Growing zucchini is incredibly easy, and they are the ideal vegetable to encourage children to grow a garden. Once the courgettes begin to sprout, harvest time is near, giving young gardeners a thrill.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Preparing to Plant
Step 1. Decide how to plant your zucchini
There are two general methods of growing them - by planting the seeds, or by buying a small pre-existing zucchini plant and transplanting it into your garden. If you choose the seed solution, you will need to germinate them 4-6 weeks before it's time to plant them outside in your garden. Getting a potted plant is always easier and less time consuming, but it may not be as satisfying as starting with seeds.
- There are different types of zucchini, but the juice is generally the same for all of them. You may see 'open environment' or 'dense environment' zucchini, which refers to how the leaves grow on the plant (spreading / climbing or bush-like).
- Most climbing varieties of zucchini are considered to be of the summer type, while the bushy ones are considered to be of the winter type.
- Zucchini will naturally vary between a yellowish tone and a green so dark that it appears black. They may also have slight lines / blotches, but this is normal and shouldn't be a concern.
Step 2. Know when to plant
Zucchini is generally considered a summer plant, because they bloom and produce the best fruit in the summer. Some varieties are considered winter, but it concerns the time of the appearance of the vegetables, rather than the time of plantation. Zucchini loves the sun and won't do well in cold ground. So, plan to plant your zucchini when the soil temperature outside is at least 12.7 ° C. This is normally after the first or second week of spring, after any chance of frost has passed.
If you're not sure when to plant, call your local farming center for detailed information on zucchini planting times in your area
Step 3. Find the perfect place to plant them - zucchini will flower in an area that receives direct sunlight and has plenty of room to expand
Find a place in your garden that will give the zucchini at least 6-10 hours of sunlight a day, and where there isn't too much shade. Make sure the piece you choose has well permeable soil; zucchini likes moist soil, but if it's too soggy, they won't thrive.
- If the soil is not well permeable and you don't have a better location to grow them, it can be adapted to accommodate plants better.
- Avoid planting zucchini north of your garden, as that is the least exposed location to the sun.
Step 4. Prepare your ground
Even if not everyone has the time, preparing the soil a few months in advance will allow for the best conditions for growing zucchini. Start by mixing a gardening mixture with fertilizer to give the soil the nutrients it needs. Check the pH of the soil, and change it if necessary; courgettes prefer a pH between 6 and 7. 5. To make the pH more acidic (lower), add peat moss or pine needles. To make the pH more alkaline (higher), add lime.
- Add compost to the soil monthly, if you can; it will help the soil absorb nutrients more fully.
- If your soil doesn't drain well, mix in some sand to help facilitate water drainage.
Step 5. Prepare your seeds
If you don't want to take the risk of planting seeds directly in the ground, you can start planting them indoors 4-6 weeks before transplanting them outdoors. Get seed trays, soil-free potting mix, and your seeds. Place a single seed in each tray, cover it with about 3mm of mixture, and water well! These should be placed in an area that receives lots of sunlight and is at least 15.5 ° C. When the second set of leaves have sprung up, the courgettes are ready to be planted outside.
Part 2 of 2: Plant the Zucchini
Step 1. Prepare your piece of land
Use a gardening scoop to dig a small hole for your zucchini plant. If you are planting seeds, you will need to plant each seed less than about 1cm deep in the soil. For zucchini seedlings, dig each hole so that it is slightly larger than your plant's root bulb. Keep a space of 75-100cm between each plant (and the same distance between each row). You can thin the seedlings if necessary.
Step 2. Plant your zucchini
Place each zucchini seed or seedling in its single hole. Cover the seeds with 5/10 mm of soil, so they can get the right sunlight and water to germinate - cover a zucchini seedling enough to cover the root, but not enough to reach the stem. Finish the planting with a generous watering, and you are done!
Step 3. Maintain your plants
Keep an eye on your zucchini as they begin to grow. They are all relatively low maintenance plants, but they require a minimum of attention in order to remain in optimal conditions for production. Pull out weeds if they grow, and apply a layer of potting soil if it continues to be a problem. Add liquid fertilizer every 3-4 weeks to help your zucchini grow. Cut off any dead / diseased vegetables or branches to prevent disease from spreading to other parts of the plant, and to encourage continued growth.
Step 4. Encourage growth
In order for your plant to start producing zucchini, it must be pollinated. If there are no bees or other insects spreading pollen in your area, or if it looks like your zucchini plants aren't producing pulp, you can pollinate the plant manually. Take a male zucchini flower, identifiable by its long, thin stem, and a visible stamen in the center. Carefully pull the buds back from the stem, and rub the stamen inside a female zucchini flower. Female zucchini flowers have short stems, a bulbous growth where the flower meets the stem, and are stamen-free.
You can do this to different flowers or just a few, depending on the amount you have and the growth you are trying to achieve
Step 5. Collect your zucchini
When the courgettes reach a length of at least 10 cm, they are ready to be harvested. Harvesting zucchini regularly facilitates production. So, if you want a lot of production, then harvest all the zucchini when they are ripe. If you don't need too many zucchini, leave one or two on the plant throughout the growing season to slow down production. To harvest your zucchini, use a sharp knife to cut the vegetable from the raw stem that attaches it to the plant.
- Enjoy the flowers in salads. They are edible, and if you harvest them, they won't grow too many zucchini.
- Crops will continue to grow until the first frosts if they have established well during the spring.
- You can simply cut off the stem of a zucchini to encourage growth if you don't want to harvest all the production yet.
Advice
- Yellow and green courgettes taste the same, but yellow ones are more readily available if you have to grow a lot!
- Zucchini are excellent stuffed, added to sauces, and made into soup. They can also be used in salads, and are often grated to make "pasta and zucchini".
Warnings
- Pests include whiteflies, aphids, red spiders, nematodes, molds, and viruses.
- If the vegetable does not establish itself properly, it is because there has been inadequate pollination of the female flowers. You can remove a male flower and pollinate the females manually to make sure it's not a problem.
