Here you will find out about growing zucchini.
Zucchini are very easy to grow. You only need two to three plants to get a decent crop that should be enough for you and your family. The best time to pick zucchini is when they are small – around 12cm long. Once you pick it there will be another along shortly they grow really fast so you will always have ample amounts to keep you going.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
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How to sow zucchini
Zucchini are very easy to get going and sow. They can be sown inside or outside but the best way is indoors.
Sow your zucchini in small 7cm pots of compost. Place the seeds around 1 inch deep in each pot. Give them a sprinkle of water and leave them somewhere warm. Keep the compost moist but make sure you do not over water.
How to pot on zucchini.
Once your zucchini plant is around 3-4 weeks old it will need potting on, they do grow fast. Use a 12cm plant pot and pot the courgette plant on into a bigger pot. Remove the young courgette plant from the small pot and plant it in the new pot, being very careful not to damage the plant. These needs to be planted in multipurpose compost. Water well once transplanted.
Hardening off zucchini
If you have started your plants off indoors you need to get them used to being outside in the cooler weather. Put your plants outdoors but cover them with a cloche at night and leave them outdoors for longer each day. Do this for around 7-10 days and then they will be ready to plant outside.
Planting zucchini outside
Check the weather before planting zucchini outside as they do not like cold weather. Wait for a decent day before planting out. Zucchini need to be planted in a sunny area but it is protected from the wind. Think about where you are going to plant them as the courgette plants take up a big amount of space. The leaves are pretty big.
When planting out zucchini plants they need to be planted around 1 metre apart this is because of how the big plants grow.
Zucchini need a lot of food so they need rich soil. Put chicken manure pellets round the plant but up to a metre round the plant. Slugs like to hide under the courgettes so use beer taps near the plants to attract them away from them.
Looking after, the zucchini plants
Zucchini plants like to be kept moist. When it is warm water well round the plant but not on the plant. Put mulch around the plants to keep them moist. Straw is ideal for this as it protects the fruits from the soil as well. If the plants are not fruiting pollinate the plants yourself.
Harvesting zucchini
Zucchini are best harvested when they are around 12cm long. The more you keep picking them the more will grow on the plant. You can always use one plant to grow big ones so you can grow them for stuffing.