Courgettes again!

[NattyEm]

Hey!

Might be a daft question, but I'm wondering what I should do about my triffid like courgette plants.  I've just started puting them out during the day, bringing them in at night to harden them off.  They're very leggy (I think, not sure what they're supposed to look like) I think they need re-potting again.  They have started to form little buds, is it too early?  Do I need to do anything, or is that what courgette plants are supposed to do?!  I don't invisage being able to put the on the plot even in our lovely sunny south dorset climate for a good few weeks.  Also if I re-pot them can I bury some of the stem?  From reading it is a bush variety not trailing. (Zuboda)

It did say on the packet sow in March, so I did :)

[NattyEm]

[Roy Bham UK]

;D Glad you asked that Nattyem ;D I was wondering about that myself, are they as leggy as these? Courgettes on the left Cu's right seeds planted 29/3 not tried hardening off as yet tho. :o ;D

Is 6 of each enough for a small Lottie Family?  :)

[wattapain]

Hi, I too sowed a few indoors early just as an experiment to see if I could get an early indoor harvest. Well I lost a few and of the 2 I have left, 1 is tiny and not very healthy looking, although it has a few buds, while the other is about 8" tall, a bit thin andpale, but has a few flowers on and is lookingnot too bad. But neither is a patch on the later sown ones , which I grew last year, so mid May I will sow them in the g'house & they will probably be ready for planting out  2 - 3 weeks later.
I'm not sure about my experiment - don't think I;ll be repeating it.  :) ::) :)
Terri

[NattyEm]

erm you have little tiny babies ;D





And I think I'll do them later next year, since my kitchen windowsill has been a courgette hedge for the last few weeks, and unless it gets significanly warmer at night probably will be for a few more weeks yet!

[Diana]

Looks like they're just not getting enough light.

You could try covering some card with tin foil + puting it behind them if you're keeping them on the window sill.

[derbex]

Mine are in the cold greenhouse now, hoping for cougettes this week ;D

[NattyEm]

they're not minding the cold nights?

Thats promosing, think I'll pot up and aim to squeeze them into the growhouse full time in a week then.

[NattyEm]

actually while I think about it, when I pot them up is it better to bury the stems a bit, or to support the plant with something or both?

[wattapain]

Here's a pic of mine - 2 flowers - no fruits yet though.
Also a tomato - sweet olive - both going in upended growbags this week.  ;D 8)

[Mrs Ava]

They are pretty leggy.  Mine are butch and thick, but they have been in my greenhouse for about a month now which really slowed them down and made them bulk up lovely.

More light I guess.  Be careful not to plant them to deep as they can get a stem rot which wouldn't be good.  And I think the tiny flowers are because of stress and they won't come good. I reakon, pot them up just a little bit deeper, don't over water, give them more light and keep them outside during the day.  Of course, you could always plant another couple of seeds as back up.

[derbex]

No, they don't seem to mind the cold -although we've had no frost here for a while they've been out for a few weeks now. This is what they were like at easter :

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/yabbse/index.php/topic,8571.0.html

the heat's making them droop a bit.

I have got a couple more coming on as I'll want them out of the greenhouse later and into the ground, not very conviced that I'll manage with those.

Jeremy