I was gifted a couple of courgette plants a few months back and it now has started to bear fruit so to speak. Currently, it has one courgette on it which is about 6-7 inches long and way thicker than any I've ever seen in a shop. Are there any tell-tale indicators of when this is ripe and ready to pick?

I can post a pic I took on my phone if necessary

Sounds ready to me.
You need to pick them regularly and before they get too big or the plant will stop producing.......if you keep picking regularly they will produce through until the end of the season.

Have you removed any make flowers??
They will make the females taste bitter if you let them pollinate.

Some varieties are female only.

ATB

Right, that's all just gone over my head. I was wondering about male and female flowers but the only thing that grows that I know the difference between male and female flowers is cannabis so I guess I need to go on to the courgette equivalent of UK420!

Got any pointers?

Yea, me too!

I had one given to me and it's sprouting lots of orange flowers which wither and die off after one day open. A lot of them have just fallen off. I touched one, so gently, and it just dropped off like i'd cut it.

Directly behind some of the flowers, you will begin to see the courgette forming...these are females = good
Some of the flowers will just be on elongated stems, these are males.....they don't have the 'roundness' of the females.

Hope that has described it adequately......you'll see the obvious differences when you look
Just pinch off the male flowers and discard before they open up....like I say, if they pollinate; the fruit will be very bitter.

They are very, very prolific producers.....pick the fruit nice and young and they will just keep comming and comming.
Get a recepie for rattatoulle ready


ETA - just remeber, some vars are feminised; so you won't neccessarily get male flowers......better to keep checking though, as even those can throw out males (where have I heard that before haha). You soon see the differences in the flowers. ATB

I like using a speed peeler to make long strips of corgi - you can stir fry it, or deep fry it in batter as a fritter. Or rub it with butter and put it on the BBQ to drop on top of a burger in a bap!

Noice!!!

This all makes sense actually after a bit of a gander. I can definately see some more fruit (is that the correct term?) growing. Anyway, I've lopped off the fully grown one, washed it and stuck it into the fridge. The general concensus seems to be to pick them when they're about 4" long so that's what I'll do in future rather than letting them get to the almost marrow that I have at the moment! Cheers for the advice Fresh.

Keye: BBQ strips of courgette are awesome as are aubergine. Had some in Oz at friends lakeside bungalow in Woy Woy, NSW back in 2000; good times... I'll definately be doing some of that this year. I also love 'em coated in olive oil and roasted with other veg, garlic and a bit of fresh thyme. I'm just like Jamie Oliver really, except not annoying and without the fat mouth.

dont take your eyes off them plants for too long otherwise you will end up with a marrow !! they grow so bloomin fast ........ i cut mine off at about 6" long cut em in 1/2 length ways and BBQ them ......yummy

Can they be grown in containers?

yeah they do well in containers or grow bags i got some nice butternut squash doing well in containers this year no sign of pests this year either

just to second all the good advice,

You can eat the flowers BTW just deep fry them for a few seconds, fruits are brill on the barbi, when you do forget to pick them, or get fed up of eating them (I think there a bit bland) grow a few small marrows, they make rocket fuel wine, takes a year or so and don't spill it on any paint work

JOM

I F-ing love courgettes! Never tried them before I grew them for the first time last year in my veg patch, once they get going there’s no stopping them! Regular picking is a must to keep them coming.
Trying some round ones called 8-ball and long yellow ones, both as tasty. The round ones go from being the size of marbles to a cricket ball in a week with good bit watering and sunny weather. Didn't know you had to remove the male flowers, I just let them get on with it and pick them young.

I like to slice them about 3mm thick then pop them in a plastic bag with a table spoon of pain flour and a little spice like cumin or some other seasoning, then shake the bag about so the flour sticks and covers the slices. Then lightly fry them for a couple min’s each side in some hemp seed oil. The flavour reminds me of pancakes, Delish!. Courgette and goat cheese soup is rather Moorish too, got the recipe from River cottage cookbook.

The more I try growing different types of fruit and veg, the more I discover a new taste and interest in them. I thought I didn’t like cucumber, but was gifted a few plants this year and wow! not bad at all. Got so many I don’t know what to do with them, Might be forced to try a face pack…yes I am a man.

we had our first cumber last weekend
it was only about 8" long ....and still a bit pale (lack of feed?)
but the taste was absolutely gorgeous..

still more to come ,plenty of cues developing

tbh we take them off way smaller than 6-8 inches ,
all veg is sweeter if you take it earlier , and courgettes grow more the more you pick (maybe like deadheading flowers??)
and the geez who said keep an eye on is right , when a good courgette plant's going it'll produce lots , and they grow QUICK.
Remember tho that they are thirsty buggers and when its really dry they need watering , (we occasionally use a little tom fert , but not every watering by any means )
good luck and enjoy your fruits

(btw bbqing sounds a great idea , my other half made a courgette cake last year - tasty, i'll see if i can get the recipe when i get home)

peace

yep only been feeding once a week , once fruits develop
or you start picking the fruits

I think you may be thinking of greenhouse cucumbers here FAI. As fas as I know courgettes have to be pollinated for the fruit to develop, so male flowers should be left on the plants.