Courgette help

[Saunaandsteam]

Hi, I don't know what I'm doing wrong with my courgettes, can anyone advise? They are watered everyday and the plant looks healthy, but the courgettes are bulbous at one end. The thin end feels soft as if it is starting to rot. This one is about the length of my hand. Grown in a greenhouse.

We have exactly the same issue

They do this when they are not pollinated properly. If you’re growing in a greenhouse with no access for bees you’ll need to pollinate them by hand. Get a soft paintbrush, swirl it around inside a male flower (the ones without a tiny courgette behind them) and then transfer the pollen to the female flower.

They are probably being left too long before picking , they are starting to rot one end

Thank you! I will try to manually pollinate from now on and see if that helps. We do open the doors of the greenhouse and there are bees about, but maybe not enough. Will keep an eye on how long they are left on the plant too.

Hmmm, mine aren’t in a greenhouse.

Or, at the end of the day, pick a male flower, bend the petals back and insert it into the female flower so the pollen is in direct contact with the centre if the female flower, and just leave it there.

I'm growing a variety that doesn't need insect pollination and says it can be grown in a greenhouse. Mine is outside though and I now think 3 plants are too much.