Vegetable · Vining crop
Zucchini
Cucurbita pepoZucchini is famous for its almost comical productivity, turning a single warm-season planting into a steady flood of fruit within weeks. It asks for rich soil, full sun, and frequent picking to keep production humming along. The one rule: harvest often while fruit is young, since a missed zucchini can balloon into a marrow overnight.
Sow depth
1 in
Spacing
24 in · rows 3 ft
Sun
Full sun
Germination
5–10 days
Time to harvest
45–55 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow zucchini
- Sow from about 1 week after your last expected frost until about 8 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Direct sow once frost risk has passed — seedlings are frost-tender.Sow two or three seeds per spot, thinning to the strongest.Enrich the soil with compost before sowing for vigorous early growth.
Water deeply at the base — wet foliage invites powdery mildew.Feed regularly through the season to sustain heavy fruiting.Hand-pollinate flowers in cool or overcast weather if fruit fails to set.
Pick often while young — fruit swells rapidly once it starts.Cut fruit with a short stub of stem rather than snapping it off.Check plants every day or two once fruiting is in full swing.
Companion plants
Keep fromPotatoes
Nasturtiums planted nearby are thought to lure aphids and squash bugs away from the zucchini itself.
Watch out for
Powdery mildew — Warm, humid weather coats leaves in white powder late in the season. Water at soil level and thin crowded leaves for airflow.