Courgette Club for all those who are growing courgettes this year or who know something about it

[Dumbledoresgirl]

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?

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).

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?

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.

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

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 dear god I can smell them from here!

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.

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).

would anyone like any courgettes? - please?

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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

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

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.

here you go

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

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

Ta.

Mine seem to be mostly male flowers

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 ! 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)

the female flowers don't open for very long, they are usually open first thing in the morning, you gotta get in there quick

As you were.

Awwwww MDS he/she? is gorgeous!