I am a newcomer to courgette growing, and found seeds earlier this year
which produce a round shaped courgette (as opposed to the usual long
shape).
I now have five fabulously healthy plants, spreading out by the hour,
and each has a very large number of flowers now deleloping at the base.
Should I take some of the flowers out to maximise crop, or should I
leave things well alone? If I have to take some out, should I wait
till they start to form a fruit, or should I take them out before that?
Thanks for any help!

Cat(h)
The world swirls...

Cat(h) wrote:
I am a newcomer to courgette growing, and found seeds earlier this year
which produce a round shaped courgette (as opposed to the usual long
shape).
I now have five fabulously healthy plants, spreading out by the hour,
and each has a very large number of flowers now deleloping at the base.
Should I take some of the flowers out to maximise crop, or should I
leave things well alone? If I have to take some out, should I wait
till they start to form a fruit, or should I take them out before that?
Thanks for any help!

Cat(h)
The world swirls...

If the flowers have the embryonic courgettes at the end leave, if not
they are male, therefore useless :-), pick off. Use the courgettes while
they are small, a friend cooks the babies in oil complete with the
flower, claims they are delicious, though I have never tried it myself.

--
All replies to this email address are deleted on receipt.

Common sense, not common market.

Martin wrote:
On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:06:26 +0100, Broadback
wrote:



Many thanks to both Martin and Broadback for some good and delicious
advice.

Cat(h)
The world swirls...

On 20 Jul 2005 06:02:05 -0700, "Cat(h)" wrote:

I am a newcomer to courgette growing, and found seeds earlier this year
which produce a round shaped courgette (as opposed to the usual long
shape).
I now have five fabulously healthy plants, spreading out by the hour,
and each has a very large number of flowers now deleloping at the base.
Should I take some of the flowers out to maximise crop, or should I
leave things well alone? If I have to take some out, should I wait
till they start to form a fruit, or should I take them out before that?
Thanks for any help!

Cat(h)

I grew some round courgettes a few years ago; a Marshall's trial if I
recall. I found they soon got tough with thick skin, hollow centre
full of seeds and not much flesh, so pick them young would be my
advice, then the plant can go on cropping.


Pam in Bristol

Pam Moore wrote:


I grew some round courgettes a few years ago; a Marshall's trial if I
recall. I found they soon got tough with thick skin, hollow centre
full of seeds and not much flesh, so pick them young would be my
advice, then the plant can go on cropping.

Whereas last year I grew "One-Ball", and found it to be highly
productive, and tasty and wonderfully tender at any size. The largest
ones, around 6" diameter, we baked with stew in the middle like
pumpkins, which was delicious too.

Sadly, this year, in a different garden, one plant has died and the
other hasn't got anywhere past three inches long....

Rhiannon

The message
from Rhiannon Macfie Miller contains these words:

Pam Moore wrote:


I grew some round courgettes a few years ago; a Marshall's trial if I
recall. I found they soon got tough with thick skin, hollow centre
full of seeds and not much flesh, so pick them young would be my
advice, then the plant can go on cropping.

Whereas last year I grew "One-Ball", and found it to be highly
productive, and tasty and wonderfully tender at any size. The largest
ones, around 6" diameter, we baked with stew in the middle like
pumpkins, which was delicious too.

I'm growing one called 8-ball which iirc was recommended for eating at
golf-ball size..the first will be ready in a day or two.

To the OP ,you don't need to thin out courgette fruits, and it might
have the unwanted effect of amking the survivors grow big faster.
Courgettes are so delicious young and tender (and much tastier than shop
ones).

Janet

Janet

On 20/7/05 15:06, in article , "Broadback"
wrote:

Cat(h) wrote:
I am a newcomer to courgette growing, and found seeds earlier this year
which produce a round shaped courgette (as opposed to the usual long
shape).
I now snip

If the flowers have the embryonic courgettes at the end leave, if not
they are male, therefore useless :-), pick off. Use the courgettes while
they are small, a friend cooks the babies in oil complete with the
flower, claims they are delicious, though I have never tried it myself.

The male flowers are the best for culinary purposes!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article ,
(Broadback) wrote:

If the flowers have the embryonic courgettes at the end leave, if not
they are male, therefore useless :-), pick off

Picking off the male flowers is unusual advice for courgettes. It is
more usual for some cucumbers. If are efficient about removing all the
male courgette flowers, you won't get any courgettes at all.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

Thank you all!
I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
and threw out the empty seed packet...
But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you all!
I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
and threw out the empty seed packet...
But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

Ummmmm a bit OT, but I have been given a huge courgette and need a
recipe......for soup maybe ?
Jenny

Cat(h) wrote:
Thank you all!
I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
and threw out the empty seed packet...
But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

Not clever, maybe, but a sin of which many are guilty, not least myself!

--
All replies to this email address are deleted on receipt.

Common sense, not common market.

The message
from "JennyC" contains these words:


"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you all!
I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
and threw out the empty seed packet...
But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

Ummmmm a bit OT, but I have been given a huge courgette and need a
recipe......for soup maybe ?
Jenny


Look up recipes for Marrows and not courgettes. You`ll find something.
Roasted is the way I`d go.

In message , Christopher Norton
writes
Ummmmm a bit OT, but I have been given a huge courgette and need a
recipe......for soup maybe ?
Jenny


Look up recipes for Marrows and not courgettes. You`ll find something.
Roasted is the way I`d go.

And remember: the Americans call a marrow a squash - lots more good
recipes there!

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

"Christopher Norton" wrote in message
...
The message
from "JennyC" contains these words:


"Cat(h)" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thank you all!
I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
and threw out the empty seed packet...
But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
Cat(h)
The world swirls...

Ummmmm a bit OT, but I have been given a huge courgette and need a
recipe......for soup maybe ?
Jenny


Look up recipes for Marrows and not courgettes. You`ll find something.
Roasted is the way I`d go.

I remember stuffed marrow that my mother used to make.......
It was yucky !! Watery marrow stuffed with mince :~(
Jenny

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:26:50 +0200, "JennyC"
wrote:
~"Cat(h)" wrote in message
roups.com...
~ Thank you all!
~ I will leave my plants alone, only picking the young courgettes.
~ I am not sure what the variety I planted is, as I am a very clever girl
~ and threw out the empty seed packet...
~ But I am sure they'll be much nicer young anyway.
~ Cat(h)
~ The world swirls...
~
~Ummmmm a bit OT, but I have been given a huge courgette and need a
~recipe......for soup maybe ?
~Jenny
~
Marrow recipes
http://mr.marrow.tripod.com/marrow/eatit.htm

I rather like the page name that you can see in the task bar...

Soup:
http://www.recipes4all.co.uk/index.php/topic,87.0.html

Courgette recipes:
http://www.recipes4all.co.uk/index.php/topic,85.0.html

you can also search for courgette (or anything else!) on r4a. I tend
to lurk on allotments4all which is the sister site and also has
recipes.
jane


Right!!
Marrow and roasted garlic soup it is
I'll let you know how it was......
Jenny