Ridiculously Productive: Growing the Zucchini
By Vanessa Richins
One of the most common vegetables planted in the home garden is the zucchini.
It’s easy to grow and productive…almost TOO productive.
There are many stories I hear of eager gardeners who find themselves overwhelmed at harvest time when their plants are overflowing with zucchini.
Faced with an unexpected bounty, they foist them upon their neighbors, friends, family, strangers…anyone they come across. I have even heard of zucchini being secretly left on doorstops.
Never fear though - now that you know the secret, you’ll be aware that you don’t need to grow many zucchini plants unless you plan to feed an army.
You’ll want to start by preparing your soil. Zucchini and other squashes are planted in hills. Move the dirt into a mound that is about 2′ wide. hThis would be a good time to add compost to the soil if available. Make sure there is at least 3′ between each hill.
Try planting nasturtium near your zucchini hills - it is a companion plant that will help keep away the aphids that sometimes attach zucchini. Other insects can be controlled with a weak solution of insecticidal soap. This can burn the leaves, so don’t use it when it’s hot outside.
Zucchini is a warm season crop, so wait until the ground is around 65F. Transplants can be placed in the middle of the hill. For seeds, plant 3-4 per hill. Once they have germinated, thin them down so there is just 1 or 2 plants per hill.
Water carefully, as you want to avoid getting water on the leaves if possible since this can promote diseases like powdery milder. Don’t let it become too wet, but make sure that it never fully dries out.
Did you know that the blossoms are edible? You can eat them in salads, fry them, and use them in many other ways. You want to pick them in the morning while they are still open and keep them in the refridgerator.
Otherwise, your zucchini will be ready to harvest when they are 6-8″ long. If you let them sit on the vine longer, they will develop hard skins and seeds. You should keep picking them so the plant will keep producing fruit.
What is the largest amount of zucchini you have harvested from your garden?
May 6th, 2009 at 7:44 am
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May 6th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I am horrible at growing zucchini. I have had multiple plants in the garden before and never had such a harvest that I would need to give it away. I grow everything else really well, but not zucchini. I get between 2-4 squash per plant each year. Other suggestions or ideas? I want to be able to start doorbell ditching them…