Size Matters When Harvesting Zucchini

[@PeterSedesse]

I love your science emphasis. One thing I would add. Almost all of the nutrition of Zucchinis is in the shell, so while the harvest weight of the smaller ones was significantly less than the giant ones, I would bet the total nutritional value per plant was about the same.

[@REDGardens]

That is a very good point.

[@benm9910]

I was wondering the opposite, that dry matter content would be highest with the narrows and the small ones may be all water?

[@MichiganDaisy-1111]

This is such a good point! And I bet it's the same for cucumbers. Learning about microgreens recently has turned my attention to things like this. Very cool 😎 great comment 💯

[@jonokemphughes]

I was taught to pick just the first flush of courgette as baby courgette, to encourage the plants to bush out early and set more flowers. My goal is to produce the biggest yield of sellable courgette, so I think this still makes sense, but I will change my harvesting strategy, to avoid picking small courgette throughout the season, to increase my yield a bit, based on your trial

[@jonokemphughes]

I might try a trial, aiming to maximize 300-400g fruit, does it help if I pick the first flush of baby fruit or not. your work always reminds me of how rife with untested beliefs my horticultural practice is

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting about harvesting the first flush of courgettes to encourage the plant to bush out, and then to change. I hadn't thought of it in that way but makes sense.

[@REDGardens]

@@jonokemphughes 300-400g seems about right to me, if you want to find a balance between number of fruit and high yield, and it will be interesting to see how the plants respond to the first flush being harvested really small or not. There are so many practices out there that seem to be untested. Some make sense, some are appropriate for specific contexts but not really useful outside those contexts, and others just don't seem to be based on much, and it is so hard to figure out what is what without trying. But trying too much can be a real distraction from just efficiently/easily growing food.

[@Bootysmoothie]

I assume this has to do with seed viability which is a helpful thought, pick big ones to save seed save other plants for selling

[@johnharvey5412]

I wonder if it would be worth while to pluck the flowers for the first week or so, to keep it from spending energy on fruit until it gets a little bigger. 🤔

[@Picci25021973]

There's a good use for big courgettes... My grandma pepares them stuffed with grinded meat, grinded bread, egg, pepper and parsley. You cut them in half, take the seeds off, stuff and cook for 45 minutes at 180°C in the oven. Put some olive oil on top before serving. They're delicious!

[@REDGardens]

I use to do that with some marrows, but haven't tried it in ages. Must try it again.

[@Spyhook]

When I was a kid in the 60s we used to have boiled marrow as a veg (I didnt like it). We never heard of Courgettes or Zuchini.

[@terriwhite6273]

And you get seeds for the next year if you let the grow larger

[@upyoursassmonkey]

We used the big ones to make mock apple pie, its actually really good.

[@denisegilkeson695]

I have a huge one. I will try that recipe. My first time growing in 5 gallon buckets 🪣

[@rabidtaz]

Just watched this video. I like to shred the marrows in the food processor then vacuum pack for winter. It works great to thicken chilli and stews.

[@Pepso8P]

This is exactly what I was wondering when I started harvesting small fruits instead of letting them grow to full size. I am glad someone is doing these experiments as I can't really dedicate the space for it myself.

[@REDGardens]

Glad to help! There is more to explore, as usual, but it s interesting how the plants change based on how they are harvested.

[@saramonder]

Seed ball! I've never heard of this, very interesting. How low waste! This might work with my small seed starting set up. Can you make a video on how the seed ball concept turned out?

[@REDGardens]

They are cool. This is the only time I have used them, so need to do a lot more exploration before I do a video about it all.

[@gerrywalsh6853]

Nice data and alot of work I don't need to do

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@AmbachtAle]

I like yellow varieties,they are so much easier to find before they get too big.

[@VerdantSoul]

Hi Bruce. I went to see your allotments last weekend. What a beautiful & productive space. I didn't get to see you, maybe I will the next time, who knows. But I had the chance to get a little tour of the place from a very friendly & knowledgeable lady. Thanks once more for sharing such detailed & instructive information online. I always look forward to your next video 🙂🌱🌱

[@REDGardens]

Lovely that you got to see the gardens, and had a tour by Kris I assume. I was in Canada visiting ageing parents.

[@dandylyons1987]

I love this data-driven content. First class!

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@EamonBreaks]

Hey, love your videos. I have about 700 plants on my farm. Daily harvest, and it is the first harvest of the day, due to our restaurants wants them with open flowers. We harvest about 70-80 per plant. But that's because we harvest from 4cm upwards.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! That is interesting. "70-80 per plant" is that total in the season?

[@enna4986]

You have squash borer? I have three plants and it’s a problem

[@happyhillsfarm9598]

It's marvelous that you take the time to produce such detailed trails! Thank you!

[@REDGardens]

Glad you appreciate my efforts!

[@john2510]

A perfect video in every respect! Lots of useful information, presented in a detailed but interesting format, without too much filler. I learned a lot. Thanks!

[@priayief]

That's a wonderfully informative trial. It answers many questions I've had about growing courgettis and when I should harvest them. Many thanks for your efforts. Cheers.

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@garrettmineo]

Wow, science! This is a most thoughtful study that answers questions most of have, but are unable to do ourselves.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks!

[@monkeycarz]

Yes, great scientific study! Motivating me to get back to work finishing up this dissertation I've been working on for the past 7 years.

[@graceann8665]

The large ones that are hard rock, bake them and they are better than any squash I've ever had. I'm growing mine large on purpose. Cut the ends off, cut in half, hollow out the seeds and bake. I kept the seeds and replanted this year.

[@OrtoInScatola]

FYI, here in Italy most gardeners pick (and sell at the market) only zucchini that are very small. In fact they are sold with the flower still attached, which is a delicacy fried in batter. Plants are replaced mid season by a new batch and a normal size family garden will have 4 to 8 plants growing at any given time. Personally I prefer medium sized zucchini as I don’t eat the flowers (trying to avoid fried food 😅). So I grow only three plants giving them about a square meter each and letting them grow as they wish to do. One more thing, zucchini really do not like to be transplanted. It is highly recommended to grow them directly in the soil, placing 3-4 seeds per hole spaced one meter apart and then keeping only the best plant per hole. From my limited experience I noticed that when growing this way the plants are much stronger and healthier, despite any adverse conditions. To water build a circular ridge with soil all around each plant and water inside that every evening after sunset possibly with water stored in containers outdoors to be at the same temperature as the soil Finally, I have tagged you one a few posts on my IG account so you can see a variety called “trombette di Albenga” which we really love growing. It grows large fruits which store well and are delicious both raw and grilled . I grow them on arched trellises in between my raised beds so that they hang from it, however if you have the space you can also grow them on the ground and they will get a more circular shape. If you are interested in trying them and you have difficulties finding the seeds let me know and I will gladly send you a few packets from Italy!

[@REDGardens]

I haven't picked zucchini with flowers on them for years. I think the varieties I have been growing is not great for that, as the flower decays very quickly.

[@lynnmacleod5005]

If I miss one and it grows to big I use is for baking.

[@CourtneyHenslee]

Thanks for this experiment! It answered a host of questions I created for myself this year with my own zucchini harvesting habits. It was my first year with really large and stable plantings.

[@REDGardens]

Glad you found it useful!

[@sandiamartin585]

Appreciate your little experiment! For posting this.

[@shoofle]

this was such useful information! my partner and i have been eating more zucchini lately and we grew some this year, but we've been unsure and of different opinions on when and how to harvest. now we can be more intentional about it!

[@REDGardens]

😀

[@alexanderwatson9845]

Very interesting, thank you

[@REDGardens]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Infiniti25]

I think a modification to your method should you attempt this trial next year would be to pick all plants at the smaller size for a period of 15-30 days to increase the plant sizes uniformly. You could then allow the medium, large and marrow sizes to form before picking and see if there are any differences in overall yield and weight/texture per courgette. Looking at your graph, approximately 20 days looks like a starting point, but you know what size the plants were are various parts relating to your graph. I prefer softer centre courgettes so usually buy the larger girth courgettes in Lidl when I see them. I really liked the seed ball idea, I had forgotten about that one. I’m still yet to try it.

[@REDGardens]

That would be really interesting!

[@notforwantoftrying1]

Thank you so much for doing these trials, you are literally trying all the things I have always wondered about but never have the space or resources to test myself. We can really learn a lot about improved ways of growing from this research, I myself have put some of your findings into action already.

[@REDGardens]

Glad you are getting useful stuff out of my work and videos!

[@CMiltonDixon]

Wasn't bothered by the background noise at all. Worth the setting.

[@REDGardens]

Good to know, thanks.

[@andersonomo597]

Same here - and would rather the river sounds than annoying stupid music.

[@OrtoInScatola]

Agreed ❤

[@earlshine453]

It explains why our courgette plants stay small: my wife harvests them only when they are large and uses them to make a very tasty soup that even can be frozen. The only thing to avoid is: processing seeds that have a hard shell. Maybe you can market the large ones better when you handout some soup recipes attuned to your local taste...

[@heyy13]

I would like this soup recipe if your wife is willing to share!

[@REDGardens]

Getting people to eat the larger marrows is definitely something that requires appropriate recipes. There is one that I really like, but need to do more exploration myself. Of the 14 marrows that I harvested off that plant, I think only 2 of them were actually eaten, all the rest ended up in the compost!

[@robine916]

@@REDGardens Shredding and freezing the innards of the marrows for zucchini bread or to add to soup or sauces is what I do with my excess zucchini. My Mom splits and stuffs a marrow with a mix of ground meat, rice and seasonings and tops with either crushed tomatoes or sauce.💕

[@kingjames4886]

@@robine916 both great options my family has been doing to use extra zucchini for years. also soups, generally minestrone.

[@slaplapdog]

Those seeds, I wonder if they have properties similar to pumpkin seeds?

[@grantraynard]

Thx! Great experiment

[@REDGardens]

😀

[@jayrussell3796]

What an amazing video. I subscribed because you did a great job of explaining everything. I planted 5 plants this year and they got way out of hand and had zucchini coming out of my ears. I learned so much from this video for next year. Thank you !

[@REDGardens]

Wow, thanks 😊. Glad you learned a lot!

[@rubygray7749]

Very interesting trial!! My house cow Custard used to love marrows, no matter how large! I would slice them lengthwise and sprinkle with salt. She helped out the overwhelmed zucchini growing neighbours. The comparative weights are useful because I want to grow the maximum weight for my goats this summer, to give them a balanced diet of brassicas, beets, roots, and other categories. Too much of any one variety is not healthy. I had a problem last year in Tasmania, with my zucchini not being pollinated, so had a disappointing yield. The seedlings I bought seemed to produce very few male flowers, so female flowers were either not pollinated at all, or only partially, and the ends rotted off. So this year I will plant a whole packet of seeds, pick the first ones small to grow large plant, then allow them to grow to medium large size

[@REDGardens]

Having other animals around to help with the abundance makes a lot of sense. For me, it is mainly the worms I am feeding, but that is ok, as the plants like the compost they make. I wonder if the plants you bought in were a hybrid variety, bred to produce many really small zucchini that are not pollinated. If that was the case then that variety might not grow bigger fruit.

[@rubygray7749]

@@REDGardens There was definitely something different about them! I will grow my own choice of seeds this year. If it ever warms up!

[@mikeharrington5593]

Thanks for reporting on your many growing trials. Worth considering the option to let some marrows grow large to mature by sun ripening, with hard skin (like Halloween pumpkins) then store for a few months in a cool, dark, frost-free place, such as a garage/shed. Steamed sliced (de-seeded) marrow is a worthwhile veggie alternative for the winter months.

[@REDGardens]

I was thinking of leaving a plant to just grow, without harvesting any fruit until the end of the season, to see what happens. I agree they make a long lasting vegetable for the winter months, though I usually prefer the richer taste of other squashes for that.

[@farmerchick3040]

Those big ones are amazing stuffed. I scrape out the seeds to create a cavity and stuff them with ground beef rice and chopped veggies then bake them in the oven. Its a great way to use them giant's. Sometimes I feed them to my chickens or pigs. Another great video! I love your scientific approach.

[@REDGardens]

They are good stuffed, though I haven't cooked one like that in ages.

[@richardhart7652]

Very interesting as it's always difficult to get courgette at exactly the right time . The seed ball thing looks interesting must try to remember it and try next year

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@MagdaRantanplan]

Your experiment was highly interesting, thank you for your hard work and sharing your results with us. I prefer large courgettes and hate that i can only buy the small ones. I think i might try growing one plant next year for myself. I live on the 3rd floor with a balkony place on the northside or a southside windowfront with metal lattice, still thinking where to grow. Maybe 2 plants for experimenting would be an idea.

[@REDGardens]

Not many people prefer the larger ones. Hope you find a place to grow.

[@jensissons5709]

Try growing up fence stakes. Less space needed and easier access to fruit

[@REDGardens]

I need to try that again.

[@dollyperry3020]

Can you tell us more about these seed balls? You might want to consider leaving the blooms on those small zucchini. Many people like the 2 for 1 deal :)

[@Aermydach]

Search: Soil Blocks Without A Soil Block Maker - No-till Growers.

[@REDGardens]

As Aermydach suggests, go to the source. This is the first time using the technique, so I don't have much more to tell. The blooms don't keep well on the zucchini variety I normally grow, but with other varieties they are really good.

[@dollyperry3020]

@@Aermydach Thank you!

[@kendo2377]

Interesting. I recently started summer squash so I'm going to try your experiment once they go in the garden.

[@jawadad73]

You can use the marrows as growth throttlers while harvesting the other plants crisp fruit at required pace, remove marrow when required more

[@REDGardens]

Good idea

[@kveale17]

A good way to save space growing courgettes is to grow them vertically, it also makes it much easier to harvest, prune old leaves and having the leaves off the soil will slow down disease.

[@sza2bom]

I found it quite difficult. For me it doesnt save space as it then shades out everything around it more, so overall yield including nearby plants might not even increase. No data to back it up though

[@REDGardens]

I have tried that a bit but didn't tie them up frequently enough to keep them vertical. I want to try again next year.

[@mysparky2011]

Tried it once. Not successful.

[@angelaobrien7698]

Great video and information. Have you thought about growing them up a string so they don't crowd the ground. Might take up less space?

[@REDGardens]

I have tried that in other polytunnel, and used sticks. It does seem to work, but haven't quite been consistent enough with it to make it work.

[@julianvanostrand3275]

Good video. Would you consider doing a video on those seed balls? How do you keep them in form and properly moist so they don't disintegrate? Thanks for the consideration

[@REDGardens]

I only just tried the seed balls for this one crop, so will wait until I have more experience before making a video. I got the idea here kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXjMm4N-qtmlbZI

[@Grognarthebarb]

It would be cool as he'll if you had a web page where we could go to absorb this information in the graphs and quickly cross reference other studies you have done

[@REDGardens]

That sounds like it would be useful, though it does sound d like a fair amount of extra work. Something to think about.

[@colterthompson6846]

I love your content. Thank you for sharing.

[@TheEmbrio]

I really enjoy your tests !

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@saltybloom6284]

Thanks for the in depth look at the yearly bounty and challenge of zucchini! I recommend Costata Romanesco variety. They are delicious small and large and keep a nice firm, drier texture.

[@REDGardens]

They are delicious. I am just about to publish a video about the variety trial I did in the polytunnel, and I had to remove the plant of that variety too early, as it was growing way too big!

[@saltybloom6284]

True they are rather big plants!

[@bentankard7276]

Really good information, thankyou!

[@johngrady1755]

Enjoyed your musings on this topic as always

[@REDGardens]

Glad you like them!

[@arturomateo3920]

Like your graphs very much!

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@Thee_Sinner]

This is a personal preference, but I am not a fan of the texture of the seed area inside these squash. On the larger fruits, I tend to cut this area out and eat only the more dense flesh exterior. I am curious to see how much weight difference there would be between the harvest of your preferred size and of the largest size once this part is subtracted from the total.

[@REDGardens]

That is a good point.

[@slaplapdog]

I've never been successful with zucchini, but I did have a glut of cucumbers, another crop that is best picked small. Just finding them before they got too big to enjoy was difficult. It makes me want to try growing white cumbers, just to make finding them easier.

[@REDGardens]

Yeah, they can be difficult to find.

This year I grow variety called Costata Romanesca (I guess the translation goes like Monster Plant ;-) ). I harvest rather bigger size fruit and the plants still keep enlarging.

[@CS-en5xz]

Im trying to find information about large zucchini that hasnt pollinated yet. Flower hasnt opened and it has grown to about 10 inches

[@bettypearson5570]

Definitely appreciate this trial you did as I plan my own zucchini/Courgette trial this next year. I grew up n a subsistence farm. I don't remember my mother ever harvesting the small ones because she felt it was wasteful today them that small when you could just wait a little longer to have big ones. She would cut the marrow in half and then slice them thick lengthwise, flour them and starting with a cold pan would fry in lard until soft through and through until tender. Because she did have high heat they would frequently be scorched, mushy from overcooking and frequently we would have to remove fully developed seeds. I thought I hated zucchini until my late 20s when as a guest (which means you have to eat it) I was served some very tasty small ones. Any way, for my experiment I will need a high volume by weight so now I can plan on having one plant to harvest the young tender ones and a number of plants to grow the narrows. While I knew there would be fewer in quantity with the narrows I had no idea idea whether the number would be reduced so much that total weight would be lower.. Thank you.

[@REDGardens]

I had a fairly similar experience when I was young, with lots of oversized marrows as part of our meals. It does make sense as there is so much more to harvest from the plants, at least from a weigh or bulk standpoint. But I do have a few recipes from that period, that I like to use when I have larger courgettes.

[@hvacmaster1496]

Thank you that was a very great video

[@nickthegardener.1120]

Hi Bruce I grew 7 Courgette plants this year and I must have given about 60 or 70 away. Romanesco was the best this year not black beauty!👍

[@REDGardens]

I grew the Romanesco variety this year in the polytunnel, and ended up removing it early because it was just too vigorous and overcrowded the other plants. What size do you usually pick the Romanesco courgettes?

[@nickthegardener.1120]

@@REDGardens hi Bruce I tried to pick medium sized, but it grew 3 runners and missed a couple of marrow sized ones, it's still going! I've removed the other plants now and just have 1, but it is out at the weekend! 👍

[@itsdeclan7733]

I grew yellow and green courgettes in the same space again this year. The yellow ones are generally less prolific than the green ones. Typically they are smaller and develop more slowly. This year for some reason the green ones were very slow to increase in size.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting. I would like to do more of a variety trial, but realise based on the trial I did this season that different varieties are better for different contexts and purposes.

[@benm9910]

Some open pollenated yellow ones are poorly maintained apparently. Might be worth trying another yellow variety for improved vigour. I grew zephyr F1 this year and was impressed. It's crookneck like but with a green top and seemed pretty early here in Leeds.

[@benm9910]

Orelia is the RHS recommended yellow one

[@itsdeclan7733]

@@REDGardens I pulled out the green one today and only then noticed that the main stem was damaged. I think that explains it🤔😀

[@garyhirtz4392]

Thanks .exactly what i was looking for.

[@CapitanFantasma1776]

Thanks!

[@benm9910]

Thanks Bruce. Really thorough as usual and love your presentation of the results (& the forest backdrop!). I'd recommend trying striato di Napoli and Trieste white. They both seem to stay at a medium "courgettey" size for longer than other varieties. Mentioned in a different comment that it would be interesting to know dry matter content as well as weight at each size but that's maybe too much work. Carole deppe has some interesting info in Tao of gardening on courgette drying for storage. She says some varieties taste awful but a couple are tasty. Interesting alternative option for courgette soup in the winter. I'm also just finding at the moment Parthenon (paleocarpic) has been able to produce courgettes for longer than some of my other plants but it could be due to a lack of male flowers after letting some big marrows form. Kind regards, Ben

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for the recommendation. I tried a Striato di Itallia variety this year, and it was interesting but too big and bushy for the polytunnel I was growing it in . I want to try it outsides and I will have to keep an eye out for how long the different varieties seem stay at a good size. Very interesting what Carol says about the flavour of dried courgettes, as I tried it once and didn't like it. Something to investigate. I should have a look at testing the dry matter content as you mention, which I assume I can just do by weighing before and after fully dehydrating. It would be interesting to see what the different water content would be at different sizes.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

They definitely are not as pleasant when they get too big. However, instead of compost , cube them up and boil them in grape or any fruit juice and make sweet treats out of them. This video is close to home for me, I love growing these (when the pumpkin flies leave us alone)

[@REDGardens]

Sweet treats sound interesting!

[@C3Voyage]

Love your trials bud. Consider growing vertically meaning, but the leaves below the last harvested squash or soon after. The canopy is smaller and the plant is more manageable. Grow up a string like a tomato.

[@REDGardens]

Thanks! I have been going some in the polytunnel, tied to a bamboo cane. I do prune them, but not as much as you are suggesting, usually leaving more leaves, but it will be interesting to give that approach a try.

[@KPKENNEDY]

I always remove my first flowers on my squashes until the plant is a decent size. I have noted that the plant stops growing and the squash fruit seems to sit there doing nothing plant is small. My opinion is squashes try to fruit early before the plant has got big enough to produce and grow.

[@REDGardens]

That is interesting. I usually find that the first few fruit on the plants are not pollinated because of no male flowers, at least with the variety I have been growing, so the plants have a chance to grow a bit bigger before the first fruit is developed. But removing the flowers is another option that I should explore. Thanks

[@womack5086]

Great lesson

[@trollforge]

Bruce, do you have a video on the soil balls, or a link to the video where you learned it? I've tried soil blocks & they just fall apart. Personally I prefer the marrows, cut into 3/4" thick rounds, marinated in olive oil, herbs & spices , then BBQed. You should try it.

[@REDGardens]

I don't have a video on the soil balls, that was the first time I tried them. Id suggest looking at the No-Till Farming channel kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXjMm4N-qtmlbZI BBQing the marrows sound delicious.

[@Spyhook]

So which gives more food on the plate - large or small AND are the nutrients the same?

[@hotpepper7782]

Thanks for the brilliant work learn a lot

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@boxofchatter-19]

Could you turn the larger courgettes into loofah sponges if they do not get consumed? Exfoliation is important.

[@REDGardens]

Not with this variety/species. It is a different plant that produces those loofah sponges.

[@robine916]

Thank you for an excellent comparison of the different sizes vs weight of harvest. Although I also prefer the smaller sizes in general, not just for flavor but for consumption (as it is only 2 of us) my Mom asks me for 1 marrow each year that she can split and stuff! 💕

[@REDGardens]

It is really an interesting crop in that way, because you can get such different crop out of it for very different tastes and uses.

[@robine916]

@@REDGardens 💕

[@1Maklak]

One thing to consider for yield is that you can cook the small ones whole, but need to remove seeds from larger ones and skin from fully grown ones.

[@REDGardens]

Yes, good point.

[@1Maklak]

@@REDGardens For selling them just the weight is good. To get the useable mass, it would be enough to get 3-5 of each, weight them, remove the seeds and skin as needed, weight them again and divide by the initial mass, then multiply your yield data by that.

[@sethl3702]

Try lemon squash, they were my favorites this summer. Big hit wit chef's and csa customers.

[@REDGardens]

Sounds interesting. Will keep an eye out for seeds.

[@alisonburgess345]

I'm growing just two grey speckly zucchinis this year, planted about 3-4 weeks apart, and hoping for no runaways, but they seem to appear in the space of ONE DAY! I don't know what to do with the marrows anyway. Very interesting !

[@sza2bom]

you can make a savory bolognese, a little of that will flavor a large amount of fruit. Tasty and low cal.

[@REDGardens]

They grow really quick!

[@Marialla.]

Instead of aiming to pick zucchinis at a particular size/weight, I'm wondering what would happen if you picked them at different intervals, such as "daily, every second day, weekly" or some other arrangement. At any plant's harvest, all visible fruit would be removed, no matter the size. So there may be some distribution of branching vs. enlarging fruit.

[@REDGardens]

That would be interesting to try.

[@TitasIttyBittyFarm]

Thank you for sharing. New subscriber to your channel ❤ Can you make a video on how you make the seed balls? Thanks

[@REDGardens]

Thanks for subscribing! I plan to make a video about those next year during the propagation season.

[@ross9919]

nicely done!

[@0585ccook]

I either save the big ones for seed or toss them in the compost. I don't like them at all. Zucchini and yellow squash are my favorite vegetables though. I live in Mississippi and the weather here makes for a long growing season so it doesn't hurt my feelings so much to toss a few here and there. I prefer them on the small side and that requires vigilance bc the rich soil and optimal conditions here mean you have to check them every day or you'll wake up to a zucchini log when it was the size of your thumb the day before😂

[@REDGardens]

I can imagine they would need to be checked every day in that kind of warm climate. Even here in Ireland, with the cooler summers, they grow really fast.

[@victorsavinoff279]

It would be interesting to see the total weight graph, adjusted for the usable weight. As per my experience with marrows, ca. 40% of its weight is seeds, pith and rind, whereas the smaller ones have almost zero waste. Adjusting the yields for large zucchinis and marrows gives 15 and 16.2 kilos/plant respectively, which is still more than the smaller ones, but much less so.

