"So I think there is something in what @tuikowhai34 says as this spring and early summer in the UK has been warm and dry, in Norfolk there was hardly any rain for nearly 3 months."
Yes, we had little rain in the South East. The courgettes are watered once or twice every day in hot weather, maybe every other day in cloudy, cooler weather. I wondered if the compost wasn't retaining water - though the container growing one of the courgettes feels heavy, like there's plenty of moisture present.
The growing medium in the raised veg. bed (some soil but mainly my own produced compost) has had moisture-retaining crystals added in previous years which didn't solve the problem with the courgettes. This year, I just topped up the veg. beds with compost I produced so maybe not so moisture retentive in the top few inches. Doesn't explain courgette crop failure (with a few successes) every year for the last 6 years or so.
I'll stay vigilant and continue to look for clues - it's all I can reasonably do - and maybe, just maybe, the reason will come to light (not holding my breath though). Thanks to all for comments and opinions. Appreciated.
Over the years we have had hot,cold,wet,dry and everything between, but it wasn't until the last 5years that this started to become a thing. Only ever ( as I had a pocket handkerchief) bought from GC whatever they had and always had reasonable crops, so what is different? The only thing is what seed the companies are using.
Posts
Yes, we had little rain in the South East. The courgettes are watered once or twice every day in hot weather, maybe every other day in cloudy, cooler weather. I wondered if the compost wasn't retaining water - though the container growing one of the courgettes feels heavy, like there's plenty of moisture present.
The growing medium in the raised veg. bed (some soil but mainly my own produced compost) has had moisture-retaining crystals added in previous years which didn't solve the problem with the courgettes. This year, I just topped up the veg. beds with compost I produced so maybe not so moisture retentive in the top few inches. Doesn't explain courgette crop failure (with a few successes) every year for the last 6 years or so.
I'll stay vigilant and continue to look for clues - it's all I can reasonably do - and maybe, just maybe, the reason will come to light (not holding my breath though). Thanks to all for comments and opinions. Appreciated.