Disappearing courgettes

[moggssue]

Hmmmm - on Friday I had 3 baby courgettes, 3" long, maybe bit more, thought I'll give them a few more days and have one with dinner on Monday - went to cut them yesterday, vanished! Gone! Disappeared! Anybody know of a pest that will devour the whole fruit and leave not a trace behind?

[Polly Fouracre]

Your next door neighbour??!!

[mandyballantyne]

Hi,

What ever it is can I have it please Can't seem to find any takers up here for courgettes.

I have had peppers go over night lately, think it is slugs getting into the greenhouse as it is mainly the stem that is left........

Mandy

[Sebbster]

Sue, alot of mine have got to 3 inch and then rotted, basically shrivelling up and almost disappearing. So much so in fact that I threw the plant away as I couldn't get one to grow properly and this is after harvesting at least 5 from it.

I think it's lack of nutrients and although they grow easily, I never looked after mine well.

I dont believe it was a pest issue, look at where the join to the fruit and the plant is, should still be there.

[sweetcorn]

Slugs? Guess you'd find slime trails, though. The slugs round are way look glowing and healthy. Reckon they could easily take on a courgette in a night, no probs.

[moggssue]

OH did wonder about our neighbour I must admit! Don't think it's slugs, I'm fairly well protected in that bed (though the ones I have seen skulking around the edges do look very well fed ). Rotting I hadn't thought of - will look again this evening and check for any remains They get a feed every ten days or so, do you think they need more? The leaves seem perfectly healthy and there are lots of flowers, just the baby fruits seem to disappear!

[SueA]

Hi Moggsue, it could be that they've not been pollinated properly & so are dropping off when they are still small & maybe then being eaten by something on the ground, slugs, snails, woodlice etc. & that's why you've got such contented well-fed slugs!

[MURFE 18]

Hi, Moggssue, i have a problem, with my courgettes, found some with like teeth marks, as if some thing was eating it , then saw a squirrel, eating away the other day have now covered with netting, my mate had same problem he thought it was mice/rats.
hope this helps you mick.

[CarolineW]

My one and only baby courgette to actually make an appearance was half eaten by a squirrel, and then finished off by a slug. I only know that the slug became involved because I saw the slime trail early evening. By the next morning, no-one would ever have known that a courgette had been there. No trace, no slime - nothing. The entire vanishing act took 1.5 days.

[moggssue]

Squirrels??? Now I never ever would have thought of a squirrel eating a courgette! We do have them around so that may well be the culprit. I now have more growing away, had one with dinner yesterday, so I don't think its a nutrient problem, and they are pretty well hidden by the huge plant leaves - hmmm, netting on the christmas list me thinks. Thanks all, for some very useful and very thought provoking help!

[greenlung]

Sounds like a two legged rat to me !

[moggssue]

That was OH thought as well greenlung!