Zucchini is a garden staple and an extremely vigorous grower. Each plant will produce several squash a day during peak season! But that doesn’t mean that they’re trouble-free. In our Zucchini Growing Guide and video, we’ll share tips and tricks to sidestep common squash problems, as well as tips on how to harvest and cure, so you have a successful summer squash season!
About Zucchini
Zucchini are a type of squash—more specifically, a type of summer squash. Squash are generally divided into two categories based on when they’re harvested and how they’re used:
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Summer squash are warm-season crops harvested in the summer before they reach full maturity. Because they’re harvested early, their skin is edible and they have a relatively short shelf life. Summer squash varieties include zucchini, yellow squash (straightneck squash), and crookneck squash.
- Winter squash are harvested in autumn after or just before they reach full maturity. This leaves their skin inedible, but gives them a longer shelf life (some varieties are capable of keeping through the winter—hence the name “winter squash”). Winter squash varieties include pumpkins, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash.
Thanks to their regular bumper crops, you’ll usually only need one or two zucchini plants in your garden, and chances are good that you’ll still end up with more zucchini than you can handle. But that’s OK! See our recipes below for all the different ways you can enjoy (or preserve) zucchini. Plus, zucchini is full of nutrients! You can’t go wrong… unless you forget to harvest and end up with giant zucchini baseball bats. (More on how and when to harvest later.)
Most summer squash now come in bush varieties, which take up less space, whereas winter squash are vining plants that need more space. Bush varieties will need to be thinned in early stages of development to about 8 to 12 inches apart.
Note: All types of summer squash require very similar care, so even though we mainly refer to zucchini on this page, consider it to be applicable to whatever summer squash variety you’re growing!
A Common Ancestor
Would you believe that pumpkins and zucchini come from the same species of plant? That’s right—they’re both cultivated varieties (“cultivars”) of Cucurbita pepo. Despite the great diversity of squash, most commonly-grown cultivars belong to one of three species: Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maxima. Over generations and generations, these plants have been cultivated to produce fruit in all kinds of shapes, colors, and flavors.
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I place tomato cages over my
I place tomato cages over my squash plants when they are very small. This supports them but also allows me to pick the fruit easier. At this point you should get stakes the same height as the plant, put it in the soil next to the plant (carefully), make sure you are not on the root side, then use old t-shirt strips to tie the stalk to the stake.
Hand pollinating is ok but you could transfer bacteria to the plant, I use brand new q-tips to pollinate if I don't see the bees doing it. If you see a lot of bees around the blooms early in the morning you should not need to pollinate by hand.
I have a weird situation this
I have a weird situation this year...my yellow crookneck squash have a ton of immature fruit on them, but they only mature into tiny 3" fruit. They are bumpy, deep yellow, and tasty - definately not unpollinated - but tiny! It's a new garden plot and it has a cover crop of clover. Is my soil deficient? Is the clover robbing the plants of something they need? The plants are really healthy looking so i don't think i'm overwatering. The soil we got for it was a really gorgeous decomosed granite that we harvested out of a mesquite stand and we've been amending it as we go, but it's the first season with this soil so there hasn't been a heck of a lot of organic matter in it yet. Everything else we've planted in this soil is doing great.
If a flower is not pollinated
If a flower is not pollinated enough (it requires several visits), it can result in small or deformed squashes (such as small squashes with tapered ends, and only a few of the seeds inside maturing); hand pollination will help new flowers along (squash has male and female flowers). Sometimes cool weather will slow pollinators, causing inadequate pollination at the time of flower formation.
Since the fruit seem to be tasty and not misshapen, and if the plants seem healthy, it probably is not a virus, which can deform fruit as well.
Check the end of the fruit--if it is brown, it might be blossom-end rot, which is caused by not enough calcium intake. In this disorder, fruit develop up to a point, then brown at one end and rot. Even if soil has calcium, the plant needs enough water to draw it in--if you think this may be the cause, make sure the plants are consistently watered (but not waterlogged); check the soil pH to make sure it is not too acidic (below 5.5; optimum for growing, 6.0 to 6.5). Avoid too much nitrogen.
After a squash is growing,
After a squash is growing, can you take flowers off? Or will that stop the growing process? Thanks.
Once you have a squash
Once you have a squash growing and the flower has wilted, the flower no longer serves a function. That being said, there is no need to remove the flower. It will dry up and fall off in its own good time. I would leave the plant as it is and let the flower fall off naturally.
My squash plants aren't
My squash plants aren't leafing out, they are just little sprouts still. But they are blooming already. Is this normal? If not what should I do?
I planted Spaghetti Squash in
I planted Spaghetti Squash in Mid March. Weather was warm in So Cal. The plant looks healthy and green with many male flowers. I have seen only 2 female squash which have been pollinated. My problem is I don't find any more female stems, only male. Is there anything I can do to promote more female to start?
The weather can slow things
The weather can slow things down but have patience; the female flowers will follow the males eventually!
My squash vines are huge and
My squash vines are huge and are blooming now. We have them in a raised bed with tomato cages upside down. They are already getting towards the top. Does it matter if the vines are large or should we take off some leaves for the sun to get to the blooms?
We have beautiful healthy
We have beautiful healthy yellow squash plants. We still do not have any flowers on them at all. We have had unusually cool temps for May and lots of wet weather . Should we be concerned that we have no flowers yet? Why don't we ? What can we do ? Thanks
You are correct in saying
You are correct in saying weather may play a role. It has been a cool, wet spring in many parts of the country. Cool weather with temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit can delay flowering. Another reasons could include dry soil or overcrowding.
