Kitchen Garden Forum

Well, for the first time in the ten years we've had our allotment, it looks like I won't have to worry about what to do with "all these courgettes" this year.

For some reason, my four plants just haven't thrived at all. They were lovely, healthy plants when I planted them out five weeks ago. They just haven't grown at all!

They were grown from new seed, in the greenhouse, hardened off properly and planted out they way I've always done it. Maybe it has been the cool night temperatures, I don't know.

At least I will be popular with other plot holders, cos I will be taking their surplus courgettes!

I have had mixed results from courgettes when growing them in different places at the same time. I have thought it was due to the soil drying out as where I've planted them and been able to water well they have thrived whereas the ones planted and left to their own devises in dry periods have been poor.

Barney

Elaine, my courgettes are the same this year - plants not thriving and already flowering. I have certainly watered them enough, including the usual bottle upside down right next to the plant. I have heard the same from other gardeners. A strange year ....

At least in the garden at home the peas and broad beans are carrying a massive yield whereas on the allotment the peas have not even started flowering!

Funny that,mine are looking rather skimpy too and I,m a lot further south than you Monika. I,ve had two small courgettes off three plants so far. I'd put it down to the fact that their growing location this year may not have been so well composted as previous years but we,ve had some fairly cool nighttime temperatures too which perhaps has set them back..

Don't forget, snip the first few courgettes or marrows off the plants, as soon as they appear, this gives the plants chance to build themselves up. A good foliar feed can often work wonders too.

Thank you Dear OH. There was one fruit on one of the plants, which I removed when I noticed it...it was about pinkie finger size.

I will try the foliar feed though. What should I use? Would Tomato feed be alright or would Liquid Growmore be better, do you think?

Dear Elaine, i always use a seaweed foliar feed, but either of the two you mention will be fine, as long as they are a foliar feed and not just a liquid feed, as i think some liquid feeds can scorch the leaves...it should say on the containers......

Thank you very much dear OH. The Tomorite says avoid the foliage and the liquid Gowmore doesn't say anything about that, other than the obvious one of not watering in direct sunlight. I haven't any Seaweed ones so I might try a weak solution of the Growmore and see what happens.
Kill or cure eh?

I think it is cold temperatures outside because I planted two in the greenhouse and two outside at the same time and the greenhouse ones have been producing prolifically and I've only had one from the outdoor ones.
Perhaps the warmer weather this week will encourage them to do better.

Mine sulked horribly this year too but have come good now! I have 3 plants & the yellow one was the saddest. (I might add I should only have 2 plants, & thanks to the cats games with the labels, will have to apologize to my mate who is now growing a Qld Blue pumpkin instead of the courgette I sowed for her)

They only perked up last week & after removing the deformed stressed early fruit I have taken 1/2 dozen from 2, and 4 from the other. Already popping them over the fence to the neighbors!

Westi

Mine sulked horribly as well so I sowed some more "just in case" and guess what everything caught up and now I have 12!! plants and I have just got back from picking 1.5 kg of various courgettes. Yellow ones, green ones, stripy ones now chopped and roasting them with some saved for the cheap bin supermarket peppers.

Courgette cake

60g chopped pistachios or walnuts
175g self raising flour
1 tsp ground ginger
200g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
185 ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
60g golden raisins or sultanas
3 courgettes unpeeled but trimmed and grated (200g)
zest of 1 lemon or orange

Preheat oven to 180c
Grease and line a 2lb (1kg) loaf tin
Mix flour and other dry ingredients including nuts
In another large bowl whisk sugars and oil until combined
Whisk in eggs
Add rest of ingredients and combine into an even mixture with a spoon
Pour cake batter into loaf tin and bake for 35 mins then turn tin to cook evenly and bake for a further 15 to 20 mins or until skewer comes out clean from centre.
Leave to cool in tin.

All mine are doing well, i have 2 rows of 6 in each the first row all came from the first sowing covered with plastic bottles cut in two the second row are the second sowing as the first ones all succumbed to frost , im only growing yellow ones this year but im already suppling 3 daughters and half the allotment its a real sign of summer

I have taken your advice about the courgettes, OH, and today taken off the first fruit just forming on the"miniature" courgette plants and given them a foliar feed. Results awaited.

Dear Monika, here's hoping for truly wonderful thngs, then.