Courgettes - how many?

[derbex]

Does anyone know of a good organic slug killer..if there is such a thing?

A mallet  ;D

What I do is surround the plants with egg shells or slug stoppa or gravel and that seems to keep them off long enough, helps if you can keep the leaves off the ground for a bit too. I find that when they get to a decent size the slugs leave them alone -too furry?

Jeremy

[derbex]

[aquilegia]

I find that when they get to a decent size the slugs leave them alone -too furry?

Jeremy

yes but then they start producing the fruit, which they eat instead. grrr. little unmentionables ate the first courgette I ever grew. I'd gone out with my knife to harvest it and found a slug munching in it. That knife came very much in handy!

[cyrilsquirrel]

 ;D LOVE the mallet idea!!   But it's catching them in the act isn't it....

The box with the hole may be a goer....already have some gravel down , I will start saving egg shells up....

Cheers all   :)

[legless]

about this time of year, we start eating a lot of souffle  :D , husband hasn't worked out why yet!! although he has commented on the pile of eggshells in the kitchen...

[Doris_Pinks]

2 eggshells of mine exploded in the oven :o  :o  :o The hubby was not too impressed! (I bake them cos I find they crumble easier!) The smell of burning eggshells was disgusting  :P
My Courgettes get everything I can lay my hands on, coffee grounds, eggshells and beer traps! The other thing I do is to use a collar made from plastic bottles, and put it around the plant and then fill inside the collar with the eggshells,(If that makes sense!) then the slugs have to travel up the collar, and across the eggshells to get to the plant, spect they will figure out polevaulting this year! :-\
The biggest thing I have found that helps though, is to make sure they are pretty large before they go in the ground, then they have more of them to fight off the slimey terrors!

I save my needle droppings from the christmas tree to put around my runner beans, seems to keep the darlings off.

[derbex]

Interesting -I've never had them nibble a fruit, they've eaten small plants and the edges of leaves though. I'm not sure if the fruit of the ones I've grown has touched the ground.

Jeremy

[Derekthefox]

I have planted some little gem lettuces surrounded by Fish, Blood and Bone, and the slugs seem to be leaving them alone - presume the same would work for courgettes . . .

[Mrs Ava]

Well a darn slug has eaten the growing point out of 2 of my melons  :o.  What are the chances of them continuing to grow and branch or shall I bin them and cry a lot?  :'(

[Black Forest Dan]

If you like pumpkin pie and have more courgettes than you can use, try courgette pie - it will be a very interesting colour (bright green, the last one I made) but tastes delicious, much like a mild pumpkin pie. I'll post the recipe on Recipes 4 All.

[xqbgal]

Any surplus courgettes I always grate & freeze use in soups stews bolognese sauce etc.

[diver]

this might sound a daft question but does it matter which end you stand the marrow on to store it as I kept mine on their sides last year and many went mouldy..I was going to hang them up in old tights this year but if standing them on their side works for you I wil do that, and I thought they went all gooy if you froze courgettes.

[summergirl]

AAhh.  I have about a dozen that have germinated.  Me thinks I should've read this first.  Guess I might be having a go at courgette cake!  I thought they were looking good, - but they don't look like Tim's. 
I also didn't realise they needed 1m2 each.  That's a lot of room.  gulp.

[moonbells]

I've almost got all of my squashes up and running now.  Grand total (so far) of 14 with another four to go.  I'm just hoping that the Parthenon variety lives up to the blurb, ie doesn't need pollinating to set fruit. I'm hoping that this will give me lots of early fruit before the Defenders get cracking. So much for my previous post in this thread saying I was growing six! (ok four of the above are butternut squashes which have a patch to themselves). 

I can always give some away... if the recipients don't run off screaming...

moonbells

[derbex]

Moonbells -my Parthenon is fruiting now -plan to have some tonight. They might be a bit small but I just can't wait ::)

Jeremy

[tango]

If you think you have too many you could always eat the flowers.  I am told they are lovely dipped in tempura batter and deep fried.  Last year we managed quite welll with four plants and that supplied all the family and friends at work, but I think this year we will grow more just for the flowers.

;)

[redimp]

If you eat the lowers, do they produce more until they produce mature fruit or die?

[suhayb]

Well a darn slug has eaten the growing point out of 2 of my melons :o. What are the chances of them continuing to grow and branch or shall I bin them and cry a lot? :'(

leave then a week and see if here is any new growth.

Same happened to some of me cues last years, they kept going, but seemed really slow catching up.

oh poor thing, don't cry -  get revenge!

[tim]

Clanger - by the time the flower has formed, so has the fruit.

[philcooper]

Does anyone know of a good organic slug killer..if there is such a thing?
A mallet  ;D

Jeremy

Jeremy,

I remember one of Michael Bentine mad professor sketches where he had a fool proof bug killing powder. This was applied to the bug, very violetly, with the applicator (a very large mallet), he then pointed out that the applicator stunned the bug to give the powder time to take effect

Phil ;D

[derbex]

Still have fond memories of Potty Time.