Courgtte Leaf Query

[Saczok]

Hi all, novice courgette grower here, planted out a week or 2 ago and the leaves are not looking too healthy.. any idea? Hopefully images attached,

Thanks

[Likac66]

When you say "planted out" are they outside? We have had strong winds so they could be wind scorched. They only look small so if you planted them 1-2 weeks ago they must have been very small - probably too small.

Depending on whereabouts in the country you are, there has been some cold nights as well - last Friday was nearly a frost in Derby for example. If you put your location in your profile it will help us give advice.

Lastly, if they are in a growbag (hard to tell from the picture) I would say they are planted way too close. Courgettes would need a whole growbag to themselves - they get very big.

Advice from now on -protect from the wind and the cold using fleece or a cloche or something along those lines. And you must spread them further apart.

[Linnea]

Hi Saczok

it looks like they got a little chilly. where are they planted? I can see the netting but if outside have they been fleeced/cloched? we've got to some pretty chilly overnight temperatures of late

oops - Likac66 got there before me!

[Saczok]

Thanks for the comments.
Yeah they are planted outside in raised beds with multi purpose compost for nearly a foot deep and then with some garden soil from a friend underneath that with rocks and pebbles on the bottom layer.
The top of the wooden bed is still above the level of the plants so they should have been quite protected from the wind (but the bed is located in a sunny and windy passage between rows of houses..so perhaps not).
I know it was probably a bit early to plant outside but they needed repotting so thought i would just put them straight out.. and i guessed they would be too close together, but was just a little eager and will space them out further soon. They haven't been properly fleeced, just some cheap netting with a few sticks to keep away the birds.
The location is Sheffield, had some fairly cold nights but no frost.. the bed gets the sun from about 2pm onwards so plants will have been cold in the mornings..
Anyway i better get to bed.. Thanks again for the help.

[Saczok]

I will add some more photo's to this thread showing greater detail, hopefully tomorrow.

[Likac66]

Definitely too cold for them if they're not getting sun until 2pm. Fleece them over.

Oh and welcome to the forum!

[Saczok]

Thanks.. Any tips on where to buy good fleecing etc?

[Saczok]

Hopefully this gives you a bit more detail

[veggiechicken]

I don't think I would have planted them out at that size - they look a bit tiddly to me! You can usually pick up some cheap fleece at the £ shops that would be enough for your bed.

[Saczok]

Ok thanks Chicken.. do you think they will be ok?

[sammy_roser]

Your plants are very close together, unless you have planted a dwarf bush variety these will grow to be 1m big

[veggiechicken]

Ok thanks Chicken.. do you think they will be ok?

The weather is supposed to be warming up - but don't rely on it! As the others are saying, you have too many plants in there and they'll be overcrowded. Could you transplant a few into large pots and keep them somewhere where they'll have more sunlight? Be aware, I'm no expert on courgettes - I had about 3 last year - pathetic

[Saczok]

Thanks again for the comments. As far as i know they're not a dwarf variety. So worst case scenario- i just left them where they are, what would happen? I have run out of large pots, I could go and buy some more tomorrow but don't really want to spend more money on what was supposed to be a little project.. and has now taken over my life!.. I sowed a shed load of seeds and they all came up and now my girlfriend hates the fact that the house is full of plants and it's all I talk about..

At the moment, they would get the morning sun if i transplanted them and put them out in the back yard (currently in the front yard).. but it gets a little more complex, as now the leaves are coming back on the trees and will block the light in the backyard, so i don't know if putting the courgettes out there, for what i reckon will only be a few more weeks light, would be worth the stress of moving them again?

[Dotty Sarah]

Hi Saczok, it's addictive isn't it! If you leave that many in so close together they won't do very well, the recommended planting for courgettes is about 3' apart. Could you thin them down, maybe move some into whatever pots you do have, and then keep them as spares in case any of those in the bed get eaten? Otherwise do you have any spaces in a flower bed to transplant some just for this year?

[veggiechicken]

You could always take the "Do nothing" approach Wait and see what happens. Possibly some of your plants will be eaten by slugs/snails (sorry) but at least they will do the thinning out for you . If not, as the plants grow you can take out the puniest ones. Treat it all as an experiment and learn from it for next year. Who knows, you may have beginner's luck and your girlfriend will be well impressed (provided she likes courgettes!).