Courgettes, squashes and runner beans

Hi there everyone,

1st question is about my courgettes and squashes. Do the flowers need pollinating by hand or will insects do it. I know that you shouldn't pollinate cucumbers but don't know about courgettes etc. Should I just pick off all the male flowers so that the plants can concentrate their energy on the female ones?

2nd question is about my runner beans. At the moment the flowers don't seem to be setting to produce the beans, they are just dropping off. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

 

Hi Cathysue.
When we grew courgettes a number of years ago we never touched them, leaving the pollination bit to the bees, and we had some lovely corgettes which started off small, then grew to be the size of marrows,which I think they could be a type of.

We find at the start of the runner bean season, we often lose the first few flowers, but as the weather gets warmer, and with lots more water, they tend to pick up and give us a fantastic crop.So apart from lots of water and a bit of feed, there shouldn't be much to worry about, as it is still early in the season.

Kandy

 

Hi,
Courgettes are fine left to there own devices. I have allways picked them before they get to big i.e. about 4 to 5 inches and this will prolong production. Its very important to keep them well watered and allways water around the base of the plant, never from the top as this will cause the flowers to rot

 

Do corgettes actually need polinating to fruit? Do you want to collect the seed? I had fruits forming before there were any male flowers so no way they could have been polinated.

 

Courgettes are the one plant I've had real success with - I was sick to the gills of them by about October last year! V. low maintenance, and as you say they are a type of marrow, but best picked well before they get that size.

 

I have just harvested my fourth 'Parthenon' courgette this year which is about 6 inches long. These do not need pollinating, apparently.

Forgive my ignorance but what is the difference between a male flower and a female flower, please?

 

I think the female flower is the one with a tiny fruit behind it, whereas there will be none on the male flower.
After the bees have done their work the male part shrivels leaving just the fruit on the female part to carry on growing

Kandy

 

Thinking about it... you're supposed to remove the male flowers from corgettes. I am not sure whether this is to encorage the growth of more flowers (both male and female), or to stop the female flowers being polinated and the fruit containing hard seed?

unwanted male flowers can be fried in a nice tempura batter :D

 

Thanks Shiney, believe me, I had them cooked every which way last year, we had about 10 plants and we were eating them daily for about two months! But that was last year and I am now refreshed and ready for my courgette only diet to begin again, and I may well try your recipes in a couple of weeks when the harvest starts...

 

corgette & squash pasta bake with a stilton sauce is very nice :D

 

Mmmm, I love courgettes, I could eat them every day!
Mine are just starting to grow now and Im all excited, they're about 3 inches long.