What wrong with my courgette plant?

[Mida]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie gardener, and would really appreciate some advice. My courgette plant has been growing both male and female flowers for a couple of weeks. The male flowers blossom and fall off (which I understand is quite normal). The female flowers, however, are not opening at all. This week they have started rotting!!

The plant is still indoors as it has been quite cold and windy (I'm in Surrey, UK). I put my bean plants out last week and they all died, so I am bit reluctant to put the courgette out until it warms up. I'm planning to harden them by putting them out a few hours a day this week.

I have new compost for the courgette plant, and I don't think I am over or under watering. The plant is in quite a large grow bag for teh size of the plant (30cm in diameter x 30cm in height). The plant is near a floor to ceiling window. What am I doing wrong?? Could it be that it's still not getting enough sun?

Thank you in advance
Mida

 

[Tetters]

Hello @Mida and welcome to the forums.
This has been an awful spring for all of our growing endeavours this year - weather all over the place. Long severe frost, wind, drought, heat, and then more frost
You seem to have started your courgettes a bit too early to suit 2021. I don`t think they will or should be ready for going out until at least the end of this month, and possibly not until June. It`s not your fault !!

If you have a cold frame, or other sheltered place outside where you can shelter your plants with fleece overnight, it could be a good idea to do that and harden them off a bit. They will need pollination before the fruits will set - either bees and other insects, or by mechanical measures.
I would be careful too not to overwater them.