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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: andhram on January 08, 2016, 17:20:06
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got quite a few courgette packets. and can not drop one for another due to its being my 2nd year of growing and I got decent crop last from several plants. ( mostly one plant was giving fruit any time and only one plant that got recovered in september gave fruits till the end.
do not want the gluts but like to taste as many courgetts in same year ..any one else joining me ?
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I've got about 5 varieties for this year. I dehydrate any that get a bit big and we have them instead of crisps. Delicious!
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just three for me was going to do just two varieties then i fell for zephyr just had to give it a go so its astia all green bush and zephyr for me 2 plants of each and a late sowing in june
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Aiming for 6 plants. 2 each of lungo bianco, golden zucchini and new to me this year cocozelle.
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Aiming for 10 plants of Parador, a lovely yellow courgette and normally prolific. I use them for 2 of my best selling chutneys so there's never an excess!
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I usually grow 4 plants - two green, two yellow (Atena is the best for me). It's more than we need but it would be a disaster if I grew only one of each and had a failure! Most of my neighbours like courgettes so I can get rid of the excess. However, thihs year, I'm trying some other summer squashes too.
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I try to put one courgette plant in the NW corner of my polytunnel in late April/early May (or even earlier if I can manage to get an old galvanised cold water tank into that corner this year - it will guarantee no frosts in that area).
It shouldn't be a difficult decision to dump the PT plant in full flood when the outside ones come 'on stream' but it is... and then it becomes a giant obstacle! Last year the outside ones were so poor that it was worth leaving in.
Squash (eg. italian crooknecks taken as courgettes) can be a better choice for the PT - you can plant them outside (where the rainwater goes) and lead them inside to cover the N wall where they won't shade anything else.
I also have a couple of courgettes in the back garden in >40cm pots - a handy early crop but not a large one - the spineless types are good for this especially if the path is a corner at that point (by then I will be in shorts).
I once put a potted courgette in the shallowest part of the pond - good for keeping slugs/snails at bay - and a good technique for other crops at serious risk too.
Cheers.
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making crisps is good idea, and also cut them making some thing with them immediately feels satisfying than to make a bank of frozen chunks. thanks sparrow.
I too plan to have one courget plant in GH early, and get rid of it by end of june.
Zephyr F1 is heavy cropping and takes lot of space as well.given proper feed and other growing conditions ...it can grow into uncountable branches and many fruits all over. probably this year I snip off all extra branches like removing arm pits to tomatos? may be worth trying with spare plant ready just incase.
me too planning other summer squash..may end up lot many crisps which is lovely though
seeling courgette chutney is really good idea Pescador!
Vinlander,
I see serious slug issues with courgettes ,so used as much of slugpellets... if they allowed to eat those plants may be in no time they get stronger and turn 10 into 100's of slug population?
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Ill be growing four early plants and four later ones. I'm going to grow them in insulated cubes from May, and tie them up to canes as I tried this last year and it worked really well, less slug damage and as you pick off the lower leaves as you tie them up less mildew as well.
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Deb good tip, will try removing lower leaves with each fruit. what 4 are the early varieties?
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Cavili, Parador, Sunstripe, Black Jack...
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Fianlly I have decided to use one pack of seeds this year " Courgette 'BBQ Mixed' F1 Hybrid" it contains 8 seeds.
Sow 4 seeds first and If want more another 4 seeds. no lables and tracking. ;ife easier and covers 3 types of courgettes ... easy to grow boring stuff more and few interesting things to concentrate on. so the same gos with cabbage,cauliflowers,leeks and brussel sprouts.
an year of mixed seed packs of F1 seeds that provide longer harvests with limited number of plants. and no much labels for basics.
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Does it matter what you plan? There will either be too few or too many, however hard you try!
Adrian
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Does it matter what you plan? There will either be too few or too many, however hard you try!
Adrian
It is what I am feared of . Lol
ha ha .. it is what I am feared off
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I'm willing to bet that my friend who grew 50 courgette plants last year will be growing a fair fewer this year......lol!
