My courgette thread =D

[Jules]

Yes, I get the same thing - the female flowers that don't get pollinated rot and have to be removed. Took me a while to learn this! I have all my courgettes in the greenhouse so have to hand pollinate...

Have large yellow, small yellow and large green this year. The green ones aren't so good this year but the large yellow ones are ENORMOUS.

And delicious..

[Millymollymandy]

I'm growing Rond de Nice and have picked one a day for the last 5 days - hope they don't keep on at that rate - only got 2 plants. I'd be happy with just one plant's worth of courgettes but I think 2 helps with the pollination.

[JillStephens7]

Hello, lots of good advice just not sure I understand it all!
This is the 2nd year I've grown courgettes, both times in the greenhouse (which is unheated and has big gaps to the outside world in places & I leave door open unless frosty).

Last year all the flowers fell off and nothing else happened.
This year I have two two finger sized courgettes but the flowers have now fallen off both. Does this mean they are not pollinated & I should pick them off?
As the greenhouse always seems to have at least one bee in it (I spend a goodly amount of time shepherding them them back outside as they get lost), is it still safer to hand pollinate the flowers?

Sorry for the multiple questions but I'd really appreciate any advice.
Thanks and best wishes to all, Jill

[Jules]

I find it easier to hand polllinate... I get one or two bees in the greenhouses if I leave the doors open (mostly going for the borage I keep in there for that reason!) but hand pollinate and have loads of success. I have 9 plants in the greenhouse and this year I also have two outside to see if they fair any better. So far they're about the same.

[Jules]

I'll try sending a photo - this may not work!

Its a view of one of the geenhouses looking at the paved pergola area behind

[Odsox]

As the greenhouse always seems to have at least one bee in it (I spend a goodly amount of time shepherding them them back outside as they get lost), is it still safer to hand pollinate the flowers?

Yes is the short answer Jill.
If you grow them inside it's best to assume that you have to pollinate by hand.
It's dead easy, every morning caste your eye over your plants and see if you have both male and female flowers open.
If you have, pick the male flower ... pull all it's petals off and stick it into the female flower to transfer the pollen.
Oh, and don't blush while you do it
You can do it with a small paintbrush of course, but I always lose them by forgetting where I left it.
Good luck.

[JillStephens7]

Thankyou thankyou thankyou!

No more guessing and pondering on my own, just quick, kindly advice.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou and best wishes to all

Jill!

[Martina]

It's a good thing I stumbled on to this thread. I am growing courgettes on my balcony and have had 1 large yellow flower grow and rot away. I put it down to too much/too little water. But I guess I need to pollinate them . So the yellow flowers are female? What do the male ones look like? Could I not have any male flowers?


Thanks to anybody who helps.

Martina

[Millymollymandy]

All the flowers are yellow, but the female flowers look like they have a little fruit at the base (see the photo of the yellow courgette earlier on in this thread). The male flowers are just flowers on a stalk. It's easy to tell the difference once you see both types of flower, but when the plant begins to flower often just male or just female will appear, which is why it looks like a little fruit is rotting as the female didn't get pollinated (you don't really notice the male flowers dying off), which is why it is handy to have more than one plant. Hope this explains it!

Edited to say: this is the same way that cucumbers, melons, squash and pumpkins grow with male and female flowers, just in case you have any of them.

[Jules]

Also - another thing I find helps. When its been fruiting for a couple of months I trim the leaves off nearest to the base (about 5 of them). You may notice they are large 'tubes' which contain quite a bit of water which would be better going to the tips of the plant... courgettes needs lots of water and you should water from a tray underneath rather than onto the soil .

I've just been out and have some huge monsters!

Good luck!

[Martina]

Ok, so I am going to go out and take a closer look at my plants and compare. Hopefully, I will see what's what and get it sorted.

Thanks for the help, guys.

Martina

[ina]

There are self-pollinating varieties out there - can't remember what it was called, but I did once grow one in the tunnel.... So if you still have problems with pollination, it may be worth while looking out for those varieties. They've been bred specifically for indoors growing.

[Odsox]

There are self-pollinating varieties out there - can't remember what it was called,

Parthenocarpic or similar sounding name.
I can recommend these although the seed is VERY expensive.
I grow one at a time as an early (February) croppers in the polytunnel, as I find that if I only grow one plant it takes ages to get a male & female flower open at the same time.
And more than one plant means we get inundated with courgettes later.

[ina]

Parthenocarpic or similar sounding name.
I can recommend these although the seed is VERY expensive.

I meant the name of the variety, really... Will have to look atthe catalogue I might have got them from. They can't have been that expensive, or I wouldn't have bought them, penny pinching miser that I am!
There may be different ones on the market, of course.

Just googled it - would you believe it, the name of the variety is Partenon... Ah well.

[Odsox]

Sorry I misunderstood

Yes, Parthenon is the variety I grow, but you must be rich Ina and certainly not penny pinching if you think £2.99 for 5 seeds is not expensive
I grow 2 per year, one in the spring and one in the autumn, so two and a half years courgettes for £3.