Celebrate “National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day” (August 8) the right way by mastering the art of growing zucchini, crookneck, and other summer squashes that boast perfectly tender skin and luscious summertime flavor. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to grow zucchini and summer squash from seed, how to keep these plants in containers or your garden, and how and when to harvest zucchini to maximize yields!
Note: All types of summer squash require very similar care and the tips in this guide can be applied to zucchini, yellow summer squash, crookneck squash, pattypan squash, and more.
Harvesting
When to Harvest
Most varieties of zucchini and summer squash take about 60 days after planting to start bearing fruit and those fruits are usually ready to be picked about a week after flowering. That said, there is some variabiliy in harvesting times, so always check seed packets for more exact information.
For best flavor and texture, harvest zucchini and squash when the fruits are about 6 to 8-inches long. Larger fruit can look impressive, but it has little flavor and the skins get quite tough. Once fruiting begins, check zucchini plants regularly and often as it’s easy to overlook a hidden zucchini and wind up with massive, but tasteless, fruit!
How to Harvest
When harvesting, cut zucchinis off the vine with a sharp knife and leave about 1-inch of stem attached to each fruit. Resist the temptation to harvest zucchini by pulling on the fruit as this can damage your plant.
If your zucchini are producing too well, you can slow down production by harvesting the fruit when it’s still small or removing all the male flowers. Zucchini flowers are perfectly edible and can be used as salad toppers or stuffed, battered, and fried. Towards the end of the season, harvest all remaining zucchini before frost hits as the plants and fruit won’t survive a cold spell.
Storage
Fresh zucchini and summer squash has a relatively short shelf life and can be stored, unwashed, in a plastic or paper bag in your fridge’s crisper drawer for about 10 days. If you end up with more zucchini than you can use straight way, you can also pickle it or blanch and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Types
Zucchini come in bush-type forms, which are best for containers and growing in rows, or vining-type plants that can be grown on trellises. Here are popular picks and what makes each stand out.
- ‘Cocozella (di Napoli)’: A heirloom zucchini with dark green, slender fruits and excellent flavor.
- ‘Goldbar’: A yellow summer squash variety with a sweet and nutty flavor.
- ‘Ronde de Nice’: A funky, French heirloom, this plant produces globular fruits — and lots of them!
More Like This
See our planting dates for summer squash customized to your zip code here: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates
Another grower asked this question a bit ago (scroll) to see. Short answer: it is likely a mutation. The squash is fine to eat and will taste like any green one—yummy!
We are familiar with Smart Pots in particular so can not comment on the drainage or breathing ability. And we just looked up Sure Thing, a Burpee seed that is said to thrive and produce in cool, cloudy weather and not need bees nor male flowers to pollinate. We have ot grown this particular variety, be if it is like most zucchini, its leaves should be dark green. Yellow leaves could indicate too much water, but might also suggest a need for fertilizer. (It's relatively easy to see/touch to know if water is the issue.) Too much fertilizer can cause blossom drop. You have not mentioned soil. (See here for guidance on fertilizer and soil additives: http://www.almanac.com/content/preparing-soil-planting ) However, the presence of pests such as aphids or disease such as wilt can also result in yellow or spotted leaves.
Thinning...yes, you should wait for the two "true" leaves to follow the initial sprouts. But if you get two or even three to sprout and start, why not keep them going too? Plant in a separate container or, if it's large enough, leave in the original container.
About watering: Your container should have a drainage hole or some obvious way the water is going to run out. Watering from the bottom (with the container in a tray) will facilitate a deep soak; the soil will take it up until it can't take no more. You can soak from the top...but water tends to pool on the top of the soil; the bottom soak works at its own pace——and gets to the roots, which are nearer to the bottom.
So sorry about your troubles! Would anything like a beach umbrella help while you work on the plants? Or, would you be able to hire a neighbor to perform this task for you? If you are having trouble with natural pollination, there are a few reasons why a plant may not fruit, including temperatures becoming too high (in the 90s or higher) or too low. If you suspect heat, perhaps give your plants some partial shade (shade cloth) during peak heat of the day. Check to make sure that your plants have enough water and nutrients, which can affect fruiting. If no flowers are forming, be sure that your plants aren't getting too much nitrogen, which favors leaves over flowers. If you don't have enough pollinators, could it be that the surrounding area has too many pesticides? Instead of raising bees yourself, you might consider arranging with a beekeeper to have a hive temporarily placed in your garden--some offer hive rentals. Hope this helps!
The flowers on skinny stems are the male flowers; some of these are necessary for pollination (by insects) of the female flowers to produce zucchini. (You can also hand pollinate.) The plants tend to produce a lot of male flowers, though, so if you have a lot (and they usually come out first), you can harvest some--they are edible! You can dip them in light batter and fry them. Be sure to leave enough on the plant, though, for good pollination.
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