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gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18423

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 25 4:46 pm Post subject:
Courgette problems here (Mistress Rose, have you had similar ?) : my courgette plants started with the usual (few) male flowers, and then switched over completely to all female flowers, hence tinytiny courgettini with blossom end rot if left on the plants. I suspect it was too hot for producing male flowers earlier and now it is too late. Any other ideas ?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44487
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 25 10:31 pm Post subject:

not courgette, tomatoes, my big boys set fruit then had a month not setting fruit and have now started setting again

i have been fluffing them again as there is a scary reduction of hoverflies and an almost total lack of moths

the cucumbers are prolific at setting fruit with no fluffing, just a few bees and hoverflies have done well

temperatures might be involved, although the same type of courgettes have done well for me in cool and hot summers

it might be worth fluffing the courgettes if there is a male flower among the women
otherwise pull em and replant with something else for sooner or perhaps later
a couple of months of growing season is plenty for some things that are better that barren courgette plants

fast leafy greens would like an ex courgette bed

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44487
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 25 10:39 pm Post subject:
ps i am more a marrow chap than a courgette one but i have grown quite a lot for those who like em water and nutrient levels can be a huge issue with most of the courgette family it may have been those rather than temperature real weather is what it is even if you can water stuff in an organized way, there are assorted other factors

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16543

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 25 7:42 am Post subject:
My courgettes are just producing fruit, and seem all right although the one remaining plant hasn't grown that well. I will be keeping an eye on them to pick as ready, so will look out for that Gil. I do sometimes have trouble that way with them in the greenhouse though.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18423

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 25 1:00 pm Post subject:

These courgettes are outdoors, and it is really obvious which are male / female flowers - if I had both, I would be paintbrush pollinating just in case. The plants are otherwise healthy. I also have plenty of pollinating insects of various kinds. Disappointed - not the crop I was expecting to fail.

No such probs with the assorted greenhouse toms, which are cropping very well, and at an even, manageable rate.

I do have brassica plants awaiting a final spot. There is space where the broad beans were, as well as the courgette area.

Will give it a week or so. Bearing in mind that the growing season here is behind places south, and shorter (though really depends on first frost). Next time, I will revert to planting more than one variety (usually two or more).

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16543

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 25 7:12 am Post subject:

Looked at my courgette yesterday and the courgettes seem to be all right at the moment. There is one male flower just going over, so it seems to have done all right by the female ones so far. Will keep an eye on it, and if I have the same trouble as you, will let you know. Although we have had some dry and very hot periods, in which I have been watering using rainwater, we have had some rain at odd times this year here, so not as bad as some years.

One thing I have noticed, which I also noticed in 1976 is that the blackberries don't seem too keen on letting me pick them. I wonder if it is because the ground is generally dry so they know that any falling to the ground are unlikely to germinate.

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 157

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 25 8:39 am Post subject:
Just put a few seed potatoes in a large tub to see if I can do anything for Christmas. First time ever.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9974
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 25 9:04 am Post subject:

I think the male / female flowers on courgettes are a reaction to weather conditions and little you can do about it. I do find the more plants I grow the greater chance of success as you only need one male flower.

For me the courgettes got off to a slow start as I had to get them out of the greenhouse when it was so hot in spring, then they were planted when it was too cold.... but they have settled and I have too many coming in now.

Tromboncinos are cropping well too, and this year i built a frame out of old branches for them to climb on and that seems to really suit them.

Sweetcorn is nearly ready.
There is talk of a storm coming in on Monday - so hoping I don't lose the s/c or too many apples to strong winds

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9289
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 25 5:24 pm Post subject:
Any idea who is eating my red onions? Greeny yellow caterpillar. No stripes. I'm on my phone not tablet, so can't put photos on.goes inside the leaves.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4660
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Sat Aug 02, 25 8:42 am Post subject:
Courgettes are thinking about flowering, I've had one tomato and one runner bean. The loganberries have cooked on the south facing wall so I will move that plant to somewhere shadier. Main spuds seem dead, replacement / xmas spuds are showing through. Odd year!

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9289
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sat Aug 02, 25 1:22 pm Post subject:

gz wrote:

Any idea who is eating my red onions?
Greeny yellow caterpillar. No stripes.
I'm on my phone not tablet, so can't put photos on.goes inside the leaves.

The most likely candidate, on caterpillar i.d. looks like the Angle Shades Moth..a beauty....but why my onions ????!!

A double batch of onion marmalade is at present cooking....and more onions to be chopped and frozen. I'll leave some for the moth....and to see if some will keep as normal...but I have my doubts.

Runner beans are setting at last. Yellow courgettes are growing...and will probably grow at double speed the fortnight I'm away

Tomatoes are setting steadily and slowly ripening. Broad beans cropping nicely

High winds due later on Monday so it is tie it all down time . Bean supports may need reinforcement

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16543

Posted: Sun Aug 03, 25 7:49 am Post subject:

NMG, one bed of my main crop potatoes have pretty well failed; have trouble with that bed, so will add lots of compost and charcoal fines as it seems dry, but rather prone to slugs and snails. Think it was drought this year. The other bed still seems seems to be all right, but haven't tried lifting any yet. My one remaining courgette is only really growing fairly well now, but there are some courgettes forming, so may be ready for harvesting soon.

Pity about your onions Gz. Mine worked quite well this year. I put in autumn sown sets as spring sown don't seem to do as well, and I have never had any luck growing from seed.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44487
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Aug 03, 25 9:21 am Post subject:
the cucumbers are splendid, half a dozen huge specimens grade ones with good taste and texture a week and lots growing to replace them even with fluffing the fertilization rate of the big boys is low, plenty of flowers, so far maybe one in twenty has set a tomato

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 44487
Location: yes

Posted: Sun Aug 03, 25 9:31 am Post subject:

taters do need a good quality open and moist soil

lots of manure, compost, weathered seaweed etc added using double spit digging

sorry, the word spud is derived from spade

create good ground and rotate it each crop(follow with a suitable crop for that season)
a couple of years is enough to avoid most disease and infestations

if it is dry, water them, they are closer to swamp plants than desert ones

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16543

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 25 7:42 am Post subject:

I will be adding lots of compost and charcoal fines to the top bed as it has always been a problem, not sure why. It is quite a deep raised bed, so as we have light soil, water is the main difficulty. I don't use a hose, and I didn't water the potatoes as I know they need more than I can give them with the watering can, and I was using the water on other things that really needed it during the dry spell. It worked as far as the onions, leeks and cabbages were concerned, but sadly the cabbage whites have stripped the cabbages, although in most cases the growing tips are all right, so hoping I will get a crop later. I did net, but had to raise the net as they grew so well. The other bed of potatoes looks rather better and is still growing, so hoping for a better crop from them. I do rotate crops, but there always seem to be one or two left, so they get transplanted.

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