Everyone Can Grow Zucchini

Every summer the following joke circulates in Maine: Why do Mainers lock their cars in August? So people won’t dump zucchinis in the back seat!

Zucchini is an easy and bountiful crop to grow. In fact, tasty slender zooks turn into oversized baseball bats almost overnight if you are not vigilant. Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamin C and other nutrients—the darker the skin the more nutrients. It’s also very low in calories. If you get tired of zucchini bread and stuffed zucchini, you can sneak bits of zucchini into soups, stews, salads, stir fries, and smoothies.

Zucchini Varieties

Ambassador, Condor, and Spacemiser are compact varieties, good for smaller gardens. Gold Rush is a compact yellow bush that’s resistant to powdery mildew. Costata Romanesco is an Italian type with ribbed fruit. Seneca tolerates cooler weather.

Zucchini Planting

Zucchini is a warm weather crop; plant in full sun after the soil has warmed up. There’s no sense in rushing the season by planting early because the seeds won’t germinate and may rot—unless, of course, you use row covers or hot caps. You can, however, start zucchini inside four weeks before outside planting time, or buy seedlings.

Plant zucchini seeds in well-drained soil. Zucchini are not heavy feeders, so if you plant them in good garden soil they shouldn’t need extra fertilizer.

Zucchini is usually sown in hills three feet apart, five seeds to a hill, two inches deep. Water every two or three days until the seeds germinate, unless it rains heavily. When the seedlings have one set of true leaves thin to the strongest two or three plants by cutting off the weaker ones.

If you cut them instead of pulling them out you won’t risk damaging the tender roots of the remaining seedlings. Continue to water deeply around the base of the plants.

Zucchini Pests and Diseases

Cucumber beetles are common zucchini pests, and are best picked and squished. Growing your zooks under row covers helps keep cucumber beetles from destroying the leaves. Mother Earth News has invented a “squash bug squisher” you can make at home. Find out how to do it and read gardeners’ reports on their success on this webpage.

Squash vine borers do exactly what the name suggests; they bore holes inside the stem. A small operation often takes care of the problem. With a clean knife, make a slit along the length of the stem and clean out the borers. Then mound soil around the stem, covering up the slit. Bacillus thuringiensis can also control the borers.

Zucchinis are susceptible to bacterial wilt and powdery mildew. Avoid overhead watering and crowding to protect the plants from powdery mildew. Immediately remove and destroy plants with wilt. Because insects spread these diseases it’s important to check the undersides of the leaves regularly and spray with insecticidal soap if you see aphids, whiteflies, or spider mites.

Plant varieties resistant to the diseases that are common in your location.

To prevent insects and diseases from growing in the plant debris, remove plants right after you finish harvesting.

Harvesting Zucchini

Zucchinis grow very fast, and are ready to harvest in 45 to 55 days when they are six to eight inches long. With a knife (don’t pull), cut the fruit’s stem between the fruit and the main stem. Even a few days past their prime zucchinis get to be as big, dry, and tough as baseball bats, so don’t wait to harvest them.

Zucchini have male and female flowers. The female flowers have swellings at the base, which develop into the zucchini fruit. The male flowers make colorful additions to salads and are good in tempura. Harvest flowers in the morning, place with their bases in water, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.

Common Questions and Answers About How To Grow Zucchini

Can I plant zucchini and cucumber together?

Cucumbers and zucchinis are from the same family, the cucurbitaceae family, also known as the squash family. However, the two vegetables, while similar looking, are two completely different species, so they cannot cross-pollinate. Therefore, planting them in the same garden, the same pot, or even right next to each other, will not decrease fruit quality in either plant, and is perfectly safe.

Can I plant zucchini in July?

Summertime is the perfect time to plant zucchini, as they thrive in the summer months. So, not only is it okay to plant zucchini late in the summer, it is actually beneficial to do so, as zucchinis love warm weather and tend to grow and bear fruit very quickly when planted late. However, around mid-July is about the latest that you will want to get your zucchini plants into the ground, as zucchinis need to be harvested before frosts occur.

Can you cut back zucchini leaves?

