Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi,
I have a few courgette plants at home and at the allotment. They are all now at the flowering stage but so far haven't seen anything resembling a female flower. Is it worth removing male flowers to save energy for the fruiting flowers?
I also have a self seeded courgette/squash which is coming up on the side of my compost bin, very excited to see what that turns into! At least it looks happier then my butternut squash plants which don't seem to like the cold. Any one else having problems with their squashes?

Rosy B

Hi rosyb.

My squashes are all very slow too. don't remove the male flowers as they are required for pollinating the female ones. For some reason you get male flowers first. Be patient your courgette plants will get there.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

You can eat the male flowers (and the female ones, but most people prefer to let them fruit!). Cut them leaving long stems and, after pollinating your female flowers, cut out the stamen & trim the sharp green bits on the outside, then stuff with ricotta cheese and a basil leaf, dip in a light batter and fry for a few minutes.

Unfortunately I have only one courgette plant so it's not worth doing this year--wish I'd grown more!

Hi Rosyb
Ive had terrible luck with all my curcurbits this year - I lost 3 sets of seedling cucumbers/squashes/pumpkins and courgettes to some strange affliction, or possibly they got too cold.

Ive got a few that struggled thru and Ive planted out 2 courgettes which are flowering but not looking very sturdy. They seem to have very weedy neck/stems that dont support the rest of the plant.

Does anyone know if when you transplant curcurbits can you plant them deeper like you do with brassicas?
Ta

You can, they sometimes stem root that way - then again given the year we are having the ... blessed.... things would probably just rot!

Lost three sets of cucs, pumknis and courgetts so far - is it worth getting another lot in now do you think?

I have one surviving cuc, which might just do but I miss my courgettes

Terry

I know, hasn't it been horrible for them, after beginners luck with my courgettes last year, was so looking forward to another bonanza, so far only had 4. And I stupidly sowed the lovely ones I had last year too early so when I was trying to get them to the allotment (by bus) they were too big and fragile and snapped. Now got a Wyevale emergency purchase, hope it comes through soon.
Did have two, the other one has had all it's tender shoots eaten by slugs. I thought it was too big and hairy for them, but oh no, now got a ring of growing success pellets round the poor thing.
There is one cucumber growing, finger's crossed it carries on from gherkin size and as for the gherkins, too plants - nothing.
As for the squash, finally found one growing in the middle of my three sisters bed, got to apple size, but not good considering the amount of ground they're taking up.
And as for melons, think I'll give up on them
Sue

Most of my Butternuts have suffered broken main stems at ground level,either due to high winds or maurauding puppies. The few survivors have hardly grown since I planted out at the beginning of June. Just starting to eat small courgettes but not tried the flowers yet. A couple of pumpkin plants are considering growing a bit but havn't made their minds up yet.

I've just sown 2 more courgette plants (for when my current ones peg out - they tend to flag as the season progresses) so I think you'd get away with more courgettes. Not sure about butternuts as I've never grown them - I think they would need longer to ripen.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Last year I was wondering what to do with all the courgettes, they were turning into marrows every time I turned my back. This year they are pathetic. I have 3 courgette plants on the lottie and I have harvested one and a half courgettes so far (the slugs or snails got the other half). Butternut and pumpkin have been planted out but are not looking good at the moment.

It hasn't been a good year year for curcubits. Too wet and not very warm.

Wormlady, I would say make sure you DONT plant your curcubits deeper than they were to start with. If you do, in my experience the stems just rot.

Bring on some sunshine please.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Fortunately this year I managed to get an early crop , due to sowing under glass early March. Harvest has slowed down after all this rain! I always pinch out the male flower very early on and had no problems with pollination.

