Giant courgette plants!

[Two_Sheds]

so I put them into the garden a couple of weeks ago..... since then they've done nowt.

they won't.
It's still too cold (at nights) for courgettes to be outside.

[jackie j]

I bought three plants last year and had a glut this year I have sown 3 yellow and three green bush so far so good, they are in my plastic grrenhouse now. I made loads of courgette and walnut chutney and also courgette relish both lovely

[elsie-scot]

i have realised that somehow i have mixed courgette and cucumber together. can any one tell me how to tell them apart, seeds are about 1 to 2 inches high at the moment.i think i put courgette in the pots when some of the cucumbers failed to germinate by mistake. courgette seeds packet has been opened and used but i cant find any pots with courgettes labelled up.
help1

?look up google images for cucumber/courgette seedlings - might help identify. My courgettes are growing faster and bigger than the cucumber if that helps! Cucumber slower to germinate

[indigox]

they won't.
It's still too cold (at nights) for courgettes to be outside.

I planted 3 courgettes out a couple of weeks ago and they are doing fine so far.
But it has been pretty warm for the time of year, I guess I could still be caught out by a frosty spell. I've got spare plants in pots just in case.

[indigox]

Last year I planted 2 out early and one died, we still had lots of courgettes, but not quite enough to get sick of them (that's what I'm aiming for this year! ha ha)

[Two_Sheds]

I planted 3 courgettes out a couple of weeks ago and they are doing fine

...but Prozac is a few miles north of you

[Reks]

Lottieval - I have been looking around for courgette and maybe am too late to sow them, would it cost a lot to send these by posts in case you still have few plants to give away?

[Two_Sheds]

Lottieval - I have been looking around for courgette and maybe am too late to sow them

Not too late at all. Why don't you put a "wanted" on the seed swap forum?

[Mchanen]

I have sowed 4 courgette seeds a week ago, going to plant on the two strongest seedlings- only wanted one plant but at least i'll have one as back up in case the other fails

I can see one seed has germinated so far!

I love courgettes so hoping for loads of them

[deezyb]

have just planted out a zucchini and a pumpkin with my sweetcorn plants tonight...i have loads of other squash in the wings if the ones I put out tonight fail...like others, mine have grown like anything, but with only me in the family loving courgettes, I'm sure I'll have enough

[indigox]

...but Prozac is a few miles north of you

Hmm, yes, but I'm not home and dry yet... hence the back-up plants!

[StephenH]

Glenisita - I've done exactly the same thing... the plants have become a little rampant and I haven't prepared the ground for them yet!!

I might stick them in bigger pots and give them a feed... They start to struggle in small pots as they drain the nutrients out of the compost so quickly.

That'd explain why the true leaves of mine, which I've just transplanted into the garden, were turning pale along the veins, which I think is a sign of depletion of some mineral or other. I thought that that was probably why. Hopefully, they'll recover now they're in the ground and mulched with compost.

[taskey]

i have just been to my local supermarket and bought 2 very nice looking plants. they are about 4 inches high and have loads of 'pods' on them on the stem and a couple of long stemed leaves. they also have 2 different shaped leaves at the very bottom.

am i right in thinking that i should put them in a bigger pot and leave in the plastic green house for a little longer, then stake and put outside? what do i do about the other 2 little leaves - will they drop off or do i pick them off?

Thanks

Tracy

[JimmerG]

Hi Tracy,

Big pots in the greenhouse is exactly right. Don't worry about staking - courgettes tend to sprawl wherever they like, and rarely stay upright. The little leaves you see are the very first leaves that the plant produced, these will more than likely just wither and fall off.

If you haven't done so already, now is the time to prepare the ground for their final positions. I dig a pit about a foot round and deep, and fill it with earth/compost/manure -let this 'brew' for 2-4 weeks before planting the plant. Remember they are hungry plants and need a lot of nutrients - so maybe mix some general purpose fertiliser in with the aforementioned 'brew'. Pits need to be about 3 feet apart, these plants get big!

Once the plants get going, they'll like a bit of potassium to help with 'fruit' production - so the occasional dose of tomatoe feed wouldn't go amiss - or comfrey tea if you've managed to create some!

Jimmer

[taskey]

or comfrey tea if you've managed to create some!

thanks jimmer, how do i do that then

Tracy