Courgettes leggy or Just growing!

[Marie99]

Hi as its my first season growing, I was keen to get some plants underway in the house, as my chilli plants seem to take a while to grow and want them a fair size I thought I would start my courgettes amongst others, I now realise I could have waited for the courgettes lol

Just wondering if these are too leggy or its just the way they grow?. Iv already potted them up a few times,


also

I have got a walk in greenhouse - blowaway (very firmly tied down, fingers crossed) I lost out on a few greenhouses so just decided to get one of these for now as don't have a lot of room but Iv got chilli, peppers, tomatoes and aubergine and cape gooseberries needing somewhere undercover when they got out. I will poss try some outside and some inside blowaway!

back to my question, Im in the North east, would it be too early to put the courgettes in the greenhouse or should I wait for the last frosts, eventually they will be grown outside.

Cheers Marie

[WendyC]

What variety of courgette are they? Don't look like any I've ever grown. Tender plants could go in the greenhouse on mild days but you'd have to bring them in most nights as you really need a minimum of 10 degrees. I'm guessing you last frost is the end of May to early June so you've a way to go.

[rustylady]

They look OK at the moment, but they need as much light as possible so put them in your greenhouse during the daytime.

[Kristen]

Just wondering if these are too leggy or its just the way they grow?.

looks fine to me. The one on the left:



has a long stem up to the first "seed" leaves. Courgette seeds always throw out a significantly tall initial stem - which is quite robust. You can bury that when you pot on, if you like, but I doubt very much, even in really bright light, if it would be any shorter than yours. It won't get any longer now the true leaves have appeared.

They do need decent light and heat though ... don't let the temperature fall below 10C as they don't like chilly conditions.

[fran2340_1]

They look the same as mine. I just need to pot them on now think they need a little more room. They live in my connie at the moment.

[Thelma Sanders]

What variety of courgette are they? Don't look like any I've ever grown.

Look weird to me as well

[Kristen]

Do you think?

They look like typical stem and seed leaves of a Cucurbit, as do the true leaves - photo angle distorts them a bit though.

[Marie99]

Hi Thanks for the replies, they are Black beauty courgettes, I will try and get them out when the suns outwell maybe on fine days if we get any up here lol

[Marie99]

Do these look better? or like real courgettes ?



I have been putting them in the greenhouse during the day then in at night, its only been 11 days since the last pics were taken, Im going to have to get some big pots to put them in.

Just wondering, I have very small things from the stems, I think this will be the courgettes, is there something I need to do with them as regards the male and female flowers? I think I read somewhere but cant remember now or am I getting confused M

[Jeanied]

Those are the male flower buds just starting. I always say the male flowers turn up early and hang around smoking, drinking and telling tall stories till the female flowers put in an appearance. You can tell the female flowers because they have tiny latent courgettes thickening the stem immediately behind the flower - the males just have the stem and the flower

[Kristen]

Do these look better? or like real courgettes ?

They look fine to me. If anything they look a bit more like Squash, then Courgettes - but I amy be fooling myself into thinking that?!!

I have very small things from the stems, I think this will be the courgettes, is there something I need to do with them as regards the male and female flowers? I think I read somewhere but cant remember now or am I getting confused

They are likely to produce Male flowers first, and for a week or two before any Female flowers start showing ... the male flowers are on long thin stalks, the female flowers will have a small embryo fruit as the stem instead. When the female flowers appear picking off a male flower and "stuffing" it into the female flower will ensure it is pollinated. A bit later in the season you will be able to rely on the Bees, but you might want to revert to manually assisting the plant early in the season, particularly if it is a bit chilly and the Bees are not about much.

[Marie99]

Thanks for the advice, appreciated M x