[mum of 3]

weve decided to grow courgettes for the first time next year,ive heard they produce plenty of fruits,as a family of 5 how many do you recommend we plant?

[Eristic]

The first question should be "How many can you eat?". Yield will vary considerably according to variety but the one I have grown is "All Green Bush". This one will rapidly produce large courgettes and I reckon to have had approx 7 kilo per plant so far. As I no longer have any room in the fridge and my friends seem to have vanished, I've let the plants develop marrows. This slows down or stops further production.

Unless you plan to live on them, I would recomend maybe just one plant per adult, one per 2 children, and one for luck.

[mum of 3]

thanks for the tip,we all like them but not enough to live off them

[milkman]

I would suggest go for three healthy well-spaced plants to keep a family your size fed.  Any more than that or you will be giving them away or dreaming up daft recipes like the rest of us have spent the summer doing!

[mum of 3]

milkman

[rugbymad40]

The Man has a Point! I grew four and am still aware of people dashing indoors if I come near to them with a carrier bag!

[John]

Come on people, tell the truth - they need at least 15 plants for a decent crop. We know the truth that courgettes are incredibly hard to grow and very unproductive

[Sadgit]

LOL I have SE7EN plants and find it hard to get enough fruit for the 2 of us..

[GrannieAnnie]

I've got 4 decent plants and 2 smaller ones, and OH is fed up with courgettes, I've frozen them, given them away, and today made my first batch of chutney, but I think I've made it a bit too runny, and I didn't have any cayenne pepper, but I crushed up a few dried hot chillies, and boy, does it have punch!!!!!!

[John]

Oh Annie, you gave the game away!

If your chutney is too runny could you add it to casserole type dishes? Perhaps you know why Val prefers to cook than let me do it.

[mellowmick]

I've got 5 plants which are only now producing courgettes.

[mum of 3]

we went to the local gala yesterday and the was a allotment stall where we could take our produce to be sold for charity,i noticed there were more courgettes than anything else.

[milkman]

well mum of 3 that should tell you something about just how difficult it is to get a regular crop off a few courgette plants!!!  heed John's good  :twisted: advice but at your peril!

[Oliver]

well mum of 3 that should tell you something about just how difficult it is to get a regular crop off a few courgette plants!!!  heed John's good  :twisted: advice but at your peril!

Heed her advice too (!!! all this heeding, almost as bad as weeding) - eat your courgettes when they are 3 inches long. They are very tender and actually tasty and you need quite a few to make a decent meal. HOWEVER, leave them to get big, and ONE makes a banquet (and doesn't tast half as good). They have 4 courgette plants for 2 people and sometimes they actually run out of courgettes! But there is always plenty of something else  :?

[Sadgit]

AARRRGGHHHH 10 more courgettes... Help Help.. my head is sprouting a bright yellow flower!!