courgettes

do i have to put a bed of strw under the courgettes wen thay ore groing hop you can help.

No expert as this is our first year for courgettes too, but they are doing very well without straw. As whippersnapper says, keep picking them and keep the straw for the strawberries.

Not a bad idea to knock the withered flower off the growing courgette as sometimes it can affect the fruit as it rots, especially in wet weather.
Not essential though!

Also true for squashes and marrows - I think I am going to lose one of my winter squash because the flower rotted in the rain and stuck in a gooey mass to the squash for a few days till I found it.