courgette varieties

[RosMember]

Charles – I have just been looking at the ‘varieties’ part of your website and I wondered whether you grow courgettes in polytunnels to get early/late crops? I belong to Nottingham Organic Gardeners group and we have a demonstration allotment [which means we experiment with different types of organic growing] and usually grow a couple of courgette plants in the polytunnel to get an early crop. So far we have used Partenon F1 [from Chase organics] as it is self fertile and athtough we plant insect attractant flowers and always leave at least the large window at one end open there are not as many insects in there as outside. Do you think it is necessary to use self fertile varieties? and if so do you have any other varieties to recommend?

[charlesModerator]

 Hello Ros,

I have not grown indoor courgettes for a long time, had a favourite variety in the eighties called Early Gem F1 and am pleased it is now available again at EW King. However I do not know how it would fare indoors. I did grow Parthenon two years ago and the fruit are attractive and tasty; it is indeed parthenocarpic, somehow able to set fruit without pollination by insects. But I never had that problem, and as you are a demonstration garden, whey not try an ordinary variety in the tunnel to find out how busy your insects are? It sounds like they are active enough.

[RosMember]

thanks Charles – yes it would be a good idea to sow a couple of seeds of another variety although space will be an issue in the polytunnel – but we should be able to fit two plants in one of each variety – when the time comes the others will have to go out under fleece and take their luck with the weather

[LouiseMember]

Hi Ros
I don’t know if it is any help, but I always grow a couple of courgettes in the tunnel for early and late crops and have found ordinary varieties to be fine. I usually grow Orelia F1 (yellow,I find it has a good texture even when it gets bigger)plus something new each year.I just wish it was more like courgette weather today!

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