When to pick courgettes?

[veggiewomble]

That sounds like a great idea, to get a self-pollenating variety. I was just too slow this year to start growing from seed. I'm still getting loads of female flowers and scarcely any males! So I can't even self-pollenate. I've got only one pollenated courgette growing so far, the rest are just rotting or I'm removing them and I'm afraid to say the tiny ones aren't terribly tasty!

veg

[margotay]

Probably a very stupid question , but this is my first year as a veg grower - so please forgive, but..........if they've already grown as little ones, how do you know if they've been pollinated ? I 've got a couple about 3-4 inches long and they look quite healthy but the flowers are still very much in bloom on them. I've also got a couple of others which came out first and are a bit smaller, but the flowers have gone off those altogether.

margo

[Kristen]

"I 've got a couple about 3-4 inches long and they look quite healthy but the flowers are still very much in bloom on them"

That's normal. Sometimes the flowers remain attached, I knock them off when I pick them.

I would pick them at 3-4" long, or maybe a bit longer.

[midgedog]

Another Newbie Question

I've only got one plant in a pot. I think I've worked out the male and female plants but as they don't open at the same time how do they / do I fertilise them........?

Second question, Once the male plant close up and start to wilt should they be removed?

Thanks in advance.

[maytreefrannie]

My courgettes are sporting flowers but no fruit behind them, just stalks. Does this mean they're all guys?
I've grown them before but never had this happen - they're usually a mixture of flowers on stalks and some with fruit. Can someone tell me, am I likely to get any courgettes from these?
I'm dying to try some home grown courgettes again - especially after reading that some people have already picked some.

[sambc]

This is my first year being a vegtable grower..among other things I planted courgette, mainly because I heard how easy they were to grow. Two weeks ago we picked our firts few courgettes and they were lovely. However, the plant seems to have stopped in its tracks. I was under the impression that they would keep on coming. I wonder, am I picking them wrongly, is there a correct way to pick them.

PS we stuffed our courgettes with garlic and cheese and put them on the bbq.

[ChrisG]

Whilst we are on the subject, this year (for the first time) I've grown round yellow courgettes from tri colour pack. question is how big can they get and what is a good size to pick them? About the size of ping pong balls at the moment.

[Alice]

About tennis ball size Chris. If you let them get any bigger they are just full of seeds.

[ChrisG]

Thank you Alice, I will keep my eye on them.

[King Carrot]

It might be a bit late for this year, but if you aren't getting many insects try one of the courgettes with a parthenocarpic habit. This means they don't need pollinating. I got mine, Cavili, from T&M, and have harvested 7 so far, but haven't had a male flower open yet. I picked at about 4 inches, and they were really good. They are also smaller plants, so more suitable for pots. I'll definitely go for these again next year, as last year was a complete disaster, with very few courgettes because of the cold wet weather. Not cheap at £3 for 5 seeds, but I actually got 8 seeds!

I use these too but early on in the season - Cavali and Parthenon from T&M (got about 10 seeds in each packet too so after starting couple of each, I've got seeds for a couple of years!) Been eating courgettes from them since mid May, started inside in March and put outside in a glass frame in April, supposed to be 60 day cropping and not far off, its just absolutely essential they don't stay in their pots too long as they come to nothing when planted out - I plant 2ft apart and although they're extra early not needing pollination they run out of steam earlier than perhaps they should if I gave them a bit more room.