Kitchen Garden Forum

is it necessary to hand pollinate the female flowers?

no

Sorry, David

That was my attempt at my shortest post ever.
I've never hand pollinated - the bees etc always do a good job.
If you want to "do it yourself", get a male flower, strip back the petals and push it into the female flowers.

Happy pollinating

Alan

Hello David
As Alan says there is no real need to help the courgette do the business but, if you're in a belt and braces mood, you can give the plant some help.

I've grown Parthenon F1 (Partenon F1 in some catalogues) for the first time this year and have been really impressed. It is an all female, self-fertile variety that gives super small dark green fruits.
Also I've read that the younger courgette plants give the best fruit so I'm going to sow some more seed very soon and try for a good late crop.

John

thank you Alan and John, i think i will take your advice and leave it to nature

I'm also growing "Parthenon" from Thompson and Morgan for the first time this year. Hoping for a bumper crop as the seeds cost 50p each. The slugs have eaten a few pounds worth already so have the rest on my patio to keep a close eye on them !

thank you happymouse, they sound a bit expensive. i would like to know, later, how the crop developes. the variety that i have grown this year, i have forgotten which, appear to have only male flowers

David,

Sorry to hear of your lack of female flowers. I reckon they'll come if the good weather returns.
For what it's worth I mainly grow Nero di Milano and Lungo Bianco from Seeds of Italy, 45 seeds for £1.49 and 54 seeds for £1.49 respectively.

Alan

Alan

Thank you, i look forward to some good weather. The varieties you mention are good value and i will try them next year.

My cougettes (Defender) were looking extremely sorry for themselves last week, in fact I was embarrassed to admit they were my plants.

I have been down to the plot this morning (in the rain again) and what a difference...the plants have doubled in size and I picked eight lovely cougettes.

my Eight Ball courgettes keep forming and then rotting and dropping off. Anyone know why? They're well watered and in good manured soil, though I admit pretty crowded in the bed... Should I chop some leaves on to let more air in?

Dear bigpepperplant - they might be waterlogged - try stabbing the ground around them with a big fork to let some air in, sounds like stress and too much water is the most likely culprit at present.

bigp

Sounds like they're not being pollinated. With the bad weather the bees and hoverflies have been very inactice. Remove the rotting fruits and more flowers should come - and hopefully sunshine and pollinators.

Alan

what a wonderfully reassuring reply! thank you

Hello
I've been having problems with courgettes and pumpkins, it's my first year growing them and I brought a few at a good local nursery.
So far I've had no fruit so far except for a rotten yellow ball one, and suffering from terrible mildrew on leaves which seem to turn yellow, I've cut off some of these which I don't know if this helps or not!
All of them look rather sickily and they are all in different parts of the garden

Anyone have any advice I would be very grateful
Thank you