Courgettes

Growing Guides How to grow courgettes

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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.

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.

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Comments

  1. Can i remove the leaves on my corgettes as they seem to be dieing....do i support the corgettes at all...am asking this in advance, the flowers have been and gone and now waiting for the reaping??? Can I also talk about sweet peppers, I planted seeds and what came up but chilli peppers..any stories on this or was there a production fault on the seed packets...
    Posted by STAN THE MAN on 23/08/2009 12:57:52
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  2. I have tried to grow courgettes for the first time this year, but all the fruits have rotted before they grew to more than about three inches long. What did I do wrong? Any ideas?
    Posted by Old Girl on 15/08/2009 17:40:46
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  3. I too have courgette like a football, Keith. they are light green with stripes. Plants are big, growing along the ground lots of flowers but no more courgettes. These were bought as plants from Wyvale.Can anyone help!
    Posted by max on 15/08/2009 12:31:40
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  4. HELP !! My "COURGETTES" are ROUND the size of small footballs at the moment . are they COURGETTES ??? OR WHAT !!!!!!! GreenKeith
    Posted by GreenKeith on 07/08/2009 16:50:52
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  5. I have planted a yellow courgette in my veg patch and it has gone mad! Have lots of courgettes but the leaves have taken over the whole plot so blocking the light from my other veg. Is there a particular way or time to cut it back?
    Posted by Leah on 07/08/2009 08:45:55
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  6. I have just read Katie Shakeshaft's comment about her courgettes only having male flowers which. My courgettes seem to be exactly the same. Likewise - any advice gratefully accepted.
    Posted by Carol Noble on 23/07/2009 18:11:22
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  7. Hi my courgettes are growing well,but I am wondering should I trim back the leaves as they are growing like wild fire.
    Posted by steve on 07/07/2009 21:05:53
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  8. Hi, I too am growing courgettes for the first time this year. The plants are a good size and are growing lots of flowers but all seem to be male as they have no fruit behind them and just fall off once they have opened. Any advice gratefully accepted.
    Posted by Katie Shakeshaft on 30/06/2009 13:38:09
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  9. Should i cut back courgette plants, stems or leafs?. If so at what length? THANKS
    Posted by mel on 05/06/2009 14:38:15
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  10. There shouldn't be a problem with growing cucumbers and courgettes in the same bed - although leave plenty of space between plants as they need lots of room and rotate the bed with different plants next summer. We've grown courgettes, cucumbers and marrows side by side now for several years and have had a great crop! Good luck!
    Posted by 4Food Editor on 27/05/2009 11:55:57
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  11. Hi ya, is it ok to grow cucumbers and courgettes in the same bed ? My neighbour says that I will have a bad crop if I do, as the cucumbers affect the courgettes in some way ?? Thanks
    Posted by Anne Boret on 26/05/2009 10:24:49
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