My courgettes are just starting to produce baby fruits now - I have quite a few in the ground - 250 x Defender and 90 x Taxi (yellow variety). The first fruits on all the plants tend to be small and start to turn rubbery so have all been removed and plants are thriving. Never bother to remove male or female flowers unless they get wet (and they have this year) as they tend to start the fruit rotting. They were very slow to get going but I put that down to the cold easterly and northerly winds we suffered in May June and first half of July as opposed to the wet as my ground is very free draining.
I only have indoor cukes in the tunnel x 40 plants and they are performing brilliantly. I think my best plant has 17 cukes on it at present from fully mature to baby size.

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Could someone please advise the best size to pick courgettes at? I see them in the supermarket at all different sizes and it is confusing. I never liked them as a child and want them to be popular with my kids so would love to have recommendations as to the very best time to pick them.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

HI.
It depends really on the variety,
round ones - about the size of a golfball
long ones - about 4 to 6 inches long
If you leave them for longer, the seeds get too large and they basically become marrows - courgettes are immature marrows if I am not mistaken.

However, I do pick mine smaller if they seem to have stalled, in order to give the next batch a spurt; so I end up with them all sizes. I use them all the time - year round and can never have enough this year as they are so slow to grow.
However, the same applies as with all veg - the supermarket ones are grown for different reasons, so the only way is to suck it and see. I would err on the side of smaller being juicier than risk them getting too seedy, personally.

Thanks very much. I am having to overcome my childhood memories of this most hated veg (along with kale and sprouts) though we do eat a wide range of other veggies. OH tells me they are lovely fried but my mum used to boil them and serve with white sauce - yikky yikky yik yik yeuch!! It will take a lot of bravery for me to actually put one in my mouth!

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I like them boiled or steamed Shirl, but I can imagine the texture isn't for everyone. Try them sliced and fried - they hold together better and aren't a bit slimy. Chillie oil is good, or garlic oil for a change.

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Thanks again folks. Will cut them and have for dinner tomorrow.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Boiled cougette are not good - in my view - as they are sliiiiiiiiiiimy in the extreme

There is NO COMPARISON with lightly fried in butter with garlic. Hugely antisocial, awful for the waistline, but ....MMMMMMMMMMMM........ you'll be a convert, Shirl, I promise!

All I need to do it bully my courgette plant into production and I'll be joining you!

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sun 30/11/2008......Indoor Allotmenteering too!.....

I never used to like courgettes either - my mum used to serve braised courgettes every so often, and they were gross. I wasn't a fan of ratatouille for the same reason. (I quite like ratatouille now, but have never been tempted to try braising a courgette.) My mother-in-law slices them in round circles, dips them in beaten egg and in flour, and fries them until the 'batter' goes light gold. Serve with something to dip 'em in - such as soy sauce+garlic+sesame seeds.

That sounds like it might tempt the kids thanks jinx

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

All our squashes are being very slow at the moment, with the exception of 4 Ball courgette plants.
So far we've had about 5 ball courgettes (some more should be ready any day now) and one baby courgette - the other 2 that were forming got eaten by slugs and mice >
One of our Jack Be Little pumpkins has one fruit that is about tennis ball size and 2 babies starting to grow, another 2 plants have babies too.
There is nothing on the Butternut Squashes, not even flowers yet.
And the Sweet Dumpling bed, whilst the plants are romping on producing huge leaves and lots of male flowers, no female ones and hence no fruits as of yet.

Fingers crossed we get more of this lovely sunshine and it'll give them all a boost.

Well sorry to say this after all the problems you are all having with your courgettes etc, but i have a bumper crop so far after a very slow start and am having trouble giving them away, my neighbours now run away when they see me coming back from the allotment. I lost my butternut squashes to a fox digging them up so have brought up a few more on the window ledge and will plant them later today. (hopefully not too late).

This is not a gloat it is to give you hope! We have had soooooo much rain here in the south i thought they would all die a miserable death but they have'nt. I wish i could say the same for my tomatoes!!! No bumper crop there i'm afraid!

As for eating them i like them sliced then fried in garlic and butter, or when they get to marrow size i like them stuffed with mincemeat.

Good luck everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!