Hi All

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to a
black flower bucket later today...

Donna

"Donna UK" wrote in message
...
Hi All

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing
flower buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and
still have it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on
or take them off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and
pot it up to a black flower bucket later today...

Donna


Same here - my "golden zucchini" have got very big in their pots.. lots of
leaves and now lots of flower buds...yet I don't want to put out into the
garden until risk of frosts has passed. Also got a yellow & a green 'patty
pan' type summer squash & a round green one ( diNizza I think ).. I may have
lots of squashes, courgettes and tomatoes this summer.. I shall be very,
very healthy if I do. ;-)

"wafflycat" wrote in message
...

"Donna UK" wrote in message
...
Hi All

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing
flower buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and
still have it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers
on or take them off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost
and pot it up to a black flower bucket later today...

Donna


Same here - my "golden zucchini" have got very big in their pots.. lots of
leaves and now lots of flower buds...yet I don't want to put out into the
garden until risk of frosts has passed. Also got a yellow & a green 'patty
pan' type summer squash & a round green one ( diNizza I think ).. I may
have lots of squashes, courgettes and tomatoes this summer.. I shall be
very, very healthy if I do. ;-)



Here's a pic of one of mine

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...-001280409.jpg

I remember my father taking off all the male flowers until a female one appeared. You can tell as the male flowers have a straight stem, the female ones have a little bump which is what becomes the fruit.

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

Hi All

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to a
black flower bucket later today...

Donna

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.
I'm not sure what to advise about the flower buds, but the bigger pot
makes sense. If you don't have a greenhouse put it out in the daytime
and bring it in or give it good protection at night.


Pam in Bristol

On 2009-04-29, Pam Moore wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to a
black flower bucket later today...

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.

Phew! I thought it was just me. I normally sow mine end of april, begining
of may. I did mine last weekend, and they're just begining to break the
surface around now. I'll give them a couple of weeks before I move them
outdoors.

-Paul
--
http://paulseward.com

"Little Paul" wrote in message
.uk...
On 2009-04-29, Pam Moore wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing
flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still
have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take
them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to
a
black flower bucket later today...

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.

Phew! I thought it was just me. I normally sow mine end of april,
begining
of may. I did mine last weekend, and they're just begining to break the
surface around now. I'll give them a couple of weeks before I move them
outdoors.

-Paul

My First Courgette ;-)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e001290409.jpg

Looking good wafflecat... Mine are slight smaller but fingers crossed we get
some good courgettes to eat

Thank you all for the answers

Pam Moore writes
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

Hi All

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to a
black flower bucket later today...

You can eat the flowers, for example stuffing them as you might do vine
leaves. So you might as well do that with early male flowers.

Once you start getting female flowers too, then you will want to keep
the male flowers for pollination to make sure the fruits set (unless you
have a parthenogenetic variety). If you're worried about pollination,
you can take a male flower off, pull its petals back, and stuff it into
a female flower to transfer the pollen.

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.

But you're down south! Times vary. I have to start things early (in a
greenhouse, to make sure I get a harvest before the growing season ends.


--
Kay

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:24:33 +0100, "wafflycat"
wrote:


"Little Paul" wrote in message
c.uk...
On 2009-04-29, Pam Moore wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing
flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still
have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take
them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to
a
black flower bucket later today...

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.

Phew! I thought it was just me. I normally sow mine end of april,
begining
of may. I did mine last weekend, and they're just begining to break the
surface around now. I'll give them a couple of weeks before I move them
outdoors.

-Paul

My First Courgette ;-)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e001290409.jpg



Will you remove male flowers?

On 2009-04-30 23:11:03 +0100, Judith Smith said:

On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:24:33 +0100, "wafflycat"
wrote:


"Little Paul" wrote in message
.uk...
On 2009-04-29, Pam Moore wrote:
On Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:09:53 +0100, "Donna UK"
wrote:

I am growing a courgette for the first time and have just noticed that my
baby seedling, now producing its 5th and 6th leaf, is also producing
flower
buds! Its the round courgette tri colour seeds that I grew and still
have
it in a 10cm pot on the window sill. Do I leave the flowers on or take
them
off at the moment. I am going to get some more compost and pot it up to
a
black flower bucket later today...

I think you have sown the seed a bit early. I don't sow mine until
early May.

Phew! I thought it was just me. I normally sow mine end of april,
begining
of may. I did mine last weekend, and they're just begining to break the
surface around now. I'll give them a couple of weeks before I move them
outdoors.

-Paul

My First Courgette ;-)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...e001290409.jpg



Will you remove male flowers?

Are they the best to eat, fried in a tempura batter? Or is it the
female flowers?
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 2009-04-30 23:11:03 +0100, Judith Smith said:


Will you remove male flowers?

Are they the best to eat, fried in a tempura batter? Or is it the
female flowers?

Each female flower eaten is one less courgette. Stuffed courgette
flowers is a Greek recipe - I doubt whether the Greeks would stuff
female flowers - they seem pretty good at making maximum use of food.
--
Kay

On 2009-05-01 17:42:55 +0100, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-04-30 23:11:03 +0100, Judith Smith said:


Will you remove male flowers?

Are they the best to eat, fried in a tempura batter? Or is it the
female flowers?

Each female flower eaten is one less courgette. Stuffed courgette
flowers is a Greek recipe - I doubt whether the Greeks would stuff
female flowers - they seem pretty good at making maximum use of food.

Italians sell them in heaps on market stalls, though. So it must be
the male flowers, I suppose.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon