Courgettes

When I first started my veg patch I had decided I would grow courgettes at some point, because I am a huge fan of them. I actually grew them from seed, like most of my veg. I was very excited when they started flowering, as my gardening pals had informed me that I was not far off from seeing my first courgette. HOWEVER, when my gardening buddies started bringing me huge marrows to enjoy, I was lamenting at the fact that I still saw no sign of a courgette. But now, months later than they should have been growing:

A courgette! How exciting!

I read recently that when the courgettes start growing you should place a clear bottle of water beneath the plant. This heats the water during the day, so that the courgettes stay warm during the night, helping them to grow bigger.

So.... I will be picking a couple of courgettes when they are about as thick as my thumb, then leaving a couple of the others to grow up to be marrows (I have a great recipe for marrow chutney, which I will share at a later date). Voilà, easy veg.... sort of.....