Tips for Growing Zucchini

Looking for some tips for growing zucchini?  I am so excited about my garden again this year.  It’s doing well and there is so much growing right now!  One thing I was sure I wanted in there was Zucchini.  I love zucchini especially when it’s fresh from the garden.  This is the second time I’ve tried to grow it and the first time I didn’t have a very successful crop.  I am determined to have a better crop of zucchini this year.

So I did some research to see what I did wrong the first time and what to do right this time.

Zucchini is one of the most popular types of summer squash to be grown in gardens everywhere. Growing and harvesting this vegetable requires patience, because while the plant grows all summer long, months will pass before the vegetable comes in.  Once it does though, zucchini grows fast and can get as big as you allow it to grow. The best part is, you only need one healthy zucchini plant to bring in a big harvest that will have you trying to figure out how to use all of it up before it goes bad.

Use these Tips for Growing Zucchini and harvest a good crop this year.

When and Where to Grow

Zucchini is a type of summer squash that needs warm weather for at least 90 days out of the growing season in order to have enough time to produce. Hardiness zones 5 to 9 are best, but you can grow them further north if you start seedlings indoors early and transplant. If you start by seed, do so as soon as the ground has thawed out.

Soil Conditions for Zucchini

Zucchini plants are like most other vegetables and prefer nutrient rich well-drained soil. Zucchini plants need a lot of the available resources from the soil, so be ready to add compost to the garden bed when the plants begin producing their fruit.

Water and Sun Needs

Zucchini is a full sun plant, so make sure that the garden bed you plant it in receives eight to ten hours of sunlight every day.  Once the temperatures warm up, the plants will grow fast and get big, so watering the soil around each hill every day is important. Zucchini roots do not grow deep, but spread out horizontally into the soil, so adding water to a wide circle of soil around each plant is important. Never wet the leaves of your plants because zucchini is very susceptible to mildew and once it starts it can overtake the entire plant, killing it before it has time to produce fruit.

Space and Care

One of the big concerns is the amount of space zucchini needs and factors like wind and weight causing leaves to be broken or crushed. Plants should be grown on hills that are two to three feet apart. When the vegetable begins to grow, ensure that the soil is clear of debris and foliage in order to ensure the plant can produce squash that can grow unhindered.

Harvesting Zucchini

Most gardeners first instinct with zucchini is to allow the squash to grow for as long as possible, in order to harvest big veggies. The larger zucchini grows though, the more diluted the flavor becomes as water is packed into the flesh of the fruit. Instead, pick fruit when it has reached six inches of length. This also gives the plant the time and energy to produce more squash from the same plant.

We started our seeds indoors this year to make sure they had plenty of time to grow.  I’m glad we did because it was cold for a while here.  And I’m happy to tell you that I have a bunch of zucchini growing right now and I’m very excited about it.  I have been keeping the soil clean of weeds and loose.  I’ve also been feeding it miracle grown once a week.  I believe that has helped a lot since they really do need the nutrient rich soil.  My plants may be a little too close together but I’ll keep a good eye on them to make sure they are okay!

And boy are they growing fast!  I’ll keep you updated on my crop and will also share some fun recipes to use your Zucchini in!

Do you have any other Tips for Growing Zucchini?