The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Bert on June 14, 2012, 08:56:56 am
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My courgettes are going soft before they get to a good size ??? .
the plant all look very healthy the fruits form but once the flowers die the fruit goes soft when they get to about 8cm long.
they are in the poly tunnel. Do you think they are to hot? the variety is all green bush. I have lots of other verity's and in different locations (other poly tunnel, green house & outside) but they are not as far along in there growing, so don't know if they will do the same. They get fed once a week as well. So what am I doing wrong? Help please.
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Hi Bert. It sounds as if they are not being pollinated. Do you have male flowers as well as female? If so you can break off the male flower, peel off the petals, then use the pollen-covered bit to pollinate any open female flowers. Often at the beginning of the season there are not male and female flowers open at the same time so some are not pollinated. Also inside a polytunnel there might not be enough bees to do the pollination for you. Well done though to have flowers at all - mine have none yet, but then I am behind with most things this year.
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definitely well done! it is pollination as fw says.
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Thanks for the help. Glad it's nothing I'm doing. Defiantly not had any male and female flowers out at the same time yet. D.I.Y pollination coming up. Would it be O.K to use a male form a different variety? it shouldn't make any difference as I don't think the bees check ::) ( do they?). I know my Black Beauty has a male flower out at the moment.
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yes that would be fine, and interesting to keep some seed from later on in the year.
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Are these the first few fruits? i always find that the first few go horrid - I just pick them off and wait....not too patiently :innocent:
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Just as Greenerlife said the first one or two are not great and I cut and chuck them. No doubt we will have the usual glut and will be making the best courgete pickle soon.
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this time last year we had been eating courgette for about 8 weeks, i have yet to get a flower let alone a fruit! so much wind here and very windy again today! not good! the artichokes on the other hand are about 10 feet high and still growing! different every year eh? ???
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Yep - same here. I'm getting fed up of cutting grass - last year it was all dead and brown by now and the veg garden was producing so much. at least the garlic is brown. I should have lifted it on the longest day but will leave it swell after recent storms and give it a few days of warmth and sun.
The veg patch is catching up though and we are eating spuds, beetroot, carotts, courgettes and lettuce of course.
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My courgettes are doing well now :thumbsup: had 4 good size courgettes off my two oldest plants, now I've been doing the DIY pollination. The other 12 plants should all have some small courgettes on them by time I go back to work on Monday (as long as the boss remembers to water everything :fc: , she has been pretty good this year). I do like the weekend because everything looks like it's grown so much when I go back in on a Monday morning. Thanks for all the Advice.