How to Grow Zucchini and Summer Squash
Few vegetables are as prolific and easy to grow as zucchini and summer squash. Here's how to get growing!
Few vegetables are as prolific and easy to grow as zucchini and summer squash. The hardest part is figuring out what to do with the abundance of squash you’ll find yourself having!
How to Plant Zucchini and Summer Squash
Start: Sow directly into fertile, warm soil after danger of frost has passed. Plant 1-2 seeds 1” deep and 36” apart. When seedlings have two sets of leaves, thin to one plant.
Water: Zucchini need plenty of water, 1-2” of rain per week. Keep soil moist but not saturated. One or two deep waterings a week is better than many light waterings.
Soil: Zucchini grow best in a well-drained soil amended with compost. pH 6.0-7.5
Light: Full sun.
Fertilize: An all-purpose fertilizer with plenty of nitrogen will suffice for the fast-growing zucchini. Use according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Harvest: Harvest early and often when fruits are small and still shiny. Do not let fruits mature as this may cause the plant to stop producing. To pick, twist the squash until it snaps off.
Notes: Male flowers are also delicious and can be stuffed and fried.
Helpful Zucchini & Summer Squash Links
Farmer’s Almanac Gardening By the Moon Calendar
Companion Planting: 10 Veggies That Should Grow Together
There’s Still Time To Grow These 5 Summer Vegetables!
Zucchini & Summer Squash Recipes
This article was published by the staff at Farmers' Almanac. Do you have a question or an idea for an article? Contact us!
- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
I have a lot of leaves and male flowers with my zucchini and squash but no females at all, how can I get the females to come? I saw it on my cucumber plants and now I have cucumbers growing but I don’t have any female squash or zucchini. What can I do?
Never plant zychini near strawberries !!! I learned this the hard way !!!
Why not?
My squash has wonderful very large leaves and blossom’s that bloom and fall off, but not squash has grown, just very large plants and leaves and a few blossom’s. What do I need to do?
pollinate the female flowers (easy to id…they have an immature, miniature squash at their base…the males have only thin, bare stalks at their bases). Take the pollen-stalk from a male flower and brush it onto the inner stigma of the female flower, before the female flower withers. You’ll see the miniature squash at the base begin to grow.
My squash plants are blooming, but plants are still small, should I cut the flowers off so the plants will mature more?