Planting Courgettes in the Vegetable Garden.
Some of the courgettes have been planted out into the vegetable garden. We usually wait till the end of May before planting them out, as there is still a risk of frost. The nights are cold, but covered with a glass dome, they should be safe.
The seeds were grown in pots, and are looking healthy.
Courgettes prefer an open well drained site. Traditionally, marrows were always planted on the farm muck heap. So, we try to mimmick those conditions, by digging a large hole and filling it half full with well rotted farm yard manure. This is covered by some fibrous, strawy material, and then soil. The courgette is usually planted on a slight mound.
Slugs adore courgettes, and break off the growing tip. So we surround the plant with soot, if we can find it, because the slugs will not move through soot. This year soot is in short supply here, so we have surrounded the plant with light sand - hoping that the slugs will not like that either!
The newly planted courgette is covered with a glass jar, jam jar, or whatever is available. This will reduce transpiration, and stop the plant wilting because of the wind. The glass will also protect the plant from cold nights.
Related articles:
The squash family
[…] Planting out courgette plants […]
Pingback by Top Veg » Blog Archive » What is Squash? - May 22, 2007 12:17 pm
[…] Planting out courgette plants […]
Pingback by Top Veg » Blog Archive » Butternut Squash Seeds. - May 22, 2007 12:17 pm
I have planted 3 types of courgette this year: Soleil (yellow fruit), El Greco and Geode (round), four plants of each. All the plants were planted out from seedlings into 1 cu. ft of well rotted compost and seem to be growing well but all four of the first (yellow) variety have yellowing leaves and are perhaps slightly behind in terms of size of fruit. The spacing is is around 30″. I had noticed last year that the yellow variety (in a different bed) did not seed well and produced very little fruit. We live in North Wales. It seems that this variety requires different conditions to the others. Have you come across this before and what could it be?
Comment by James - June 28, 2007 7:43 pm
James
This is an interesting observation.
Yellow leaves indicate that the roots are too wet. Courgettes do like an open growing medium, with plenty of fibre. Some well-rotted composts are too dense for courgettes.
If seedlings are transplanted into compost, and then watered,the compost will retain moisture - possibly more than the courgettes like, particularly if they are watered a lot when they are small.
It appears that the first variety, Soleil (yellow fruit), is more susceptible to this problem.
What is your watering routine after planting? Did the watering coincide with heavy rain?
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - June 28, 2007 9:37 pm
Thanks for the comments.
- I had the seedlings in large-ish incubator boxes and think I was careful enough not to over-water.
- Yes, I did water on planting out into compost, but not excessively. They were planted out under fleece after the long dry spell in April and had something of a honeymoon before the big storms in May.
- Watering routine after planting out was: not watered in rainy conditions.
The question is: should I re-plant with looser compost/soil/fibre mix?
Thanks very much for your help.
Rgds
James
Comment by James - June 29, 2007 9:32 am
James
It sounds as though you have done everything right and given your courgettes very opportunity!
But we have had exactly the same problem in previous years, and I am afraid that they did not grow out of it! It was terminal.
How about re-planting 2 of the first variety, Soleil (yellow fruit). Then, the remaining 2 have a chance to grow out of it, & you will be able to see if the replanted 2 do better in the more open compost. We also plant them on a mound, which seems to help.
The other varieties you have seem to be OK as they are.
Hope this helps.
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg - June 29, 2007 9:43 am
[…] TopVeg website always provide me with excellent seed […]
Pingback by Farming Friends » How To Grow Courgettes instructions - April 29, 2008 1:31 pm