When pruning zucchini plants, you just want to prune back enough to give the plant more sunlight, so be sure not to remove all of the leaves. Focus on cutting back only the bigger leaves and make your cuts near the base of the plant, leaving all of the rest of the foliage intact. As with most plants, you can also remove any dead or dying leaves, so that the plant won’t waste any energy and resources trying to revive them.

Can you grow zucchini in a five-gallon bucket?

Growing zucchini in a five-gallon bucket is a perfectly suitable way to grow zucchini and doing so even comes with its own set of benefits. You can plant any vegetable in a five-gallon bucket if you wish to produce large amounts of the vegetable in a small space. You don’t need to have a massive garden to grow lots of vegetables. You can place your zucchini-growing bucket anywhere where there is enough space, as well as the right growing conditions for zucchini.

Can you grow zucchini in pots?

Zucchini can be grown in a container with a diameter of at least 24 inches and a depth of at least 12 inches. If you are short on gardening space, growing zucchini in a container can help you to conserve space. Just be sure to use a pot with good drainage and a lightweight potting soil that contains ingredients like peat, compost, or fine bark. Avoid using regular garden soil, especially one that can easily become compacted and smother the root system and may also contain pests and weed seeds.

Plant two or three zucchini seeds near the center of the pot about an inch deep, allowing a couple of inches of space between each seed. Keep the soil slightly moist but not soggy for the first week or two until the seeds germinate. After two weeks, remove all but the strongest looking seedling. Once the seeds sprout, cut back watering by waiting until the top two inches of soil dries out completely between each watering. Provide a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day, the more the better. Either mix a time release fertilizer into the potting soil at planting time, or feed every four weeks with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer. If you’re growing a trailing or vining variety of zucchini, you will most likely need a trellis or some other type of support for the vines to grow on. A tomato cage inserted into the container is a great option.

Can you grow zucchini with tomatoes?

There are many vegetables that shouldn’t be grown near tomatoes for a variety of reasons. Zucchini’s are not amongst this group. Tomatoes and zucchinis complement each other in many recipes, so there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t complement each other when planted directly in the earth as well.

Can you overwater zucchini?

Zucchini plants need a consistent supply of water to thrive but too much water can lead to rot issues and can cause foliage to yellow. Once plants are established, allow the top two inches of soil to dry out between waterings to avoid over watering.

Can zucchini be grown vertically?

If you are a bit short on space in your garden, zucchini is one of many plants that can be grown vertically to help save you some valuable garden space. Growing zucchini vertically also allows gardeners to harvest fruit more easily.

Does zucchini grow well in pots?

Zucchini typically grows on giant plants that spread out and sprawl across large garden spaces, so zucchini plants typically take up considerable garden space, even though this isn’t completely necessary. As modern gardeners move towards vertical gardens and space-saving practices, scientists too, have started to cultivate smaller varieties of zucchini that are well suited to container gardening and vertical growing.

This is great news for space-challenged gardeners who are limited to a patio or a balcony area for all of their gardening needs. Compact zucchini varieties include Raven, Geode, Eight Ball, and Jackpot Hybrid, to name a few. Though each of these varieties are well suited to container gardening, smaller containers will not suffice for zucchinis, no matter what variety is being grown

Does zucchini need a tomato cage?

Zucchinis can be grown in the garden without any support at all, but as the plant produces heavy fruit that is known to occasionally touch the ground, a garden support tool can sometimes prove very useful. Zucchinis can be planted next to a fence or grown on a trellis. Another option is to plant zucchini at the base of a tomato cage so that they will have support and structure to lean on as they grow in size and weight.

Do you need a trellis for zucchini?

Zucchini plants can take up a lot of space in the garden, as they tend to spread out and take up as much room as they are able to. One advantage of using a trellis for trailing varieties of zucchini is that the trellis will encourage the plant to grow upwards instead of outwards, taking up much less room in the garden. Growing your zucchini plants vertically also makes harvesting a much easier task when the time comes, as you can perform the job while standing up, instead of having to bend down low to get all of your zucchini fruits. Another major benefit of using a trellis to grow zucchini is that it keeps the fruit from touching the ground, which lowers the risk of many disease and pest problems, including one of zucchini’s major pests, the squash bug.

Do you need two zucchini plants?

