Care of Courgettes and Zucchini

With all the sowing / planting of your courgettes (zucchini) completed their care needs are very simple. Keep them well-watered and fed. They grow so quickly that watering will be essential when the weather is warm and dry.

Feeding is best done with a liquid feed about once every two weeks. Regular weeding will prevent competition for food and water.

A layer of grass-cuttings or well-rotted compost on the soil around (but definitely not touching) your plants will conserve moisture and help prevent weeds.

Pollination

Pollination is not normally a problem for courgettes and zucchini as the picture on the right illustrates. Just click the picture to see an enlarged version with the bees.
However in windy weather it may be necessary to hand pollinate, this will also be necessary if growing in a greenhouse or under cloches. To hand pollinate, identify a female and a male flower (see below).

Female flower 1

Female flower 2

Male flower 2

See in the pictures above that female flowers have a thickening immediately below the flower. In contrast the male plants have a straight stem below the flower. Click any of the pictures to see them more clearly.

Don't be concerned if you only see male flowers. They always appear first, female flowers will soon appear. Strip the petals of a nearby male flower and place the central part into the central part of the female flower. Gently brush them together.

HARVEST
Harvest courgettes / zucchini when they are about 10cm (4in) long. Let them grow longer and they will gradually turn into marrows and loose their taste and texture. By harvesting young you will encourage more fruit to appear.

Either cut them off with a sharp knife or twist them off with your hands.

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