Sometimes a plant won't produce flowers if it receives too much nitrogen. Squash likes low nitrogen and higher phosphorus and potassium. If you think it might be too much nitrogen, you might apply some amendments that contain phosphorus and potassium to balance the nutrients. Ask a local garden nursery for options and timing.
Once it's warm enough, expect most summer squash to flower 35 to 45 days from germination.
My neighbor has a problem
My neighbor has a problem with his squash plants. Oddly, the plant leaves start turning brown around the edges and eventually die, but the squash keep producing nicely. Local agents mention "blight", but otherwise confess that they do not know the reason. Is it simply some sort of stress on the plants due to improper watering practices, or maybe soil problems, since it has been happening for the last two seasons? Should he even worry about it?
Brown leaf edges can be
Brown leaf edges can be caused by many things, including a period of cold temperatures (below 50 F) and wet weather. If there are no signs of spots on the leaves, or wilting, and the plant is doing fine in production, then it's probably not something to worry about. If your friend is curious, though, he might talk to his county's Cooperative Extension. Sometimes they will do tests to check for plant diseases, for a fee. For a list of agencies, see: http://www.almanac.com/content...
I have been trying for 2
I have been trying for 2 years to grow zucchini and the blossoms fall off and no produce grows. what am I doing wrong.
Hi, Betty: Sounds like a
Hi, Betty: Sounds like a pollination issue, if it's now happened for two years running. See the first item under "Pests" at the beginning of this forum above. You can identify females by the tiny fruit at the base of the flower. Happy zukin'! You can do it!
Hi there - i am a real newby
Hi there - i am a real newby gardener - green behind the ears if you know what i mean:). i planted some cozzelle zucchini. the first two 'cotyledons' or mini leaves are coming up for several of the plants but some are turning a bit yellow and it seems like it might be spreading. i planted them 2 weeks ago when it was still chilly at night. is it mold? or blossom end rot? am i watering too much?
please help?
thank you
Matty
I started yellow squash and
I started yellow squash and zucchini seeds and the yellow squash plants 6 weeks out are enormous and healthy with several green 4 inch leaves. The zucchini on the other hand is short with only 2 marginally healthy looking leaves, the others fell off or I plucked off perhaps wrongly because they were yellow or dry and brown inorder to save the plants energy to produce healthy leaves. But now it's starting to flower which seems way too early. Do I pluck the flowers? I've already plucked a few I feel like there's nothing left to this poor plant. Will the plant recover or should I start over?
Even if conditions were
Even if conditions were exactly the same for both squashes, the results may not be the same.
Zucchini seed germination requires a minimum soil temperature of 60°F, according to several sources, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. BTW, one even advices starting both squashes in the ground, to avoid transplanting failure.
It's difficult to know eactly what went wrong. See what happens with the existing seedlings, and try again and, if you do, save a couple of seeds to set directly into warm soil in the garden.
Good luck!
For the last 2 yrs., my
For the last 2 yrs., my squash(acorn & butternut) never got very big, and then rotted.. Any suggestions?
This squash problem is
This squash problem is probably blossom end rot. It won't spread but indicates a lack of calcium in the developing fruit.
You may have soil that is too acidic. The pH of acidic soils can be raised by adding lime, but this should only be done if soil test results indicate it is needed. To change pH, lime should be tilled into the soil 6” to 8” deep 2 to 3 months before planting (or as much lead time as possible) to change the nature of your soil. A little sprinkling of lime won't do much once they have the rot.
I have my squash started and
I have my squash started and they are about 6 inches tall. They seem kinda spindly. How do I avoid them getting leggy and kinking over?
This happens with squash as
This happens with squash as they get too warm inside and get leggy fast. Veggie like night temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees F. Day temperatures may run about 10 degrees higher. Is it possible to get them in the ground? Squash tend to work best when seeded outside; they'll germinate based on the temperature on their own.
Thank you for the info. I
Thank you for the info.
I can't plant them right now, but I will move them at night to a "cooler room"
and see if that helps.
I think my butternut squash
I think my butternut squash may have blossom end rot, one or 2 of the flowers have rotted and fallen off although there are still some good flowers, do I cut off the ones I notice to be affected by it or should I just let them fall on their own?
Based purely on your
Based purely on your description, this does not sound like blossom end rot—which affects the lower ends of the squash (on the blossom end side) not the flower itself. It is possible that you have pollination issues? You can always self-pollinate between the male and female flowers to ensure pollination happens. See this page for more detail.
Ive heard that yellow
Ive heard that yellow zucchinis grow better/easier than green varieties. Is that true? Do yellow zucchinis even exist?
All are summer squash. The
All are summer squash. The yellow squash that looks similar to the green zucchini is called straightneck squash. They're both quick-growing. I think my yellow summer squash variety was 50 to 60 days to maturity and the zucchini was 50 to 60 days, but it completely depends on your seed variety so just check the back of the seed packet or look at the seed retailers online to get a sense of the "days to maturity."
My yellow squash were
My yellow squash were producing normal, smooth skin. Now their skin is very bumpy. What causes this?
What type of squash do you
What type of squash do you have? Some varieties, such as Yellow Crookneck Squash, are supposed to get bumpy.
I have 2 zucchini plants and
I have 2 zucchini plants and both have female flowers bloom before male flowers. Can I use delicata squash's male flower to pollinate zucchini flowers?
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