Courgettes turning yellow

[chris]

We've two courgette plants planted at opposite ends of a planter - probably 2' x 2' - I think they are a bit crammed, but they've given us a load of courgettes and just seem to never stop producing more! I've noticed recently that quite a lot of them are turning yellow on the ends, and going bad... Some of the leaves have died (should I remove dead leaves from vegs/plants?) is the plant diseased? Do they have a limited lifespan -- I've noticed some new leaves growing, but wondering if they will last until next year? They are just outside in the open, not shaded at all.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[Alison]

Courgettes are tender and therefore you'll need new plants for next year. As you'll have seen, they grow quickly so this is not a problem. As the container is pretty small you'll need to feed plenty otherwise the plant will get worn out producing at this rate.

[Demeter]

I've noticed recently that quite a lot of them are turning yellow on the ends, and going bad... Some of the leaves have died (should I remove dead leaves from vegs/plants?) is the plant diseased?

Probably not diseased, probably just running out of energy. Plant will not keep going indefinitely, but if you feed it that might perk it up and extend production to the max (tomato food) No harm taking off the aging, yellow leaves, especially if you are getting new growth coming through to replace them.

If the courgettes are going yellow / bad at the ends, this could be just because the flowers are still on the ends (are they?) and when the flowers rot they can take the courgette with them. You can stop this by removing the flowers before they rot.

[chris]

Flowers fell off, and I removed some of them for thinking they may rot.. I'm feeding them with organic tomato feed (is this ok?) - the feed bottle (liqud feed) says that it is ok for other veg.. I've been feeding them perhaps once a week - going up to twice a week when we had a huge crop (probably about 16?) on the go at once.

Can I take cuttings from these plants - and if so where do a take the cutting from? Newly growing leaves - then just stick it in some water until root sprouts?

Thanks again!

[kentvegplot]

Don't wory about cuttings, just put in some more plants next year after the frosts, or raise a few from seed. The current plants will get killed by the frosts, so you've probably got fruit for another 2-3 months at least.

[Jardiniere]

keep some seed and grow your own from seed next year...just dont grow too many.i've found them the easiest plants in the world to grow from seed....next easiest are haricot beans.most difficult ..parsnip and parsley.

[chris]

daft question, but I have no idea how to harvest the seeds.. are they the seeds from mature fruit - inside them? What do I do, just pull them out, and dry them off?

[gojiberry]

To save the seed you will have to let one fruit go to marrow size and mature. All you do to get the seed is cut it open and remove seed from the pith in the middle of the fruit. Lay them out on a piece of newspaper to dry out before storing.

Ian