If you want your zucchini plants to produce a lot of fruit, it is a good idea to plant at least two or three plants close together. Squash flowers need to be pollinated multiple times to form fruit and each flower only opens once, for only one day. If your plants are not pollinated, they will not produce fruit. If you have multiple plants growing in the same area, you will have a lot more flowers opening on a regular basis, greatly increasing your chances of growing lots of fruit.

Do zucchini grow after flowers fall off?

Once male zucchini blossoms open to release their pollen, they fall off the plant, making the plant seem as though its lost all of its flowers. However, soon the female blossoms will open, and the plants will begin to bear fruit. Zucchini flowers can also be picked off without harming the plant, just allow them to grow to maturity before picking them off to make sure you aren’t picking off any tiny, underdeveloped fruit in the process. Zucchini flowers are very tasty, so be sure not to just throw them away when removing them from the plant.

Do zucchini like full sun?

Zucchini plants prefer full sun exposure and require at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day.  Zucchini plants need full sunlight exposure, at a minimum of six to eight hours per day. These sun-loving vegetables do not perform well in cold soil or in shaded locations. Partial sunlight in the late afternoon is okay, but in general, with zucchini as well as all squash plants, the more sunlight the better.

Do zucchini plants grow back every year?

Zucchini plants are annuals, which means that their natural life cycle only lasts for one season, and therefore, they need to be replanted every year. The life expectancy of a zucchini plant is only from the summer through part of the fall.

Do zucchini plants need a lot of sun?

Zucchini plants require a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day, though they prefer as much as they can get. For best results, provide eight to ten hours of sunlight per day. Planting your zucchini plants near a south-facing wall will maximize sun exposure and give your plants the best chance to thrive and produce abundantly.

Do zucchini plants need support?

Zucchini plants come in both bushy and vining varieties. Though the vining varieties of zucchini do not require support, providing a trellis or other support structure has many benefits. Many vining varieties of zucchini like to spread out and can take up quite a bit of room if allowed to grow horizontally, but if they are given a support structure, they can be taught to grow vertically and can take up much less space in a small garden area. Using a trellis, or other support structure can also help prevent pest and disease issues by keeping fruit from touching the soil.

How deep should soil be for zucchini?

If growing zucchini in a container, use a pot that is at least 12 inches deep. When planting in the ground, plant seeds just one inch below the soil. After the plant has developed its first true set of leaves, mound up the soil around the base of the plant about six to 12 inches high.

How do I care for zucchini?

Zucchini plants need a location in full sun with a fertile, well-draining soil. Zucchini plants need regular watering to make sure that their soil stays evenly moist. However, the plant will try to ask for water even when it has plenty by appearing wilted during sunny days. In order to avoid overwatering, wait until the sun goes down to see if the foliage will bounce back. If the foliage remains wilted-looking, then it probably does need to be watered again, but if the leaves seem to recover, there is probably plenty of moisture in the root zone.

When watering, water slowly and deeply in order to fully saturate the root zone. Mulch with straw or hay to prevent excess water evaporation. Feed your zucchini plants with a shovelful of nitrogen or a low-nitrogen commercial fertilizer whenever the leaves appear pale or when the stem starts to look weak. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers will reduce the yield. Regular harvesting will encourage more fruiting. Provide your zucchini plants with protection from the wind, especially in extremely windy areas.

How do I know when my zucchini is ready to be picked?

Most zucchini varieties are ready to be harvested when they reach lengths of six to 12 inches long, however they can be harvested earlier or later depending on your preferences. A good rule to abide by is to pick early and often, because zucchini is such a prolific producer and harvesting promotes more fruit production.

Though there are white and yellow zucchini varieties, standard zucchini fruit should be a dark green color when they become ripe. Ripe fruit should also be firm to the touch. If your zucchini is soft or mushy, this could be a sign that your fruit has started to rot. Zucchini plants can often become very and their broad leaves can easily hide fruit that is ready for harvest, so be sure to check thoroughly under the leaves of your zucchini plants when harvesting to make sure that you don’t miss any fruit.

How do I make my zucchini plant produce more?

Hand pollinating your zucchini plants is the best way to encourage them to produce more fruit. Zucchini flowers open up in the morning when humidity is somewhat low. Using a dry paint brush, gently touch the male anther to get pollen on the brush. The anther can be found in the center of the male zucchini flower. Once the brush is coated with male pollen, simply brush it on the stigma of the female flowers on your zucchini plants. With our dwindling bee population, sometimes zucchini may need a helping hand with pollination. However, once your zucchini plants are pollinated, you should have no trouble amassing a large stock of fruit, even if you only have one or two plants in your garden.

