while left.