How to grow Zucchini

Where to plant

Grow zucchini in full sun in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of compost. Plants are bushy but wide, so allow 2 to 3 feet each. Mulch helps, as the roots are shallow.

Sow after all danger of frost has passed once the soil has warmed. Two plantings, one in late spring and one in midsummer, extend the harvest and help dodge the first wave of squash vine borers.

• Central Florida: sow in January to March and again in August and September. North Florida and the Gulf South: March and April, and August to September. South Florida: September through March.
• Texas and the Desert Southwest: sow in February to April and again in August.
• California: sow from spring into midsummer.
• Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Plains: sow from late April or May into July.
• Northeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Mountain West and the Pacific Northwest: sow in late May or June once the soil is warm.
• Hawaii: any month. Alaska: start indoors and plant out in June under cover.

Choosing a variety

Black Beauty is the classic dark green zucchini; Cocozelle is a striped Italian heirloom. Compact or open-habit hybrids make picking easier, and round types suit stuffing. In humid areas, look for powdery mildew and virus tolerance on the seed packet.

How to plant

1. Work compost and a balanced fertilizer into the bed.
2. Sow two or three seeds 1 inch deep every 24 to 36 inches, or four or five seeds in hills 48 inches apart.
3. When seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to one strong plant per spot, or two or three per hill.
4. Where vine borers or cucumber beetles are common, cover young plants with row cover until the first female flowers open, then remove it for the bees.
5. Mulch around the plants once the soil is warm.

Watering and feeding

Water deeply once or twice a week at the base, about 1 to 2 inches a week, more in hot weather. Uneven watering can cause blossom end rot on young fruit.

Side-dress lightly with a balanced fertilizer when the first flowers appear.

Pruning and care through the year

• The first flowers are usually male and drop off; female flowers have a tiny zucchini at the base. Poor pollination is the most common reason small fruit shrivel and rot at the tip; hand-pollinate in the morning if bees are scarce.
• Remove old, mildewed lower leaves to improve air flow.
• Check under leaves every few days for bronze squash bug eggs, and watch the base of stems for borer frass.

Harvesting

Pick zucchini when it is 6 to 8 inches long and less than about 2 inches across, glossy and tender. Fruit grows very quickly after pollination, so check plants every day or two; oversized fruit turns watery and seedy and slows the plant. Cut with a knife, leaving a short stem, and handle gently, as the skin scratches easily.

Store unwashed in a bag in the fridge for up to a week. The male flowers are edible too; leave some on the plant for pollination.

Growing in pots

Compact zucchini varieties grow in a large container, at least 20 inches wide and deep, with rich potting mix. Water daily in hot weather and hand-pollinate if few bees visit.

Using it

Grill, roast or saute zucchini, spiralize it into noodles, or grate it into breads, muffins and fritters. Stuff the flowers or the round varieties. Grated zucchini freezes well for baking.