Courgette variety?

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

Could anyone recommend a courgette variety to grow next year? i'm looking for one that produces lots of little ones, or failing that, long and thin. All mine grew huge this year before I could pick them. Courgette soup is lovely, but.....

RT

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

[Merry Tiller]

I grew round ones this year and found them much more managable and easy to keep up with, I'll be growing them again next year

[Mrs Ava]

I find the yellow ones are slightly slower at production, and they seem to take longer to turn into marrows!  My green zebras were marrows before I could pick them, but my yellows all stay fine.  i also grew round and pattypans, and they all stayed smaller for longer and were much more manageable, just like MT said!  ;D

[Merry Tiller]

Most of my pattypans ended up like spaceships :-[

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

I do fancy growing the yellow ones, they do look impressive on the plant, whatever they taste like.

[Tulipa]

I thought the yellow ones much better tasting this year, I grew gemma.  They cooked much quicker than the green ones and the skins were softer. 

Even if they were big the skins were still only like a courgette, but as Emma says they were slower anyway.  Only grew when I was on holiday.

I had 2 green and 2 yellow plants for a family of five and have loads in the freezer, I will probably grow all yellow next year. :)

[Merry Tiller]

Haven't grown yellow ones for years, they were a bit insipid back then, maybe I'll try them again, newer varieties are obviously an improvement

[Curryandchips]

I agree with the comments on Jemmer, that is the only variety I grow ...

[Tulipa]

Thanks Curry, couldn't find my packet to check the spelling!

[Deb P]

I had real trouble getting Jemmer to germinate last year, no idea what I was doing wrong, other varieties were ok, ? a bit too cold, are they fussy? I only had one plant of that variety in the end, fruited ok.

[Tulipa]

I always germinate mine in the airing cupboard, family get a bit upset but it works for me!

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

I had germination probs with a lot of stuff last Spring- squash, celeriac, courgette. Heated propagator for Xmas I think - or can you make one from scratch?

[kt.]

Never planted courgettes before. gonna try next year. Are they easy to grow and how many do you get off each plant?

[mc55]

I grew Parador (yellow) and Black Beauty (Green) - ALL grew to marrow proportions within 1-2 weeks ... OH preferred taste of yellow, I preferred green.

KT - I had 4 plants this year and after one particularly busy week they produced 30 courgettes of differing sizes (but generally huge) !!!!!!  Definite mistake to plant them in manure ... oh, and never ever water - they go bananas (going to try my hardest to only grow one plant next year)

[saddad]

I grow several varieties.. notably Gold Rush, Ambassador and Rondo or Tondo... found gold rush far more reliable here than the newer yellow ones we tried. Always start them off in a heated propagator, since we took the boiler cupboard out of the kitchen!
;D

[OliveOil]

My advice is to grow one plant of each variety - not every variety but the ones you fancy as they are sooooooooooo easy and sooooooooooooo prolific... thats my plan for next year.

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

Yes Olive Oil - they are so prolific. That's the problem. Turn your back on them for a minute and you've got a Green Zeppelin on your hands. I want little ones that I can fry in butter til they're golden and crispy.......It was probably the hot weather that did it this year

[Gillian]

Last year I grew De Nice a Fruit Rond
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/797/1

If you pick them while they are still the size of a golfball they taste amazing. But, like all courgettes, if you leave them long enough they will grow to enormous proportions. More basketball than golf!