Topic: Courgettes & Pumpkins

[vaca]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has started sowing courgettes and pumpkins yet. As this is my first year, I'm afraid of sowing too many courgettes, and I somehow managed to get about 7 varieties when buying seeds  ::) how many courgette plants are you growing this year, and how many people are you feeding in your family?

How about pumpkins and squash? I take it these don't produce as many fruits as curgettes?

Thanks,
Vaca

[gunnerbee]

Well i have to feed six so i usually grow 3 or four green ones, but we love courgettes and im going for a huge crop this year of differing varietys, hey you can always trade with your neighbours or give the excess away!!

[aquilegia]

I was just about to ask the same question about sowing these. I really am getting more and more behind as we speak!

I'm planning on growing four courgette plants and four squashes (that's all I have room for unfortunately). I have a lot more than four varieties of each, though (if I get extra plants, I'll give them away). THat's to feed two of us (we like them a lot!)

[Tora]

I once planted 3 courgette plants and ended up with too many courgettes (only two of us in the household).
My OH started to complain after a while about too much courgette in his meals.
I just could not keep up eating them. In the end I made several bottles of courgette pickles, which was perfect with cheddar cheese.

[derbex]

I look to have a couple of plants on the go for the pair of us. The greenhouse one is well on the way and I sowed my main batch of courgettes and pumpkins yesterday.

[gunnerbee]

Havnt sown minw yet. i tend to wait til the middle of the month, and make a back up sowing just incase, last year a few people had trouble with cougettes and squashes. dont know why?

[Gadfium]

It was my first year last year, and I sowed mine far too soon. The ones sown in the middle of April were caught up and surpassed by the ones sown in the middle of May... they were planted out at the start of the second week in June (north of Newcastle Upon Tyne).

I had 5 'round' courgette plants to feed 4 mouths (and ended up giving away two-thirds of the yield). We had everything from courgette salads, courgette bruscetta (yum!) and ratatouille, through to courgette & potato soup ... and courgette bread - which was a surprising hit with a friend's 10 year old daughter ( :o), so another batch of that went through the breadmaker.

Not sure about the pumpkins, had a bash at the pumpkin lantern type, and got 3 okay sized carvers, and two tiny 'eyes and nose' only, sized ones. Haven't grown them to eat yet - although I do have a 'surprise packet' of eating winter squash, for this year's attempt...

There are 4 varieties of winter squash in the packet, so I may (if I get enough ground cleared) try one seed of each, otherwise, it'll just be two. I'll probably go for 4-5 summer squash plants again, since I have enough people willing to take them off my hands! This year's seed it's a mystery mix packet of summer squash - courgettes, patty pans and straightneck (?) varieties.

[busy_lizzie]

Every body seemed to have a bumper crop of courgettes last year, I know we did.  Every time we went to the plot there was more to pick.  It got that we were almost afraid to look as I was so over loaded with them.  Last year we sowed seeds about the end of April, but OH started earlier than normal for some reason and we have some quite vigourous plants already.  There is still time to plant more if they don't work out though.
Will be sowing my pumpkins nearer to Easter I have decided.  busy_lizzie

[bennettsleg]

5 yellow & 5 green courgettes sown, tog' with 10 butternut squash (divine) and 5 autumn squash.  All sown 2 weeks ago indoors, all standing 3" high in the plastic greenhouse now.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've got pumpkin, butternut squash and veg sphagetti, all at the seedling stage. I don't like courgettes much so I don't grow them.

[sallylockhart]

I've saved some seeds from an organic butternut squash that we bought from tesco a couple of weeks ago - is it worth trying to grow them?

If not - does anyone have a spare seed or two that I could try  ...??  ;D

[bennettsleg]

I've saved some seeds from an organic butternut squash that we bought from tesco a couple of weeks ago - is it worth trying to grow them?

Yes, both my squashes are scraped out of supermarket varieties and they're doing just fine so far., though truth will out at harvest time.

[Debs]

I have about 6 zucchini (courgette) that have broken  the surface.

So,

ratatouille, roast veg, courgette crown bread etc.. etc...

[vaca]

Everyone,

Thanks so much for all the replies, just knowing what everyone else is up to is great advice. I think I'll have to settle for growing just a few of the varieties I bought as 7 plants will definitely be overkill. I'll most likely sow 4 plants of each, transplant the most vigorous and give away any which I end up not using.

Thanks again,
Vaca

[Squashmad]

My first planting of Verde di Milano and White Volunteer are potted up and sitting under fleece in polytunnel - they will be planted in tunnel later in the month and kept under fleece till May for an early crop. Dont sow plants to go outdoors till mid-april ... but planning to grow Bennings green tint scallop, pink bannana squash, northern bush squash, as well - cant resist them!!

[Mrs Ava]

Far to many as usual!  ;D  I have pumpkins, courgettes, cucumbers and a whole host of squash germinating as we speak...just hope the melons do the business soon!  Like everyone else, it became a game for the kids, who could pick the most courgettes!  We had them round, bright yellow, light green, dark green, white volunteer types, patty pan types...you name it.  Neighbours started to avoid me.  I made soup, bread, stews, curries, had them in omelelets, rissotos and pasta dishes, at them raw in coleslaws or just crunched down on them like apples....became a joke, but still again, I have sown about 8 varieties of courgettes, and I do 3 per variety! AAGGHH HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!!

[sweet-pea]

In the past I have planted 3 courgettes and had plenty of pickings for myself and to give away.  I tend to roast a lot of them together with tomatoes, and then freeze in portions ready to have with pasta, I think I used up the last batch a couple of weeks ago.  Last week I planted about 8 seeds I think, 4 each of 2 varieties, not showing yet, but I'm assuming not all will end up producing.
As for squashes, I've never tried summer squashes (will have to try and get some seeds for this year) but I do grow Butternut squashes.  I was late planting them last year so didn't get a lot of fruit, but this year I'm hoping for greater success.  Can't remember how many I've planted, but the squashes keep so well (I still have 2 waiting to be used) so I think the more the better :-)

[redcow]

I sowed 4 pumpkin seeds about 3 weeks ago in pots in a propagator but there is no sign of them. I did use left over seeds from last year, everything else is doing really well. Should I have a dig around in the soil & see whats going on???  ???

Redcow

[Mrs Ava]

I would redcow as squash seem to be one of the quickest things to germinate and mine were up within 48 hours!

[fozzylozzy]

I've sown my courgettes, pumpkins and squash in pots today:-

4 x 'Black beauty' courgettes
4 x 'racer' pumpkins
4 x 'winter festival' squash.

If I've got anymore room (!!) I'll sow some more in May.

Louisa x