[@sza2bom]

seems like you need to harvest at the exact moment in time you consider the pith and rind a good eat

[@REDGardens]

Very good point. There is a lot more waste on a marrow.

[@josephlarsen]

what if you trimmed off all the leaves below the ones that you take off each time you harvest one? Kinda like tomatoes are usually pruned. That way you'd control the growth a bit, but allow it to continue. (It seems you mentioned that near the end). What was that dirt ball with the seed in it? Do you have a video on it.

[@REDGardens]

I tend to trim the older leaves, but typically leave then longer that I want. Not sure how it owed affect the growth of the courgettes themselves if I remove more frequently. The soil balls were made from the same mix I buy in to make the soil blocks. This was the first time I tried making balls like this, and haven't done a video yet.

[@josephlarsen]

@@REDGardens i'm excited about the soil ball video, it looked like a cool idea and I'm interested to see the data (one of the reasons I love your channel so much is the real down to earth data you've tracked so well). It seems like it'd be easier than moving something from a 2" pot to a 4" pot and I wonder if it prunes the roots better for better transplants. Also probably much cheaper than the 4" soil blocks :) since I assume it's done by hand for free.

[@helengauperaa4319]

I wonder if the influence of size on number of courgettes (specifically the difference in number between small and medium) may be down to the formation of seeds in the immature fruits? I wonder this because of seeing something similar with seed formation in top fruit (apples), where it's better to thin early as there seems to be a correlation between timing of thinning with number and size of fruit.

[@REDGardens]

I think you are right about that, that once the seeds start to develop they use up a lot of resources from the plant.

[@Qopzeep]

I would be very interested in the water to solid ratio of the fruits. You could dehydrate a fruit of each size or the same weight of fruit in a dehydrator to see what remains after the water is removed. The smaller ones contain less water for sure, but I suspect that the larger marrows must also put on more 'solid' weight. It could give a different perspective on calories of different sizes.

[@REDGardens]

That would be interesting, and I also think the smaller ones would have a higher dry weight.

[@American_Heathen]

I have been taking my larger ones I will cut them up, freeze on a cookie sheet, and then food saver bags. The taste I noticed it there was no change because I doctored it up with salt, pepper, garlic salt and butter. Those smaller ones it’s about supply and demand. If you have a lot of supply but no demand your freezer space becomes a non existent

[@REDGardens]

I haven't tried freezing courgettes yet, but should try.

[@bigswole2133]

How do you keep away the vine borer

[@REDGardens]

Thankfully we don’t have that pest around here.

[@Daughter_of_the_MostHigh]

I have only gotten 2 zucchinis form and a mouse got both, how do I get them to produce more

[@REDGardens]

Given reasonable growing conditions they generally produce a huge amount. If your plants aren’t producing anything much it might be due to really poor soil conditions or lack of fertility. They are ‘hungry’ plants!

[@JohnnyCake12333]

Seed ball is a great idea

[@REDGardens]

That was the first time I tried it. Got the idea from Jessie at No-till Farmers.

[@joefization]

Great work!

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@JennyCarrier-hn1op]

i froze my courgette..perfect for soup in winter or muffin .

[@MountainGardenGirl]

Love your videos too! Do you think there a possible chance that the way the courgette is cut and the injury created in tearing does anything to affect yield ? This year I have planted a steak knife from the thrift shops at each of my 5 plants. It appears that I have a quicker recovery and regrowth from the clean slice than when I used to just tear off the fruit. But knives can be injurious to lateral branches also. Your thoughts?

[@REDGardens]

I haven't heard of any issues with how they are cut, but it makes sense that a clean slice will be easier to heal over than a larger, jagged break.

[@melissabelvadi9986]

Interesting. I've done a quantitative study too on my own garden, but I was measuring length, not weight, on about 16 plants. I found that on good summer weather days, a plant with 1 big one and at most one small one was growing the zucc length about 1.5-2 inches per day on each, but if there were two big or more than two, or a dark rainy day (even warm), that slowed to about 1" per day. I prefer them around 8-9" which is maximal flesh but still before the seed core starts to get unappetizing. I grow the Noche variety. Maybe I should start tracking weight this year. I've already harvested over 50, but have a long season still ahead and two big standup freezers to put it all in (diced or shredded), so I want as much as I can get right until frost (Atlantic Canada).

