[Offwego]

I planted a courgette in my polytunnel bed yesterday sat it on a bucket of well rotted muck and gave it a good drink, I swear it’s grown today 😱

[mumofstig]

They certainly do take off very quickly if they are happy 

[wighty]

I don't know what I do wrong but I cant't grow courgettes.  I  have tried for the last four years with new seed, and established plants bought from a garden centre, they  only produce male flowers for me and then shrivel up and die.  I am trying yet again this year as I will not be defeated.

[mumofstig]

Wighty, try the variety Parthenon (aka Partenon) the seeds aren't cheap  - but it's a variety that doesn't need pollination, so every female flower makes a courgette, and it doesn't seem to do the male flower only thing, either..…

[Vagabond]

Adding a question to this thread in hope that it will be picked up, rather than starting a new one.

My greenhouse courgette flowered this morning - but it's a female. My understanding was that the male flowers were supposed to flower first.

Do I have a problem here? I can't hand-pollinate it because the male flowers haven't opened yet. Any ideas why a female has flowered before the males? I've been keeping it moist and fed and the plant has been going great guns so I'm perplexed.

[mumofstig]

Just because.... sometimes they do that and sometimes they don't 
Nothing to worry about, you can't really expect every single female flower to get pollinated, so don't be too disappointed. It will sort itself out before long.

[Vagabond]

Okay, thanks for the reply, mumofstig. So long as it means I can just let the plant get on with it, I'm happy. I've only ever grown courgettes outside and didn't know anything about them needing to be pollinated.
This greenhouse lark is more of a learning curve than I thought it would be!

[mumofstig]

As long as the doors are regularly left open all day, the bees usually do a good job for you