How do I train my zucchini to climb?

Once the vines of your zucchini plant are tall enough to reach your trellis or other support structure, simply attach the vines to the trellis by tying them loosely to the object using small strips of fabric. Avoid tying them too tightly as you can easily restrict the vine’s growth or damage the plant in the process. If the vines grow longer than expected, feel free to tie the tops of the vines to the structure as needed.

How do you fertilize zucchini?

If you are growing your zucchini organically, simply mix a compost or well-rotted manure into the soil before planting to provide plenty of nutrients to give your zucchini plants a healthy diet through the summer months. If you are not growing organically, the best fertilizer to use is a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 mix. Fertilizer should be applied during watering every four weeks during the summer months.

How do you get rid of zucchini plants?

If you are removing a bushy variety of zucchini, simply cut it down to the ground. If you are removing a vining variety of zucchini, cut the vine with pruning shears as you lift and pull, working your way to the base of the plant. Toss pieces into a bucket or wheelbarrow to dispose of later or place them in a trash bag as you go.

How do you grow zucchini in a small room?

One issue you may face when growing zucchini in a small garden area is space. There are a few options that can help you conserve space and still produce lots of zucchini in a small garden area. One way to save space is to select a bush variety of zucchini instead of a trailing variety, such as the French round zucchini variety, which was bred to grow in containers or small spaces. Another way to conserve your space is to use a trellis or an inverted tomato cage to grow your zucchini plants upwards instead of allowing them to spread out horizontally in your garden.

How do you self pollinate zucchini plants?

Zucchini flowers open up in the morning when humidity is somewhat low. Using a dry paint brush, gently touch the male anther to get pollen on the brush. The anther can be found in the center of the male zucchini flower. Once the brush is coated with male pollen, simply brush it on the stigma of the female flowers on your zucchini plants. With our dwindling bee population, sometimes zucchini may need a helping hand with pollination. However, once your zucchini plants are pollinated, you should have no trouble amassing a large stock of fruit, even if you only have one or two plants in your garden.

How do you take care of a zucchini plant?

Zucchini plants need a location in full sun with a fertile, well-draining soil. Zucchini plants need regular watering to make sure that their soil stays evenly moist. However, the plant will try to ask for water even when it has plenty by appearing wilted during sunny days. In order to avoid overwatering, wait until the sun goes down to see if the foliage will bounce back. If the foliage remains wilted-looking, then it probably does need to be watered again, but if the leaves seem to recover, there is probably plenty of moisture in the root zone.

When watering, water slowly and deeply in order to fully saturate the root zone. Mulch with straw or hay to prevent excess water evaporation. Feed your zucchini plants with a shovelful of nitrogen or a low-nitrogen commercial fertilizer whenever the leaves appear pale or when the stem starts to look weak. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers will reduce the yield. Regular harvesting will encourage more fruiting. Provide your zucchini plants with protection from the wind, especially in extremely windy areas.

How do you trellis zucchini?

Dig a hole for the zucchini plant into the ground a few inches in front of the trellis. Using the same spacing that you would to grow squash in the ground, space plants at least two feet apart along the trellis. Once the vines are tall enough to reach the trellis, tie them loosely to the trellis using strips of fabric to encourage them to grow up the structure. Avoid tying too tightly as you might damage the plant or restrict its growth.

How long does it take for zucchini to grow?

Zucchini takes 35 to 55 days from planting to harvest. Zucchini fruit grows rather rapidly, producing up to two inches of fruit each day, so it is best to harvest them every other day during the growing season to encourage more fruit production. Instead of pulling the fruit off by hand, use a sharp knife to remove zucchini from the branch when harvesting.

How long do zucchini plants live?

Zucchini plants are annuals, meaning that they only live for one growing season. Zucchini plants are typically grown in the summer, normally living from midsummer until the first few weeks of fall.

How many hours of sun does zucchini need?

