How to plant and care for zucchini to get a rich harvest

When to plant zucchini

Zucchini is a heat-loving crop. The soil for seed germination should warm up to at least 12 degrees. The optimum average daily air temperature is not lower than 15 degrees. Shoots do not tolerate cold snap and can die even due to small frosts. Therefore, it is not worth rushing with sowing.

In most regions, zucchini is planted from the second half of May until the beginning of July. The warmer the soil and air, the faster zucchini sprout and grow.

How to prepare zucchini seeds

This will help you get quality seedlings.

Select seeds

The cultivars are classified according to maturity. The fruits of early-ripening zucchini are ready for harvest in 35-45 days from the moment of germination, mid-ripening - after 50-60 days, late-ripening - after 60 days or more. When planting in July, choose early varieties.

Zucchini are climbing, forming powerful long shoots, and bushy - compact and convenient for growing in small beds.

Depending on the variety, zucchini can be of different sizes, shapes and colors - white, cream, yellow, green or yellow-green. There is also a separate species - zucchini, the fruits of which are distinguished by soft skin and juiciness even during long-term storage.

soak the seeds

This step speeds up germination, but you can skip it and start planting right away. Also, the procedure is not required if the package says that the seeds do not need to be soaked - the manufacturer covered them with a special nutrient shell.

Soak the seeds in warm water for 2-3 hours. Discard those that have surfaced: they do not contain germs and will not sprout. Remove the rest at the bottom and start sowing.

How to prepare a bed for sowing zucchini

Choose a sunny spot that is shaded by trees at lunchtime or buildings. For each square meter of bed, apply 2-3 kg of compost or rotted manure, 15 g of ammonium nitrate and carefully loosen the soil to a depth of 10 cm with a hoe, garden fork or cultivator.

If the soil is dry, moisten the bed and cover it with a film, securing the edges with stones or bricks. After a week, the shelter must be removed.

How to plant zucchini

Sowing these vegetables is very easy.

Make holes

Their depth should be 2–4 cm, and the distance between future crops should be 50–70 cm.

Sow zucchini

Put 2 seeds in each hole - this will increase the chances of seeing seedlings. Cover the crops with earth and lightly compact the surface with the palm of your hand. Moisten the soil with water from a watering can with a diffuser nozzle so as not to wash out the soil.

Cover the crops

This will help the seeds germinate faster. Take large plastic bottles, cut them in half and stick the tops into the soil above each hole. Don't forget to unscrew the caps from the bottles to keep the crops ventilated.

Wait for shoots

If everything is done correctly, sprouts will begin to appear in a week. As soon as you notice shoots, remove the shelter. If two zucchini grew out of the hole at once, carefully pull out the weaker one.

How to care for zucchini

Growing zucchini will not take much of your time.

Water the zucchini

It is usually enough to water the zucchini once every 10 days, and more often in the heat. Focus on the top layer of soil and do not allow it to dry out. For one square meter, 10 liters of water with a temperature of at least 22 degrees is enough so as not to provoke rotting of the ovaries. It is convenient to fill the barrel, in which the water has time to warm up in the sun during the day.

Water squash under the root early in the morning or in the evening at sunset. Make sure that the liquid does not get on the leaves, stems and fruits.

Feed your zucchini

Zucchini is quite unpretentious, so they can be grown without additional fertilizer. Or carry out only two top dressings with the same composition. In 1 liter of water, dilute 5 g of superphosphate and 2 g of urea - this volume is enough for one plant. The mixture should be poured under the root on wet soil early in the morning or in the evening.

The first feeding is carried out 10 days after germination and repeated after another week.

Loosen and weed the beds

After each watering, gently loosen the soil with a chopper or small rake to provide oxygen to the roots. In the process, also remove weeds - they develop rapidly, take nutrients from the soil, and their tops shade the zucchini.

When to harvest zucchini

The fruits can be harvested as soon as they grow up to 20 cm in length. Such zucchini can be eaten even raw, thanks to the tender skin and seeds that have barely appeared. However, such a crop is not suitable for long-term storage.

If you plan to make stocks of zucchini, be guided by the ripening time of the variety. The readiness for harvesting is also determined by touch: the peel of a ripe zucchini becomes hard, and when tapped, a dull sound is heard.

How to harvest zucchini

Carefully break off or cut off the zucchini from the lashes, leaving a couple of centimeters of the stem at the vegetable. If you are picking very young zucchini, remove them along with the stem, trying to make a cut at the very base of the bush.

How to store zucchini

Young fruits harvested before the ripening period are best eaten immediately or stored in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks. Ripe zucchini can stay fresh for up to six months under the right conditions. Arrange them in boxes or boxes so that the fruits do not touch each other. Place the containers in a dark, dry place with a temperature of 18-20 degrees. To avoid rotting, turn the zucchini occasionally.