Courgettes - remove the 1st leaves if near the soil?

[drf]

I've got some courgette plants growing in pots, I'm planning to move them into growbags when I get the chance and it's not raining (they've been in their current pots for ~2.5 weeks after transplanting from their seeding pots, seem to be doing well and have been outside since planting so they'll be hardy. They seem to have survived the two hailstorms we had on Saturday!). I'm understand that it's advisable to not get water on the leaves/flowers when watering, and am wodering whether it's a good idea to remove the leaves that formed just after germinating. All my plants still have these leaves, but quite a few are looking a bit knackered - they've got a few holes in, I' think something's been at them, and they continually touch the compost as they're at a low level.

So, when I transplant them, should I remove the lower leaves or let them sit on the soil?

[rustylady]

Only take them off when they have served their purpose and started going yellow or withering. Make sure you take them off cleanly.

[Vegmonkey]

Hi, you'll find they might fall off when you transplant them...mine tend to get nibled by the slugs before i get chance to remove them!