Zucchini plants enjoy lots of sunlight. They require six to eight hours of full sunlight exposure per day, but they will perform better with eight to ten hours of sun. The more sunlight that they are given, the more fruit they will produce.

How many zucchini do you get from one plant?

Zucchini plants may take up a lot of space in the garden, but you begin to realize why when you see the output of their harvests. Zucchini plants produce a lot of zucchinis, and the plants remain in production mode for several months. A single zucchini plant can produce six to 10 pounds of zucchini during just one growing season.

How many zucchini is a square foot?

Zucchini is a large plant that will spread if not controlled, therefore it requires two spaces in a square foot garden. Some people recommend that the zucchini plant be given only one space in a square foot garden as it takes up much less space when it is grown vertically. However, even when given adequate support to grow vertically, zucchini has been known to spread out anyway and take up more space than is necessary. Also, though the zucchini may only need one space to grow vertically on the surface level, it’s root system needs two spaces to support the plant that is growing above ground.

How much space do you need for a zucchini plant?

Give established seedlings about 28 inches between each plant when thinning if you are using cages, trellis or other support. Give unsupported zucchini plants at least 36 inches of space. Bush type varieties should be planted in rows that are 24 to 36 inches apart and thinned to about the same distance between plants.

How much water does zucchini need a day?

Whenever the top of the soil feels dry to the touch, provide zucchini plants with one to two inches of water per day, watering the plants slowly and deeply. When the weather is cool, zucchini plants will need to be watered once per week. When the weather is warm, increase waterings to two or three times per week.

How often should you water zucchini plants?

Typically, you need to water your zucchini plants deeply and slowly around once per week. However, this may need to be increased to two or three waterings per week during droughts or especially hot periods, providing about one inch of water every week if there is no rain and up to three inches per week during especially hot and dry periods. To determine whether zucchini plants need watering, dig 3-4 inches into the soil next to the plants. If the soil 3-4 inches deep is dry, it’s time to give your plants a nice slow drink.

How tall do zucchini plants get?

When zucchini plants are allowed to spread out horizontally, they usually don’t get any higher than two feet tall. However, when they are grown vertically using a trellis or other support to climb on, they can grow anywhere between two and five feet tall.

How tall should a trellis be for a zucchini?

Choose a place in your garden where the shadow cast by a 6-foot high trellis will not negatively impact other plants. Allow space for the length of the row; usually rows of 16 to 18 feet work best.

Is it too late to plant zucchini in August?

May is the recommended time for direct-seeding most summer squash plants, including zucchini. However, weather conditions are more important than what month it is when you get them in the ground. Wait until the temperature is steadily around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the soil temperature is at least 60, but preferably 70 degrees as well. Smaller, more compact bushy varieties tend to produce fruit more quickly, and depending on the climate in your area, can be planted as late as mid-august and still be ready for harvest before fall frosts come around.

Should I pinch off zucchini flowers?

If you start your seeds too early and flowering starts before its time to plant in the garden, pinch off the flowers to encourage more leaf growth. As only female zucchini flowers produce fruit, male flowers can be pinched off without decreasing the plant’s productivity. However, that doesn’t mean that you should remove all male flowers on sight, as they are needed to pollinate the female flowers in order to make them produce gourds. If you choose to remove all male flowers, take a few moments to hand pollinate the female flowers with pollen from the male flowers. The best way to transfer pollen from male to female flowers is with paintbrush, rubbing the center of the male flowers to coat the brush in pollen and then transplanting the pollen to the female flower stigmas gently with the brush.

Should I prune zucchini plants?

Pruning zucchini plants is not required, but it can help ease overcrowding or shading issues, as well as promote and stimulate additional growth of the zucchini plant.

What can you not plant next to zucchini?

Potatoes should always be planted alone in the garden and should also be rotated each year as they are heavy feeders and tend to rob their neighbors of nutrients by feeding heavily and hogging the majority of essential nutrients from the soil. Not only do farmers recommend rotating where you plant your potatoes each year, but they also suggest replenishing the nutrients in the soil after each growing season before planting anything else in that location, especially nitrogen.

Pumpkins should never be planted near zucchini or other summer squash plants, as they are members of the same species and can cross pollinate, which will keep your zucchini plants from producing fruit.

What is a good companion plant for zucchini?

