[Rhuby]

Why are my zucchini courgettes pale and looking like marrows?
Theyre courgette size when i pick them and have quite a thickish skin.
I thought it might be something to do with the hot dry weather bleaching them, but all the baby ones are the same colour.............confused :?

[John]

Do you know what variety they are? I'm growing golden dawn, which are yellow and black beauty, which are dark green.

Courgettes are greedy feeders - good feed with liquid tomato food will perk them up.

[GrannieAnnie]

Some of my courgettes are going yellow at the flower end before they are ripe, but others are racing away.  Brian is fed up with courgettes already!!!!  They are bambino which are supposed to be small ones, but the one I picked yesterday was HUGE!!!

[Sadgit]

I had mine in pots till next door told me to use the coal frame I have, as they looked pathetic, withered and well dying.. and since then they have been superb. You really need to feed them, I feed mine every 4-5 days with tom feed. Got 8 plants on the go at the moment, 6 in grow bags and 2 in the frame.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi sadgit, My courgettes are in a 6foot square bed made of paving blocks in which we kept putting last year's compost.  Covered it with about 6 inches of soil, covered it and left it until this April, so they should have plenty of goodness in that soil.  

It might be because perhaps they are over fruited.  There are loads of fruits on them, so perhaps like John says with the cuumbers, perhaps the plants are rejecting the ones they can't handle as there's too many of them.  They are lovely though.  I even eat them raw.  Never done that before, but these are lovely!

[Oliver]

They have 4 courgette plants and 4 patty pan plants which they find is PLENTY for the two of them and several of their friends. they eat the courgettes when they are 3 inches long (sometimes with the flower still on, which they stuff with rice, or cous cous or quinoa).

Sometimes, of course, a courgette gets away and grow to 6 inches - these get made into soup (yum!), or eaten ... fried ... boiled ... soup ... frozen :?

[Rhuby]

They are zuccini and are supposed to be dark green like the ones you get in the supermarket.
Each plant has many courgettes growing theyre just not what they look like on the packet and I'm gutted.
It's been a year of learning!!!

Maybe the veg knew that I was going to Hampton Court Flower Show so they decided to play up!!

[sally_cinnamon]

Hi Rhuby,
I've grown Zucchini too and mine have been similar to yours - large, thick skinned and some have been quite light too, some however have been dark like in the supermarkets - but then who wants to copy them!!  Natural variation rules!!

[Oliver]

going to Hampton Court Flower Show

She is going to HCFS on Sunday with 2 others. They want to be in for the big sell off (why!). She went to Chelsea once. Never again, found it too full of people, hardly saw anything. Hopes this one will be less crowded (somehow that is a faint hope!!! :? ) Got some Dolychos aka LabLab bean (red podded leaves and peas) last time. Quite fun.

Courgettes: This year she is growing Tosca (darker green), last year Defender (emerald green). They all taste the same! So, unless you are fussed about the colour, go for the cropper. Tosca is more reliable and prolific. Tried some yellow ones once - not much good. Round ones are fun - also nice colours. Try John's Black Beauty for dark green.
(I thought courgettes are really baby marrows, because if you leave a courgette it finishes up HUGE. Conversely, if you eat a baby marrow, it looks just like a courgette?)
Try patty pans for shape and colour too. In any event, eat them young and OFTEN. Till you get fed up with them ....

Look at some patty pans

[Rhuby]

Hey Olli
Hope she enjoyed HCFS. Rhuby got home late from her visit but had a great day (3rd year). She bought a few plants one was some grass, seems strange to me as shes got a whole lawn full of grass!!!
Shes also ordered far too many bulbs and plants online from jparkers (shes a sucker for freebies). Its worth a look though as its much cheaper than HCFS.
Enjoy your human free day!! Syb  

[John]

My yellow courgette "Golden Dawn" crops very well. This year I have 4 plants 2 Golden Dawn and 2 Black Beautry and I'm wondering why! Note for next year - 1 courgette plant is enough for 2 people

[Rhuby]

I agree courgette plants remind me of The Magic Porridge Pot book!

[GrannieAnnie]

I may be agreeing with you soon.  I had 9 courgette plantsgrow, and they are all in the garden, and all now producing!!!!  But I've decided I like them raw as well, when they are small and young they are delicious, bit cucumber tasting, also I've started to freeze some for stews etc in the winter.  Tried giving some away today to our old friends, but they said they don't like them, so had to give them a cabbage instead!!!

[Oliver]

Enjoy your human free day!! Syb  

Fat chance - HE was still at home, but I like him. He spent most of the day picking raspberries. He has picked 8 kgs so far! He has become a dab hand at open freezing too! So you see, it's never too late to learn. She will be pleased. Make lots of lovely jams for Christmas presents.

She has just got home from HCFS, footsore and broke she says! Well, she brought a beautiful Pashmina - blacks and purples paisley design embroidered in silver with mirrors. (Crazy or what!?) She saw someone with a brown and gold one at the Catherine Jenkins concert she went to in Wales last week. Admired it on the woman wearing it, apparently, who said she got it from a ' posh' craft show. So she was very pleased to find it at HCFS. She also bought some bits to make an irrigation system for the poly using her 5lt. bottles, and some plant tags. She says you can never have enough. To she is a happy bunny. No plants though. Thought that what was at the show?

How is your jaw, Sybil? I hope it is much better. Regards Olly

[Rhuby]

What no plants?
My jaw is feeling better, but I'm not sure if its just the longlasting painkiller I've been given. I've sure got the munchies though!
I've got into a great routine of miaowing in the morning to get them up to feed me (works every time!)

Shes potted up her aubergines now but they dont look very fruitful!
What do I care I dont eat veg anyway...
Tra for now Sybil