Growing Guides How to grow courgettes

Date Published:

15/10/2007

Caring

Keep plants well watered, especially once they begin to form fruits or during hot weather when they can each suck up as much as 10 litres of water per week.

If your soil is very dry or sandy, use an organic liquid feed, such as tomato fertiliser or liquid seaweed, once or twice a fortnight as the fruits form.

A layer of compost, bark or polythene placed around the plants will help to suppress weeds and retain valuable moisture.

Insect pollination can be poor some years and you'll have to help plants 'set' fruit by hand.

Simply remove the male flowers and brush them against the open female ones (which are easily identified by the slight bump behind the flower).

Harvesting

It won't be long - less than two months from planting - before you can harvest your first courgettes.

Smaller fruits have the best flavour, so aim for a maximum length of 10cm (4in).

Any that are left to grow into marrows will shorten the total harvest time, so check plants at least three times a week at the height of production and remove any usable fruits, even if they are not required.

Cut courgettes from the stem rather than tearing them, which can damage the plant.

They can be eaten fresh or stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Keep the plants well watered and fed, and they can carry on producing up until the first frosts.