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Typically in August/September I get vigourous courgette plants but if I don't catch and harvest the fruits quickly I end up with enormous useless marrows.

At the same time my pumpkins are doing the opposite, that is growing to size of large oranges then stopping and sulking.

I want small courgettes and large pumpkins but I get the opposite. It's perverse! They're basically the same thing aren't they?

Is there any way to encourage courgettes to slow down?

More importantly - how to boost pumpkins? The pumpkins are being grown in tons of horse manure so they're not hungry. I'm wondering whether I'm putting them in too late, and they're running out of daylight by August/September.

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Well, you can't stop zucchini(courgettes) from growing and they're prolific growers. But they keep pretty well, just pick them small which will encourage them to grow more, so maybe you can afford to give a few away (not just the huge ones). You could always plant fewer and space them out more so you can spot 'em easier before they get humungous.

As for pumpkins, you might be growing too many pumpkins on your vine. Try picking the flowers off and only grow one on a vine.

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  • good point, i'll try 1 fruit per plant this year Jun 9, 2011 at 15:49
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    I had a pumpkin plant that sprouted spontaenously from seeds that came out of a fruit that didn't get harvested in the fall last year (left the bad ones to compost in the plot over winter). I only figured out it was a pumpkin when it sprouted a small pumkin. Figured this all happened too late in the season to get anything good, but just a few days later, with it being the only fruit on a really big, vigorous vine, it got HUGE. Also, make sure you aren't growing mini-pumpkins (actually a gourd variety). :D Sep 9, 2016 at 17:14

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