Depressed corgettes

[contadina]

Like all squash they are really hungry so ideally they should be planted in a large hole filled with manure or compost. We only planted three this year and are literally picking a sack-full every week - they've gone nuts!

Definitely eat your flowers - the male one's are best, but both taste good. We either eat them battered and fried, filled with ricotta if I'm feeling extra hungry. Alternatively, they bring a lovely subtle sweetness to zucchini fritatta and zucchini pasta or soup dishes.

[Batty in Battersea]

yeh, the girls have arrived! maybe the sunny weekend convinced them it was summer after all. I will be out there with my paintbrush to pollinate them when the flowers open! I also found a couple of ladybirds on the leaves too, so some wildlife makes it upto the 9th floor (other than aphids, they seem to just get everywhere).

Thanks for all your encouragement

batty

[Jules]

Mine are in pots too. It sounds like just male ones you have at the moment. When you get females (with the courgette behind) make sure that if they aren't being pollenated by bees - you get a paint brush and do it yourself.

My family are always amused when they phone and my partner says that I'm in the greenhouse having 'sex' with the courgettes!

[tiggy]

mine have produced small fruits but have failed to expand very much, I was told to expect zeppelins if I didnt keep a sharp eye on them but this has not happened yet in spite of all the rain .they have been fed seaweed extract last week and pelleted poultry poo this week. I am inclined to think that the soil is not in good heart and plan to treat it to a good helping of homemade compost after the current crops go over.This will use up the old compost heap and next spring I will start on our newer heap and create a good rich mix before planting This years veg is a spur of the moment decision to try growing something edible and apart from herbs I have only scarlet runners and some dwarf broadbeans at the moment.

[JR]

We have had quite a few so far, some we have picked small and some large!
We have 5 plants and the area had lots of horse manure so we are having trouble keeping up with them, started giving them to friends and family. OH is experimenting with various ways of cooking them.
Best so far is good old mince and rice with a tomato and spinnach sauce on top, with melted cheese of course!

[tiggy]

JR Thats a zeppelin ,I think I got Courgette envy! courgette curry is a favourite food round here and theres always chutney

[QuizMaster]

I second (or third) the pollinating posts.
Get your paintbrush out and pretend to be a bee.
Otherwise, you will get courgettes alright but they will be narrow at the tip, which will then go soft. Tip rot they call it. It spreads up the fruit. Not very appetising.
I used a little horse manure (shovelled up from horses straying into our garden) and a lot of heavy clay soil, lightened up with sand and compost.
Just starting to get them now. We're a bit behind in our northern latitude.
Have always done well.

[Batty in Battersea]

Mine still havent quite got upto speed yet, the one lady that flowered rotted away after getting a bit bashed in the storm last week, there are some more baby ones appearing though, so fingers crossed. The ladybirds have eaten most of the apids, fantastic things! I am now moving them onto the aubergine which has become the latest aphid magnet.
My bloke has 3 plants in big buckets on his patio and they are having a great time, one of them is producing a decent crop every few days! Good job I love courgettes!

[QuizMaster]

Die aphids, die!
Nature's way is to plant a marigold or 2 near your crops. This attracts the hover fly. The hover fly larva will then munch hungrily on the aphids. Marigolds look great too.