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Cucurbits

Zucchini growing guide

Incredibly productive bush plant. One or two plants will produce more than most families can eat. Pick when young and tender for best flavour.

Photo reference

Use this real-world photo as the main plant reference, then compare it with the botanical drawings below for leaf, flower and harvest details.

Zucchini real-world photo reference (Cucurbita pepo)
Wikimedia Commons · net_efekt from Oxford, UK · CC BY 2.0
5-10 daysGermination
45-60 daysHarvest
90 cmSpacing
2 cmSow depth
FullSun
TenderFrost
2.5 cm/weekWater
6-7pH

Planting calendar by climate

Use these windows as a public guide. Plotera can personalise tasks around your saved garden, location and planting dates.

ClimateSowTransplant / PlantHarvest
TropicalJan - DecJan - DecJan - Dec
SubtropicalAug - DecAug - DecOct - Feb
MediterraneanSep - NovSep - NovNov - Feb
TemperateSep - NovOct - NovDec - Feb
CoolOct - NovNov - DecJan - Feb
AridAug - OctAug - OctOct - Dec

Botanical reference

Compare the whole plant first, then check the leaf, flower and harvest detail to identify what Zucchini should look like as it grows.

Zucchini whole plant

Whole plant

Overall shape, height, branching and growth habit.

Zucchini leaf detail

Leaf detail

Leaf shape, edges, colour and vein pattern.

Zucchini flower detail

Flower detail

Flower colour, structure and where blooms appear.

Zucchini harvest / detail

Harvest / detail

Fruit, root, seed, pod or the strongest identifying feature.

Cooking and eating ideas

A quick garden-to-table guide for using Zucchini after harvest.

Raw / fresh

Use cucumbers and tender young fruit raw in salads, pickles, snacks, and cold dishes where suitable.

Cooked

Grill, roast, saute, stuff, bake into fritters, simmer into curries, or cook mature squash and pumpkin.

Store / preserve

Pickle cucumbers, freeze cooked squash, cure storage pumpkins, or make relish and chutney.

Try: Pickles, Grilled slices, Pumpkin soup, Zucchini fritters.

Good companions

Corn, Beans, Nasturtium, Marigold

Avoid near

Potato

Growing note

Pollination issues cause fruit to drop. Hand pollinate in the morning if needed.

Turn garden notes into a living plan.

Create a free account to save your garden layout, personal planting calendar, water and fertiliser schedules, seed inventory and harvest logs.

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