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ah yes summer gluts courgettes at the end of every path on the site fantastic friends wont awnser ther phone neighbours closing there doors as i open the boot of my car old peoples homes wont unlock the door for the threat of another courgette i dont think apart from runner beans that crop so prolific there great so 6 plants will be enough and another 6 in june
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I'm going to stick four Striato di Italia in this year....
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i was going to plant 6 that was until my my new pal clumsy sent me some round Asian seeds so another 2 so thats 8 and 8 later
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I'm going to try Cavili F1 and Partenon F1 for earlies, they will likely go in the polytunnel. Partenon did really well outdoors for me last year, early and went on cropping, well impressed.
Maincrops will be Zephyr F1 and Clumsy's Asian Round. Love the colours of Zephyr and can't wait to try Asian Round they sound so good.
And for crossing and seed saving I'm hoping White Volunteer and Trieste White Half Long. I love both these varieties and grew them last year too. but the fruits I saved for seed didn't set viable seed, though I had lots of lovely courgettes to eat from the plants.
Andhram, getting a mixed mixed packet sounds a good idea, I just took a look, nice - a yellow, green and stripy :happy7:
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It is what I am feared of . Lol
ha ha .. it is what I am feared off
Sorry I'm a bit late, but Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy it here :wave:
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I've got about 5 varieties for this year. I dehydrate any that get a bit big and we have them instead of crisps. Delicious!
Hi Sparrow , thats a great idea ...can you tell us how to do this please ? :)
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Seconded Sparrow - I would love to hear how you dehydrate the courgettes. I have a newly purchased dehydrator and need lots of tips!
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Hi, probably a silly question but what's the definition of an early courgette and how do you know which are which :)
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I start off with Cavilli and Clarita. (got 250 seeds a few years ago so it will be interested find out how long they will last in the freezer. Cavilli is becoming difficult to get the seeds
The first ones go outside beginning of may with a strawbale for protection and bottle cloches.
Then Gold rush. Planted Zephyr last year and hardly got any, it likes my garden but not the lottie so that will stay at home this year.
I grew quite a lot of mine up posts last year and they did really well. Took up less space.
How many plants probably about 12 in three sowings. I am renown for having far too many.
Also interested in these dried courgettes crisps
For me early courgettes are simply sown earlier. Though Cavilli has an advantage it is self fertile, so does not need the insects so does well under glass, plastic or a fleece.
also self fertile are Parthenon (Green) and Goldmine (yellow striped).
Some varieties are more cold sensitive than others.
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Digeroo, I couldn't find Cavalli but this Best of British sounds interesting
http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/Vegetable-Seeds-1/Courgette-Seed_2/#.VuJ5i_DfWrU
Regards straw bale...are you planting in one..?
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I too would love to know more about dehydrating courgetts, moreover I would like to know the cheap and dependable dehydrator. I bought a food processor to slice courgetts ,so do not want to spend too much for dehydrating as well :p
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also self fertile are Parthenon (Green) and Goldmine (yellow striped).
I didn't know about Goldmine, I've just ordered a pack :BangHead:
I think as Digeroo says both Cavili and Partenon/Parthenon readily set fruit without the need to be pollinated which can be quite a bonus early season of when the weather is very wet. As soon as Partenon formed flowers it started to produce a very steady stream of fruits, hoping it will repeat last years success.
I couldn't find Cavalli
I bought mine from tuckers last year, I don't know if they still stock them.
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I've got about 5 varieties for this year. I dehydrate any that get a bit big and we have them instead of crisps. Delicious!
Hi Sparrow , thats a great idea ...can you tell us how to do this please ? :)
Sure! I have the Andrew James dehydrator, which is cheap & cheerful. Courgettes shrink 2/3 in size when you dehydrate, so I cut on an angle now to avoid just ending up with shrapnel. Slice about 2mm thick, lay out on the trays and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice - I use salt pepper and a few drops of lemon juice, or chilli flakes. Dry on about 50C till they are dry all the way through. They will stick to the trays & shatter if you've cut them too thin. They also reabsorb moisture quite quickly from the atmosphere so will be soggy after an hour or so out in the air. Store in an airtight jar
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JayB thank you. Just ordered them from Tuckers....and a few shallots fell in my basket.....