Green courgettes v yellow courgettes

[cestrian]

I have got one green courgette plant which is going great guns and one yellow courgette plant that is a similar size, but the fruits are tiny and just don't seem to be getting any bigger. I had one decent courgette off it a couple of weeks ago that tasted delicious, so I would like to give it a boost.

They are in the same position and have had the same feed (tom feed and epsom salts), so I don't know what to do with it!

Has anyone else noticed this?

[cestrian]

[OllieC]

I've noticed huge differences from one variety to the next - not sure I would divide them on colour though. I generally do a couple each of 3 or 4 varieties and every year one does much better than the others depending on the weather.

i.e. Defender is good in damp conditions, Parthenon is better in cooler conditions, most of the Pattison/Patty pan (sp?) do well on long hot summers, Jemmer great for a normal UK summer... I don't think it's about the colour, personally.

[Toshofthe Wuffingas]

My yellow ones are not doing much yet but may catch up. So far this year my earliest and most prolific courgette is a globular one. I don't have the name to hand at the moment. We have had lots already and even a big one had a good flavour

[Digeroo]

All mine wheather green or yellow have gone into overdrive after a few days of sunshine. In general some of the yellow ones were slightly slower to get going.  

My most productive is cavili.

[antipodes]

Some varieties sulk more or less according to the weather. Courgettes don't necessarily need very hot but they like consistency!
For example, my Yellow Soleil are not looking that good but the Yellow Sunbeam pattypan squash next to them have already produced fruit and are covered in flowers!
So far I have not seen a green courgette, I am not sure if any have actually survived (I labelled badly)  :-\  My neighbour's ball types have been excellent and early though.

[Number Six]

My courgettes are very similar; turn your back on the green ones and you end up with torpedoes lying there - the yellow ones are much slower, but equally tasty when they decide to develop!

[suemo]

I grow Tuscan(green).Striata D'Italia(green) and orelia.Have done for the past few years and they have always done well.In fact,Orelia tends to produce the most.This year they have been really slow to get going and only now with the warm sunshine have started producing.

[realfood]

They seem to be very similar to each other. Mine in Glasgow have been producing for several weeks and already I am having to give some away.

[gwynleg]

Yes - today I was excited. The courgette glut is officially here!!

[Paulh]

The last couple of years Orelia has produced just small fruits so I'm trying Atena this year. I find the green varieties are more vigorous and fruitful but then they do have more chlorophyll presumably!

[cestrian]

The yellow variety has come good in the end. It was just slow to get started and is now out-fruiting the green courgettes. I've had a great crop. Courgettes are probably my best success this year, along with the florence fennel.

[debbilove]

This year I grew the striped green Stratio de Italia (I think that's what it was called), not many fruit but good taste, yellow Gold Rush, not a great cropper and small fruit, round pale green courgette, not sure of the name - turn your back on these and they grow huge.

Like others, I have found that the courgettes are very hit and miss this year and wouldn't always say that was down to the variety.  Could have something to do with the rubbish weather we had this year.

[Toshofthe Wuffingas]

The lesson I will take from this is to have 2 to 3 varieties cultivated to minimise seasonal problems. I grew summer squashes next to winter ones this year and to my mind they differ little from courgettes. I doubt if I'll bother next year and will stick to winter ones for storage. I also grew a globe courgette among my conventional ones and it ended up with a tough skin like a squash and grew into footballs at a drop of a hat. I'd consider that a squash rather than a courgette. The flavour was reasonable even when big but it wasn't as productive as a good courgette plant.
Are there fans out there of summer squashes who can defend them and convince me to change my mind?

[antipodes]

I find that the yellow varieties mature more slowly and give you more time to pick them before getting too big. It soundsd as if you are leaving yours far too long on the plant. Pick them when ther are no bigger than 12 or 15 cm, which is when they are at their tastiest.