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Courgettes

Glasgowgardener777Glasgowgardener777 Posts: 41
in Fruit & veg
Afternoon all,

first year growing courgettes. Seedlings have been whittled down so i now have one in the ground and a back up still in a large pot. The one below seems to be going Ok, pot planted next to it to get water to the roots and 4 or 5 large flowers have opened this week. The flowers seems to last a day or two before closing up..

Not really sure what i'm looking for to tell if these are pollinating. Do the male and female flower grow on the same stem? are they noticeably different? 

Posts

  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    different. 
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Femal eflowers have a small courgette at the back. Male flowers do not. It is common to get quite a few male flowers before you start to get female flowers.   Some people use male flowers for stuffing with cheese and frying.  Usually the bees will pollinate them but if its cold and the bees not flying you can stick the middle of the male flower into the female to pollinate it.  Poorly pollinated courgettes do not develop properly, they can be mis shapen.
  • AuntyRachAuntyRach Posts: 5,291
    edited June 2023
    The male flowers have a straight stem and a female flower will have a swollen/bulbous bit (this is the courgette forming). Usually there is a flush of male flowers, followed by female. 

    Some people remove the male flowers once female stems are clearly growing a courgette. 


    Edit: took so long to type, that fidgetbones answered before me. 



    My garden and I live in South Wales. 
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