Beans, corn, and squash (zucchini) are a perfect trinity of plants to share the same garden bed. Known as the three sisters, the combination of these three vegetable crops have a positive effect on your garden’s ecosystem, making them excellent neighbors in any garden.

Beans pull nitrogen from the air and supply it to the soil, providing essential nutrients to heavy-feeding plants such as zucchini. Corn has a sturdy stalk which beans and zucchini, both vining crops, can attach themselves to like a natural trellis or support structure. Zucchini (or squash) plants grow large and abundant, keeping weeds from invading the garden bed, and providing shade to keep the soil cool. The spiny leaves of the zucchini plant deter pests like rodents from eating the beans or corn.

All three of the sisters enjoy the same growing requirements, specifically moisture and soil fertility needs, which makes them a worry-free match when it comes to providing care for each plant individually. It is no surprise that these three vegetables are often paired together. In native american gardens, they are an inseparable team. Native americans believed that they should not only be grown together, but should be consumed together as well.

What season does zucchini grow?

Zucchini, as well as other types of summer squash, should be grown in the summer, but the season, or month in which they are planted, is not nearly as important, as the environmental conditions around them at the time of cultivation. Zucchini grows best when temperatures are in the upper 60’s and 70’s (Fahrenheit). Zucchini should be planted when you have at least two months of temperatures that are at least this warm. The earliest that zucchini should be planted is three weeks after the final spring frost.

What’s wrong with my zucchini?

One of the biggest zucchini problems is the pest squash vine borer. The adult vine borer is a red and black flying moth that can be spotted zipping from plant to plant, or vine to vine, during the day. Though the adult moths do create small holes on the leaves from feeding, the majority of the damage is done by the larvae, which feed inside of the plant’s main stem. You will likely notice sawdust-like crumbles of waste dropping to the soil from a small hole at the base of the plant as the vine borer hollows out the main stem of the plant, in many cases eventually causing the plant to die. To prevent squash vine borers, wrap the bottom of the main stem of each of your zucchini plants with aluminum foil or cover your zucchini plants with floating row covers until they begin to bloom. Other pests that are known to plague the zucchini plant are squash bugs, aphids, and mealybugs.

Another possible zucchini problem is disease issues. Common diseases that affect the zucchini plant are powdery mildew, blossom end rot and bacterial wilt. Give plants plenty of space between each other and dry off wet foliage to avoid fungal infections like powdery mildew. To prevent blossom end rot, provide ample and consistent amounts of water throughout the growing season. Bacterial wilt is spread by the cucumber beetle, which can be trapped on yellow sticky cards to protect your zucchini plants.

Other common issues with zucchini plants include poor pollination, which can be avoided by pollinating by hand when necessary, poor soil, lack of water, and not enough sun. Always look for pest and disease resistant varieties when selecting a zucchini plant to help avoid common diseases and infestations.

Where do I cut zucchini off the plant?

Zucchini fruit should be removed by cutting the fruit from the plant at the stem. Use a sharp pair of pruning shears instead of pulling the fruit off by hand to avoid damaging the stem of the plant, which may continue to produce zucchini fruit after being harvested.

Why do I only have male zucchini flowers?

A lack of pollinators is often the reason why sometimes only male flowers are produced by the zucchini plant. This can also be caused by pollinators not moving between flowers and transferring the pollen. More often than not though, there is nothing to worry about, as the plant will eventually make both types of flowers when it is ready to produce fruit. The zucchini plant tends to produce only male flowers early in the season, which is no cause for concern. These can be pinched off so that the plant can focus on more foliage production until it is time to produce fruit. Female, fruit bearing flowers show up later in the season.

Why is my zucchini plant not producing?

If your local area has a low bee population, it could be the reason why your zucchini plant is not producing, as it is not being pollinated properly. High temperatures can also cause pollination failure. Hand pollination is a relatively easy way to ensure that your plants begin producing fruit.

Why is zucchini yellow?

If your zucchini plant isn’t properly pollinated, it can produce fruit that turns yellow and drops. This is usually due to an issue caused by too few grains of pollen pollinating the female flower.

For More Information about Zucchini:

Learn more about growing and cooking zucchini at these websites:

How to Grow Zucchini Squash

Zucchini: A Treat in the Heat.

How to Make Zucchini Pickles