hillier wrote:

My first try at growing courgettes has been a great success and they are
cropping very well. I am surprised that I havn't had to worry about
pollination and have not seen anything that looks like a male flower,
maybe just beginners luck. My query is that the thick stems and leaves may
be stopping some fruit forming properly, do they need defoliating at all ?


The male flowers are fairly inconspicuous, so easy to miss. No need to
defoliate, the stems won't cause any problems.

--
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the
subject.
-- Winston Churchill