[@REDGardens]

That is a really interesting alternative study. I would like to do something similar. I would love to see how much the weather changes the growth rate. Your observations about large fruit or more fruit affecting the growth rate is interesting.

[@DK6060]

Are you shooting the commentary elsewhere? Looks a lot like southern Ontario

[@REDGardens]

Yes, I was in Southern Ontario, on the Credit River, when I filmed that.

[@DK6060]

@@REDGardens I live in Toronto, it looked very familiar

[@ChrisMusicRSA]

Intresting video, thanks!

[@REDGardens]

🙂

[@tealkerberus748]

Good science! So for optimal yield, harvest baby zucchini with the flower still on in the early season until the plants are well grown, and after that let the zucchini grow as big as possible without having the seeds go hard and nasty. Then they'll be just right for grating into soups and stews and minced meat recipes, which is most of how we eat zucchini.

[@REDGardens]

Sounds like a good approach. I haven’t really got into using the larger ones grated, something to explore.

[@lanedouglas9297]

Learning the plants logic could help us in health logic

[@jeffmartin693]

somewhat related... I have found the plant to be more productive if I cut the stems of the fruits verses snapping them off and leaving a a bit of fruit at times on the plant...

[@REDGardens]

That's interesting!

[@Tomhohenadel]

Bruce, how do you form the root ball. Is there a special additive to keep its form intact.

[@REDGardens]

I used the same special mix I buy in to used in the soil blocks I make, but haven’t explored any other mix.

[@cathymontgomery7295]

What type was the yellow one?

[@REDGardens]

I think it was a hybrid variety called Atena F1.

[@phillippinter7518]

I know that spacing is just one factor but how much space do you give your plants to get them to get this large?

[@REDGardens]

I usually space the courgette plants about 1m apart.

[@phillippinter7518]

Thanks, that seems pretty typical. And thanks for conducting these expirements, it's very helpful especially because a lot of ag studies you would have to pay a lot of money to get full acess to.

[@kirstypollock6811]

Mine hardly grew anything this year! Was very dry, think that's why. They seemed to be smaller, denser, greener too. But all my squashes were under productive - lack of pollination and having all male or all female at one time. Frustrating. Only in September with more rain did they take off ... Too late, it's not the warm September I was hoping for

[@sza2bom]

my wife goes out in the morning every 2-3 days to hand pollinate the flowers. Tripled our yields. We had our plants too close this year so maybe thats why bees didnt find the flowers effectively.

[@REDGardens]

That is tough when the weather doesn't allow for the abundant growth of the crops.

[@kirstypollock6811]

@@sza2bom yes, I got into hand pollination too - but for some kind of squash they ALL had all male or all female flowers across the board for weeks. So nothing to be done. I was carrying field l flowers between 3 places when it was possible!

[@kirstypollock6811]

@@sza2bom I found when my sunflowers came out, and the wild Rucola flowered, I had loads of bees! :-). But not before.

[@onestar1017]

So harvest a few when they are small to boost growth then let them grow bigger after...

[@NocturnalNick]

perfect video!

[@REDGardens]

😁

[@amywhite752]

Your cadence in speaking is pretty sophistic, but the information was good.

[@Usonian7]

😂😂😂 clickbait got me. Always a fan though.

[@REDGardens]

sorry about that ...

[@andersonomo597]

Same here - I got a giggle out of the cheeky title!!

[@thenightscythe2030]

I still like to take the Huge ones and Grill em... Just a little salt & pepper... Maybe whatever spices you like (less is more) The hard part is cutting them just right Sooo that they cook evenly.... Slightly "mushy" inside, but still slightly crisp at the outside... For whatever reason, whenever i harvest when small, they all die out... So i just let em grow until the next set is healthy

[@REDGardens]

interesting point you make about them dining when you harvest small. I wonder what is going on.

[@thenightscythe2030]

@@REDGardens it could be as simple as Timing for the Blooms... I have noticed when there are 3 or more Fruits growing, the Male Flowers are less... The only other thing could be the Chemicals released when cut, majority of plants release chemicals that can tell it to "stop growing, we are damaged"... Or It could simply be environmental/weather here in California