Courgettes in pots

[citygirl]

this thread has TOTALLY inspired me to give courgettes a go. i have a spare B&Q bucket. is it just one plant per bucket? or more? and, do i need drain holes in a bucket? or will putting a bit of gravel in the bottom do just as well?

am i too late to start from seed? or should i just attempt it anyways?..

so many questions, so little time!

[Demeter]

this thread has TOTALLY inspired me to give courgettes a go. i have a spare B&Q bucket. is it just one plant per bucket? or more? and, do i need drain holes in a bucket? or will putting a bit of gravel in the bottom do just as well?

am i too late to start from seed? or should i just attempt it anyways?..

so many questions, so little time!

I only sowed mine the other day, so give it a go... I would say one plant per B&Q bucket will be plenty, and that you should definitely make drainage holes in the bucket if you possibly can. For my buckets (which have got tomatoes in) I drilled a few holes around the edge a couple of inches up from the bottom, then filled the bottom with drainage stuff (broken up polystyrene), with muck and compost on top.

Hope that helps a bit

[pigletwillie]

Ha, Catalyst, we have a dozen or so planted in barrels and have grown them that way for a couple of years now very succesfully.

A dozen may seen like lunacy but when you match them to 30 odd pepper plants and some 80 tomato plants, the basis of lots of bottled, caned, frozen and other prepared dishes for the winter months soon uses them up, leaving just a few to eat fresh.

Even Wellies courgette soup easilly uses up a kilo or two of tasty courgettes at a time and it freezes very well giving you a taste of sunshine in the winter, then there is bolognese sause which we bottle by the bucketful, courgette crown bread which again freezes really well. Mediteranean roast veg soon uses them up as does a dish as simple as shepherds pie.

Anyway, growing them in buckets or other containers is a great way to grow them, it keeps them away from slugs, stops the fruit rotting on damp soil and makes it easier to cut as you dont need to bend down as far to reach them.

I think for an average family, 3 plants will be sufficient and will give some to give away. If you like cooking, try different types.

[citygirl]

I only sowed mine the other day, so give it a go... I would say one plant per B&Q bucket will be plenty, and that you should definitely make drainage holes in the bucket if you possibly can. For my buckets (which have got tomatoes in) I drilled a few holes around the edge a couple of inches up from the bottom, then filled the bottom with drainage stuff (broken up polystyrene), with muck and compost on top.

Hope that helps a bit

right, i will give it a whirl. i was thinking polystyrene earlier. but don't have any, well, not enough. don't know where i might get it from either...think currys or comet might have a bag or 60 spare???...better than gravel for moving in and out of sun etc aswell...hmmm....

i shall keep one informed on progress

cheers

[NewToTheGame]

As my name suggests!

Hi Everyone

I'm new to gardening, have just started this year! I seem to be having success with most things I have sown so far but have no idea if they are behaving as they should!! All six seeds I planted of courgette have grown but they are quite small and seem to have flower buds developing (I've attached a photo). The picture is of the biggest plant, about 4 inches, but they all are looking like they are going to flower. Aren't they quite small to be developing flowers? I have only fed them with tomato feed once and have now found I need to give them more water than I probably have - whoops and thanks for the info.http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lies/smile.gif

Any advice would be great, and now I'm off to find out about potatoes and sweet potatoes!!

[citygirl]

wow... they're very tall... mine never got that tall... just sort of grew just above the soil and rather spread out, rather than up....what type are they?

[vikkib]

All six seeds I planted of courgette have grown but they are quite small and seem to have flower buds developing (I've attached a photo). The picture is of the biggest plant, about 4 inches, but they all are looking like they are going to flower. Aren't they quite small to be developing flowers?

Not sure if you got an answer NewToTheGame, I seem to have missed this thread first time round!

What size pots are they in? It might be that they need to be potted on into bigger pots to allow them to keep growing.

I read on another thread on the vine that when some plants flower while they are still small it can be a sign of distress as they need more room for their roots.

I'm sure a more experienced viner will be able to point you in the right direction.

[solway cropper]

The flowers on stalks will be male flowers.....females have a tiny fruit behind them.

[solway cropper]

the flowers on stalks will be male....the females have a small fruit behind them. (apologies if i posted this reply on another thread as well. I think i hit the tab key by mistake)

[NewToTheGame]

Thanks for the reply Vikkib.

The courgettes began their life in compostable pots so I could see the roots breaking free and have now planted all six up - I know far two many plants for a house of two!!! They have grown bigger now and look far more capable of supporting fruit!! So far I have had only male flowers but I can see two or three that are female with tiny courgettes at the base and eagerly look each day to see if they have gotten any bigger.