iar fach goch Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Have grown courgettes ( as well as everything else in my veggie patch) for the first time this year. Courgette plants were coming along well, lots of flowers and lovely little courgettes, I was soooo excited. Anyhow, today I noticed that some of the flowers had dropped off (after all our lovely wind and rain) and five of the courgettes are now yellowing. What should I be doing to look after them? I don't want to lose any more, but have absolutely no idea how to care for them apart from watering and weeding. Any advice for first timer gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I'm a first time courgette grower too so have no advice but will be interested in the replies . I've got flowers and very tiny courgettes growing but they look nice and healthy (so far ). Trouble is, we're going away for a fortnight so I hope my chicken sitting friend looks after them too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 the flowers that droped off had they got little courgettes behid them or just long stems if the latter don't worry there just male flowers I remove them any way as for the yellowing give them a feed of tomato feed at least once a week more if in pots courgettes are greedy plants so need plenty of food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I think that courgettes will start to form, but if they are not fertilised they will wither and die. Try using a paintbrush to sweep inside the male flowers (the ones on the long thin stems) then swirl it around inside the female flowers (short courgettey ones) see if that helps I noticed today that some of my squashes had done the same thing - the male flowers are only just opening so hopefully the next lot of female flowers will be fertilised OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 They need to be in good fertile soil, they like manure or they need to be regularly liquid fed with tomato food or phosphogen, or something similar. You do sometimes get the fruits failing to form properly in cool damp weather, I hardly got any last year whereas this year I have loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 Thanks for the replies, some of the flowers have been off the thin stems, but others are coming off the courgettes. They all looked lovely and healthy this morning, whether they will be the same after this afternoon's wind and rain is another matter. I will get out there with my paint brush when monsoon season is over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 the heavy rain wont help it'll nock the flowers off and keep th bees from working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 You might like to read this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 That's fantastic . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I agree - what she says is very true (although I haven't started carving them yet). I planted mine in the greenhouse as they haven't done well outside in previous years due to bad weather. They really have turned into triffids. The leaves are massive and spiny. Even though I cut them back regularly to let other things grow, they don't see this as a set back at all. And thanks for the introduction to the blog too! Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Thats really good - passed it on to a few friends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 Thankyou, here's hoping my courgettes can read too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Mine can't. We ate them tonight . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 *sigh* - ran up the garden to water the greenhouse before going out tonight, glanced at the courgette plant and there's a MARROW growing there. I swear yesterday it was a courgette. I think this is one of the funniest blogs I've ever come across - scroll back to find some of the ones about chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have 5 courgette plants and 5 people in the family one of whom doesn't like courgettes. We are noe officially bored of them and we are only a few weeks in We hadn't picked since Sunday and yesterday took 6 big ones off, which we are going to try to send to Cornwall with my BIL and his family on their 2 week holiday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I found a small marrow which wasn't even a courgette yesterday! I've cut lots of the leaves off mine now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm collecting courgette recipes in the hope that we dont get sick of them. We have enjoyed Jamie's Courgette Carbonara (uses eggs too, a double bonus!), courgette and feta fritters, and just sliced and roasted on the bbq then mixed with oil and lemon and mint. Has anyone got any other suggestions for using them up? I know there are going to be a lot more courgettes before long.... Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I actually quite like courgettes as a vegetable! Which is just as well as mine are about to go mad - I picked one small marrow and one small football (from the rounds ones).....cut back a lot of leaves and there they were......millions of baby courgettes I just slice them thinly, place in a large frying pan with a minimal amount of water, simmer until just cooked and the water has just about evaporated then add a lump of butter and fresh ground black pepper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 You might like to read this! That is brilliant - so like me last year - hence not growing this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 my hubby doesnt like courgettes so I grated some with onion and garlic and added to turkey mince with an egg and breadcrumbs and made home made burgers - he did not even know they were in the burgers - can do it with mince or pork ones too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitchens Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 BBC Good Food Magazine and Olive had some great recepie ideas for courgette. We tried some and they were really very tasty. Also Sophie Grigson does a really tasty risotto using courgettes. If you google 'courgette recepie' you might get some interesting things come up for you to try. Go on - give it a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Thanks for the tip. I just searched on courgette on the BBC Good Food magazine website - 128 results! There are obviously more things to do with courgetes than I ever imagined. Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iar fach goch Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Yipee! Have now collected four courgettes, am absolutely amazed that any have survived in these awful conditions - torrential wind and rain all day! Made a lovely courgette and chickpea curry that was even devoured by fussy 3 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Am i doing something wrong? I've got two courgette plants and for weeks now they have only managed one small courgette between them (Which we picked and ate - yum) Their leaves are very dark green and a little tatty from heavy rain but both seem healthy - no mildew or pest damage - just no more courgettes. They are watered a lot and the soil they are in has had lots of last years chicken poop fueled compost, so it's well rotted. I've planted some more seeds so i can transplant another plant into a space i have somewhere else in my garden but I'm a little disappointed with my first attempt at courgette growing. A friend of ours has loads of courgettes from plants with paler green leaves. Maybe my variety isn't very good. They are quite close to some runner bean plants and growing on a plot that had cabbages over winter. Could this be it? is the location wrong? Is it the weather? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 I must admit that i have found that courgettes either grow or they don't and this year all of mine have grown a little too well but the previous couple of years they were not so good. They like a nice open position and not to much damp weather. Mine are on the well drained soil at the allotment this year whereas they have been in my much heavier soil in my garden for the previous less successful years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
