Growing Zucchini

Learn how to grow zucchini successfully in your own garden! After 7 years of growing our own zucchini, we are sharing our best tips and tricks for dealing with pests and fungus issues in zucchini, as well as how to get the best harvest.

We've been growing zucchini in our homestead garden for over 7 years now, and it's one of the most prolific vegetables we have year after year.

It's also one of the most versatile as you can turn it into strawberry zucchini fruit leather, make your own zucchini flour for bread, and even roast the zucchini seeds for a great snack.

So, if you're excited to grow zucchini in your own garden, look no further than this post!

5 Reasons to Grow Zucchini

You might have heard stories of how neighbors will stuff each other's cars with zucchini during the summer, and it's true! If you grow zucchini, you'll have plenty for yourself and to share with others.

But that's not the only reason to grow your own zucchini. Here are a few of our favorite reasons, including the plentiful harvest!

• Abundant Harvest - Zucchini plants are known for producing a TON of fruit throughout the growing season. With just a few plants, you can enjoy a bountiful supply of fresh zucchinis for your family and your animals.
• Wide Variety of Uses - Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be used in a wide variety of dishes. From grilling and roasting to sautéing and baking, zucchinis add a delicious and nutritious element to salads, stir-fries, pasta dishes, bread, and even desserts!
• Low Calorie and Delicious - Zucchini is low in calories and rich in essential nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and dietary fiber. Incorporating zucchinis into your diet can support overall health and contribute to a balanced and nutrient-rich eating plan.
• The Fun of Harvesting - There's something special about picking zucchini from your garden, knowing it was nurtured by your own hands, and then savoring its flavor and freshness in your meals!
• Easy to Grow - Zucchini plants are relatively easy to grow, making them an ideal choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners. They have a fast growth rate, adapt well to many different climates, and require very minimal maintenance. Plus, zucchinis can be grown in containers or small spaces, making them suitable for urban gardens or even balcony gardening!

Growing Zucchini {Web Story}

Want a quick overview of the process of growing your own zucchini? Check out this web story on growing zucchini!

How to Grow Zucchini

Zucchini is such a simple plant to grow. Once you read over this outline for growing zucchini, I know you'll be excited to get started! Here are all the tips we've learned over the last 7 years of growing so much zucchini in our garden!

• Wait for the right time - Zucchini is a warm weather crop, it needs warm air and lots of sun. So you'll want to wait until at least after the last frost in your area. We have found waiting until mid-spring works the best, but this may vary for your area.
• Choose a spot - Pick a spot for your zucchini where it will get a lot of sun. Zucchini like full sun for at least 6 hours a day.
• Prep the soil - We like to use the Back to Eden gardening method, but whatever you choose, loosen the soil and add high-quality compost or garden-ready manure.
• Plant your seeds - Whether you started your seeds indoors, or you are direct sowing your zucchini seeds, make sure you are planting them about 5 feet apart. When cared for properly, zucchini plants will grow about 4-5 feet in diameter!
• Water in - Give the seeds or seedlings a good soaking at the base of the plant during their original planting. This helps avoid powdery mildew on the leaves. Water as needed when the soil becomes dry about 2 inches below the surface so as not to overwater.
• Fertilization - If you're not seeing good leaf growth or your fruit is not settings or growing well, add a balanced fertilizer or compost tea to help them with the essential nutrients they need. See notes on blossom end rot below also.

Troubleshooting Zucchini Issues

After 7 years of growing zucchini, we've seen a lot of different issues that zucchini face. Here are a few of the most common issues we've dealt with.

Powdery Mildew

You may start to see the leaves on your zucchini plants turning white or having some kind of dust on them. This is a fungal disease known as powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease that can affect zucchini plants and there are some simple ways you can prevent or minimize its occurrence! Just follow these steps:

• Provide adequate spacing between plants to ensure good air circulation.
• Water at the base of the plant, avoiding overhead watering that can promote moisture on the leaves.
• Apply a thin layer of organic mulch around the plants to reduce moisture evaporation and splashing of spores.

Blossom End Rot

Have you ever noticed a beautiful zucchini on your plants, only to notice the end is rotting?? This is blossom end rot! Blossom end rot in zucchini, as well as other fruits like tomatoes and peppers, is primarily caused by calcium deficiency.

There are several ways to deal with blossom end rot, but the fastest way we've found is to just pour milk around the base of the plant. Usually, about a quart of animal milk per plant is enough.

The calcium in the milk is much more readily available to the plants than it is from other sources, so it's the fastest way to deal with blossom end rot. We usually see the fruit setting and growing again within 2-3 days when treated with milk!

Here are some options for adding calcium to your soil to avoid blossom end rot:

• Crushed egg shells
• Limestone dust
• Oyster shells

Poor Pollination

Depending on the bee population in your area, you may start to notice that while you have flowers on your zucchini plants, you are seeing any fruit forming. This is due to a lack of pollinators! Thankfully it's a simple process to hand-pollinate your zucchini plants.

• To improve pollination, you can manually assist by gently transferring pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers using a small brush or cotton swab.
• Additionally, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden by planting pollinator-friendly flowers nearby can greatly enhance the chances of successful pollination.

If you're looking to attract pollinators, some great plant options are flowers such as lavender, sunflowers, zinnias, or marigolds. These plants are known to be quite effective and they are readily available in most areas.

Squash Bugs

Squash bugs are common pests that can damage zucchini plants, usually by eating through the base of the plant, causing it to die. To control them one they are present, start by regularly inspecting the plants and removing any eggs or nymphs you find on the underside of leaves.

Creating physical barriers such as row covers can also prevent squash bugs from reaching the plants, but this isn't always practical.

You can also use scent confusion to help prevent them from even knowing the zucchini is there! Thankfully, the plants you might add to attract pollinators will do double duty and distract any squash bugs from feasting on your plants.

Ultimately, if you're not able to prevent squash bugs from getting into the garden, you'll need to manually remove the bugs and the eggs to prevent them from eating your plants.

Harvesting Zucchini

Zucchini typically matures within 45 to 60 days from direct sowing, less time if you're starting from seedlings. You'll want to try and harvest the zucchini fruit they are around 6 to 8 inches long for the best flavor and texture.

However, you'll find that you will miss some from time to time! Don't throw them out! You can still use large zucchini for many delicious things.

Since the zucchini plant has some spiney flesh on the leaves, and the stem, you'll want to use a sharp knife or a pair of shears to cut the fruit from the plant, taking care not to damage the vines.

Ways to Use Zucchini

Now that you are going to be enjoying gallons and gallons of fresh zucchini, I want to pass on a few of our favorite ways to enjoy zucchini beyond just roasting it for dinner (which is amazing too!).

• Strawberry Zucchini Fruit Leather
• Zucchini Flour
• Roasted Zucchini Seeds

Common Questions

Even More Gardening Fun

Ready to fill your fridge and pantry with more homegrown foods? Here are a few of our favorite things to grow in our homestead garden!

• How to Grow Tomatoes
• Growing Blackberries
• How to Grow Green Beans

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