Zucchini needs about six to eight hours of full sun each day and consistently moist, fertilized soil.
Additionally, there are a few pests to watch out for.
Here is everything you gotta know to have thriving zucchini in your garden season after season.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Even if fruits manage to form during cold weather, they will have pitted skin from chilling injuries.
The danger of frost should be gone entirely.
Succession planting is the way to go if you like a steady supply of squash throughout the growing season.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Plus, keep these row covers handy in the fall to extend your harvest.
Hilling also allows for increased pollination because clusters of plants can grow together.
Furthermore, hills provide better drainage than flat rows.
The Spruce / K. Dave
This gardening technique also allows you to dig compost into the soil.
Zucchini plants like rich soil, and hilling gives them an extra boost of nutrients they’ll appreciate.
Without pollination, there will be no viable fruit.
The Spruce / K. Dave
They’ll perform best in moist but not overly saturated soil.
Considerplanting companions with your zucchini.
Water
Water when the top layer of soil is dry to the touchabout one inch per week.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Increase in hot or dry regions and periods of drought.
Fertilizer
Fertilize regularly, especially if your soil isn’t dense with nutrients.
Use an all-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer, which should meet all the plant’s needs.
The Spruce / K. Dave
This will give it the boost in potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous needed for healthy fruit production.
For frequency and amount to use, follow the product label directions.
Only female flowers set fruit.
The Spruce / Heidi Kolsky
The male flowers are there strictly for pollinating purposes.
New zucchini plants tend to produce a lot of male flowers at first.
This can be frustrating for gardeners when they see many flowers blooming but no fruits forming.
Once the plants mature a little, they will start setting flowers of both sexes.
And thanks to the early male flowers, there already should be plenty of pollinating insects in the area.
You will know you have female flowers when you see tiny fruits directly behind the base of the flower.
it’s possible for you to alwaystake pollinating matters into your own hands.
Remove the male flowers and dust their pollen onto the female flowers to help ensure good pollination takes place.
Harvesting Zucchini
Harvest zucchini when it’s at least six inches long and firm to the touch.
Note the optimal color for the variety you’re growing and check that your fruit matches.
When young, zucchini is tender and full of flavor.
Don’t wait too long to harvest, as the seeds and rinds can become hard and stringy.
Once the plant begins to fruit, the zucchini grows quickly.
Check the plants daily to pick at the optimal size.
Zucchini plants can sprawl, so pots may be a good idea if you need more garden space.
Pick a container with a minimum diameter of 24 inches and a minimum depth of 12 inches.
Any material will do, but see to it there’s at least one drainage hole at the bottom.
Fill with a lightweight potting mixture containing a little compost, peat, and perlite or vermiculite.
Pruning
Pruning is an essential maintenance task when growing healthy zucchini.
It increases airflow around the plant, which reduces the threat of mildew diseases and extends the harvest period.
The best time to prune is when you first see flowers forming or fruit setting.
Trim off the tips to start, but continue to trim as needed throughout the season.
Take care not to prune too close to growing fruits.
Cut off any browning or dead leaves you spot.
Be careful not to cut into any stems, leaving the plant vulnerable to disease.
Many gardeners do this second planting in mid-July or mid-August (or both).
Plantings later in the season typically grow even faster than a spring planting.
Zucchini can be propagated by seed simply and successfully without a lot of seed preparation.
This cuts off water flow through the stems and can quickly kill your zucchini plants.
Adult squash vine borers are actually moths.
Unlike most moths, though, these fly during daylight hours.
Adding row covers over your plants can prevent pests from laying eggs on your zucchini plants.
However, if you use this method of protection, you’ll need to hand-pollinate the flowers.
This should prevent larvae from boring through the foil.
Zucchini is an annual plant that must be replanted again the following season.
Zucchini is generally easy to grow and considered a staple in the summer fruit and vegetable garden.
Zucchini is relatively quick to grow, even though you have to start from seed each year.
It will take about 50 to 60 days to get harvest-ready.
Growing Summer Squash and Zucchini in Home Gardens.
University of Minnesota Extension.
