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?

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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...

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

Hope so!

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!

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

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

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?

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?

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!!

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?

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.

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?

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

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!

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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!

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.

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