A Brief Introduction to Growing Your Own Zucchini

Zucchini is one of the most popular summer vegetables to grow and enjoy.

A member of the cucurbit family (pictured below), zucchini, along with straightneck, crookneck, and patty pan squash, is considered a summer squash. The skin of summer squashes tends to be soft and tender, ideal for eating right away rather than storing like thick-skinned winter squash. 

There are a number of varieties of zucchini, including those that come in both yellow and green. 

When Should I Plant My Zucchini in the Garden?

Zucchini is a warm-season plant that loves the sun and heat. Wait to plant your zucchini seeds when all danger of frost is over and the temperature has reached 70 degrees. 

Zucchini seeds germinate in one to two weeks after sowing. They have a short growing season, and depending on the variety you choose, should mature in 40 to 55 days. 

If you are lucky enough to have a long growing season like I do in North Georgia, you can replant in August for a fall zucchini harvest. My first expected frost is October 18th. If I plant zucchini seeds in mid-August, the plants will have time to mature before frost. Planting seeds at different dates throughout the growing season will guarantee me a continual harvest.

How Do I Plant Zucchini Seeds?

Zucchini should be planted in an area that receives full sun. Full sun means at least six hours, but for sun-loving vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, eight or ten hours is even better.

Your soil should drain well, and be amended with compost. Plant two to three zucchini seeds in a “hill” of soil. Plant at a depth of one to two inches. If you are growing zucchini without a trellis, plant 30 inches apart. 

The seeds should emerge in one to two weeks. Keep them watered during this time. Once the seedlings have developed two to three “true leaves”, thin to one plant per hill. 

Zucchini can also be grown on a trellis, which is the way I grow my plants in 4' x 6' raised bed gardens. Growing your zucchini vertically on a trellis saves valuable gardening space, keeps the fruit off the ground, and makes it easier to pick the fruit. It also reduces pest and disease problems.  

My trellis is an arch that connects my two raised beds. It came with green nylon netting to be stretched over the arch. Other trellis options include the A-frame trellis, or even just heavy fencing stretched between two posts. 

Whichever option you choose, be sure your trellis is planted firmly in the soil because the zucchini fruit can become quite heavy. You may need to support the vines with additional garden tape or twine. 

Once the zucchini starts to grow, you can remove the low-growing leaves below the fruit to keep it off of the ground.

Caring for Zucchini Plants Throughout the Garden Season 

watering

Once your zucchini seeds have been planted, you will want to keep them well watered until the seedlings emerge. Once they emerge, mulch to retain moisture and keep the weeds down.  

Water when the soil dries out. I like to check to see if they need watering by sticking my finger down into the soil. Often, the top of the soil will feel dry while it remains moist down below. If your finger remains dry when you remove it from the soil, water deeply. 

fertilizing 

If you planted your seeds in nutrient-rich soil, you may not need additional fertilization, though keep in mind that zucchini is a heavy feeder. If you decide to provide additional fertilizer, apply an all-purpose organic fertilizer when the plant begins to bloom. Dr. Earth’s Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer is a favorite of mine. I also use Espoma Organic All-Purpose Vegetable Fertilizer.  

ensuring pollination of zucchini flowers

Zucchini plants have both male and female flowers. The female zucchini flowers require pollination to set fruit. To distinguish between male and female, look behind the blossom. The female plant will have an egg-shaped bulge behind it that is actually an immature zucchini.  

One way I encourage good pollination is to plant pollinator-friendly plants close to the plant. I usually plant zinnias in the bed with my zucchini, but other choices include sunflowers and herbs such as oregano, which you would allow to bloom. 

I have never had any issues with my zucchini fruiting, but I know some gardeners end up with lots of zucchini flowers but few actual fruits. To encourage your plant to form more fruits, you can hand pollinate the zucchini flower yourself. Using a Q-tip or fine-tipped paintbrush, swab the inside of the male flower, then gently roll it onto the stigma in the center of the female plant.

What Pests Attack Zucchini Plants?

Squash vine borers are common when trying to grow zucchini. I had a problem with vine borers on my squash last year, so a trick I am trying this year is adding a collar of aluminum foil around the base of the plant as soon as it becomes large enough. If you'd like to give it a try, place the aluminum collar around the base of the stem under the soil. As the plant stem grows, use a larger piece of foil. You could also use a cardboard collar. I can’t guarantee this will work, but it’s worth giving it a shot. 

Another type of pests are female black and orange clearwing moths, which lay their eggs at the base of the squash plant. It will be obvious when her eggs hatch because they will invade the vine itself and destroy it. One day your zucchini plant will look fine, and the next you will find the stems and leaves wilted. At first, you may think you just need to water the plant, but on closer inspection, you'll find a sawdust-like substance on the ground. Eventually, your plant will stop producing and die. 

There are a few ways to decrease the ability for the moth to lay her eggs. As soon as your seedlings get a few inches high, cover them with a light-weight row cover that you support on hoops. You have to be sure and remove the cover when the plant blooms so that the flowers can be pollinated. Replace the cover once your fruit begins to grow.

Row covers should also help deter vine borers. Last year, I didn’t get the covers up early enough and was only able to harvest a few squash before the plants died. I had to replant my zucchini several times.

In addition to covers, it’s always a good idea to rotate your squash plants from one bed to another each year to reduce diseases and to help balance nutrients. Rotation is a good idea for all vegetable families. I have four beds, so no one vegetable is in the same bed for two years in a row.  

When Can I Harvest My Zucchini?

Visiting your garden daily will ensure you don’t have vegetables you have to throw away because they become too large. Zucchini is very productive, and once it starts growing, it can grow inches in just a few days. The best size to harvest your zucchini is when the fruits are four to five inches long. Any larger and it becomes seedy and the flesh won’t be tender. 

Harvesting at a smaller size allows you to harvest more often, and the more you harvest, the more productive the plants are. If you allow fruits to grow too large, the plant will stop producing.

How Many Zucchini Per Plant Can I Expect to Harvest?

The number can vary, but as many as 25 to 30 fruits can be harvested from each plant. Depending on the size when you harvest, you can expect five to15 pounds or more. For a family of four, two plants should be plenty since you will harvest four to five fruits per week from each plant.  

You will find plenty of uses for this versatile vegetable. My family loves it fried, grilled, added to casseroles, and, of course, baked into a delicious zucchini bread. 

Karen Creel of Garden Chick

Karen has over 30 years of gardening experience under her belt, growing in both raised beds and row gardens. She even grew in a CSA (a community-supported agriculture garden) that provided a basket of fresh harvests to four families each week for several years.

Karen recently retired from nursing after 40 years in the healthcare industry and started her own garden coach business, Growing with Garden Chick, located in Chickamuauga, Georgia, outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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(Thanks to Karen for supplying photos of her growing zucchini plant, flowering zucchini, and pest on zucchini.)

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