Courgettes going soft

[Burmarose]

Hello all,
I have an almost ready to pick crop of courgettes in my new greenhouse. I noticed today that they are all starting to go yellow and rot at the flower end.
Can anyone advise what I am doing wrong here?
Many thanks
Burmarose

[paulsherwin]

Sometimes they stop growing and start to rot while still quite small. I don't know why they do this - it may be down to variety, watering or fertilizer / growing conditions etc. You can't eat them when this happens, all you can do is cut them off and hope some more grow, which indeed usually happens.

I think I've chopped off 4 rotting ones this year so far, and have eaten about 6 healthy ones, with more on the way.

Paul

[Burmarose]

Thanks Paul,
Had a re read of Carols Klein's book. I think I may have it too humid in there. It's good for the cucumbers which are doing well but I think it is causing the rot in my courgettes.
Thanks
Burmarose

[tigerella]

It's probably the heat. We grow them in polytunnels and even when picked, we refrigerate as many as poss to stop them shrivelling.

[Thomas W]

Originally Posted by Burmarose

... I think I may have it too humid in there. It's good for the cucumbers which are doing well but I think it is causing the rot in my courgettes. ...

I've had the same problem with courgettes out in the open. I believe it was because of too intense watering:



Some claim it's due to poor pollination. Then you'll have to pollinate by hand.

[paulsherwin]

That's what I mean too. Some plants seem to produce a high proportion of rotten fruits while others produce none. They start to rot at the flower end, as in your picture.

Paul

[Lesley Jay]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

They start to rot at the flower end, as in your picture.

Paul

I was told by one of the 'seasoned' allotmenteers that this rot was caused by the dying flower remaining on the end of the courgette too long.

[Burmarose]

Hi Lesley,
I think I have come to the same conclusion. The greenhouse is quite humid (perfect for the cucumbers that are doing really well)

I suspect the flower isn't drying out properly and dropping off, hence causing rot. I have removed the remains of the flowers by hand to see if this helps.
Let you know if that works
Many thanks for all the suggestions
Burmarose

[Chopin]

I have grown my courgettes outside this year and they are doing great. However the damp and still air has resulted in powdery mildew on some leaves and if I don't keep the foilage under control the courgettes start to rot. I would follow the advice of seasoned posters and remove the flower, but also increase ventilation and ensure you are watering only at the base/ roots and not on the plant.

[Im not hungry]

Hi all

My courgettes have not done well, I had some in the green house which turned yellow and rotted and I also had a plant outside which has produced rotten fruit. So all in all not very good as I have not have anyting worth picking and using. Shame really.

Regards to all

Paul