Very "fat" courgettes?

thriftwizard

I've got 4 courgette plants up at the 'lottie. 1 "Orelia", 2 bog-standard green ones (probably "Zucchini"; packet finished & disposed of) and one that a friend gave me. This one is producing enormously "fat" courgettes. Last picked on Thursday, I picked again today and the 3 that were about 3" long with flowers still on their ends on Thursday had "fattened" up hugely. I'm adding a pic with them against 3 Orelias that were the same size on Thursday so you can see the difference.

Has anyone got any idea why they're doing this? Might they be a new variety? Had she confused it with an actual marrow plant? The flavour is actually rather good; faintly sweet would be the best description, and the skin isn't tough. I'm growing them through a weed-supressing membrane and the bed underneath was heavily mulched with chopped comfrey; the other 3 plants are behaving exactly as I'd expect, but this one seems to have tapped into some rocket fuel somewhere!

 

twopenny

I have no idea but my neighbour gave me a little chubby one and it was so easy to stuff and cook.
Made a nice change from slicing endless skinny courgettes.
Spicy filling, back in stock and bay leaves and top with cheese at end. They cook quicker than marrows.

goldfinches

Wow, they look really worth trying to save some ripe seed for next year or overwinter and take cuttings.
Just like 2p above I thought what a useful size for coring and stuffing they are.
I have read that courgettes can cross fertilise with all sorts of marrows and gourds so I wonder if that's how this happened.

Farway

goldfinches said:

Wow, they look really worth trying to save some ripe seed for next year or overwinter and take cuttings.
Just like 2p above I thought what a useful size for coring and stuffing they are.
I have read that courgettes can cross fertilise with all sorts of marrows and gourds so I wonder if that's how this happened.

Wasn't that the cause of recent alert about "bitter" courgettes from some seed companies, gave people tum aches & the trots

quirkydeptless

Farway said:

goldfinches said:

Wow, they look really worth trying to save some ripe seed for next year or overwinter and take cuttings.
Just like 2p above I thought what a useful size for coring and stuffing they are.
I have read that courgettes can cross fertilise with all sorts of marrows and gourds so I wonder if that's how this happened.

Wasn't that the cause of recent alert about "bitter" courgettes from some seed companies, gave people tum aches & the trots

The courgettes are "bitter" about this vegetable fat shaming

thriftwizard

Hahaha! But that was my first thought - did she save seed? So I tasted them carefully, first time we ate them. Luckily they're fine, whatever they actually are. I can't keep them from cross-pollinating on a site with 120+ plots, most of them growing squashes like there's no tomorrow. But not me, alas - not a single female flower yet between my 4 squash plants so far, planted in well-composted soil at the normal time! Slightly baffled, but thinking that the overgrown blackthorn hedge over the fence might be making it a tad too shady for them. Everything else is being pollinated just fine & my plants (Ute, Waltham Butternut & giant pumpkin) are producing loads of male flowers, just no females. 

goldfinches

That does sound baffling. I've no experience to draw on to help you but I do know that the people who comment on Allan Jenkins gardening column in the Guardian tend to be expert allotmenteers and often give one another advice so you might consider asking on there. Here's a link to the latest column Harvesting the seed of a favourite plant is one of gardening’s great pleasures | Gardening advice | The Guardian

Ellieduval

thriftwizard said:

Hahaha! But that was my first thought - did she save seed? So I tasted them carefully, first time we ate them. Luckily they're fine, whatever they actually are. I can't keep them from cross-pollinating on a site with 120+ plots, most of them growing squashes like there's no tomorrow. But not me, alas - not a single female flower yet between my 4 squash plants so far, planted in well-composted soil at the normal time! Slightly baffled, but thinking that the overgrown blackthorn hedge over the fence might be making it a tad too shady for them. Everything else is being pollinated just fine & my plants (Ute, Waltham Butternut & giant pumpkin) are producing loads of male flowers, just no females. 

I am growing squash for the first time ever.I have four plants,two have several little fruits on them but the other two have just got masses of male flowers.I have had this problem with my courgettes too,masses of male flowers but very few females.Usually I am overrun with courgettes but not this year.This year it is green beans.I can't pick them fast enough.

-taff

The slugs and snails might be eating them. I've seen some on my female flowers. Also, the shade could possibly be a factor. They love it sunny, the difference in the plants I'm growing this year from last year just by moving them ten foot into a sunnier area is staggering. Normally they grow fine so I don't worry about them so much [ except when they're eaten by slugs and snails of course] so I have ceased to think about where I put them. Having seen the difference this year from last [ when it was unceasingly sunny for months] they'll be put in a sunny spot form now on.

thriftwizard

Think I'll be joining you in that, @-taff! Wish I had some control over that hedge, but it belongs to the farm next door.

carefullycautious

I think you have to pick them when they are courgette size. If Left they become marrows