How to Grow Zucchini Properly? 5 Tips for a Bountiful Harvest!
Introduced to Europe by the conquistadors, zucchinis easily find their place in our vegetable gardens. In addition, their shapes and colors are diverse: from the classic, long and green to the elongated and yellow through the dark-skinned “Black Beauty”, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to growing it. How to grow zucchini properly? Here are 5 tips for a successful harvest!
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How to Grow Zucchini Properly? 5 Tips for a Bountiful Harvest!
First of all, you have to sow them well. This is a very simple step even for novices. First, sow 3 seeds per pot about 2 cm deep, under cover at 20°C, in the beginning of April. Then moisten the soil and keep it warm. A week later, their first leaves should appear. Then transplant them into the ground, when the plants begin to develop. Then, cover them with a bell to keep them warm until mid-June.
In this way, you will protect the emerging leaves from the rain and limit the appearance of powdery mildew, the fungus that likes rainy and cool weather. Now let’s see our 5 tips to successfully complete your harvest!
Tip 1: Choose Rich Soil!
At this point, it’s very important to plant your zucchini in rich soil. Indeed, like all other squashes, they are very greedy. Where to plant your zucchini to promote their growth? To meet their nutritional needs, you can place them directly to a compost pile.
We advise you to place them in the part where the compost is the most mature, generally its lower part. For those who have not yet composted, you can plant your zucchini in a hole filled with a mixture of horse manure and soil.
Tip 2: Plant the Zucchini Plants Close to Each Other!
First, let’s start with a little reminder. Zucchinis pollinate by blossoms: the male flowers often appear first and are carried by a thin peduncle. The female flowers are larger. Pollination takes place when pollinating insects visit the male flowers and then carry the pollen to the female flowers.
On young plants, it is common to see only female flowers and pollination cannot take place. To be sure to have male flowers to fertilize the females, we recommend that you plant your zucchini plants side by side.
How to Grow Zucchini Properly? Tip 3: Control The Watering!
Do not water too much the days following planting to prevent your zucchini from having too many leaves. Start slowly. You will have every opportunity to water more regularly as soon as the first flowers appear. After fruiting, you will then need to water more often. Here are our simple tips:
- Cut the base of a plastic water bottle
- Drill several small holes in the cap
- Stick it upside down in the dirt
Isn’t this a perfect manual activity to introduce your children to upcycling? Thus, your bottle will be able to release its contents drop by drop.
Tip 4: Mulching the Zucchini
To grow zucchini well, you have to think about mulching them. For this, it is possible to place mulch under the courgettes to prevent them from lying directly on the ground and getting dirty. Another equally effective solution is to use a plastic water bottle:
- Cut both ends of the bottle
- Then thread them around the zucchini
If all goes well, your fruits will grow inside and when ripe, you will harvest them perfectly clean!
Tip 5: Harvest Your Courgettes at The Right Time!
It seems obvious, but to grow zucchini properly, you have to know how to harvest them at the right time. When their size is around 20 to 25 centimeters, it’s time to harvest them! Beyond that, it will be too late: their skin hardens, the flesh becomes mealy and takes on seeds. To do this, it is necessary to visit your vegetable garden every day. Indeed, a summer storm can ruin all your good efforts in a few hours.
Finally, let’s finish with a little tip if your zucchini has grown more than necessary. Don’t throw them away. Peel them, remove the central part with the seeds. Then, cut them into small pieces and freeze the zucchini as soon as possible. They will be perfect for your future recipes zucchini quiche, Mini zucchini pizza, flans, cakes, etc.
