First grown in Italy, zucca is the Italian word for squash which lead to the name zucchini. Some of you may know them as courgettes, small squash, or baby marrow. A fun fact about zucchini is that it is actually a fruit that is served as a vegetable and they contain more potassium than bananas. Also a great source of Vitamins C and B6, zucchini are 95% water so they contain very few calories. With prolific plants, zucchini is an ideal choice for beginner gardeners to get hooked on the joy that growing your own food can bring.

When to grow zucchini

Zucchini likes a warmer climate so unless you are in a tropical area, you will want to avoid planning in late autumn or winter. Instead, it’s a great idea to plant after the last frost to ensure a nice long growing season.

Zucchini varieties

You’ll be forgiven if you thought there was only one type of zucchini – after all, that’s really all you see in the supermarkets. The truth is, there is quite an array of options when it comes to zucchini varieties. Here are a few that may be of interest:

· Black Beauty – a classic, fast-growing variety with a dark green skin

· Golden – a yellow fruit with an excellent flavour

· Grey – light green, thin skin that freezes well and has high yields

· Costata Romanesco – an heirloom variety with a ribbed green/grey skin

How to grow zucchini from seed

Zucchini needs warm soil temperatures to germinate – you will be looking for 21-35°C or 68–95°F so if it’s still a little cool at your place, you might like to start the seeds in a greenhouse if you have one. Otherwise, if you already have those sorts of soil temperatures then you can direct sow if you prefer. When planting, you want to ensure you’ve got good quality soil and to plant the seed vertically with the pointier side aimed at the ground. Provided you keep the soil moist but not wet, the seedling should emerge in around 7-14 days. If direct sowing, be sure to allow plenty of room between plants as these babies can grow big and if you are planting in seedling trays, ensure you choose a tray that will give your zucchini plant space to grow.

A young zucchini plant

How to grow zucchini from seedlings

If you’ve opted to either buy seedlings or grow your seeds out in trays first, it’s important that you get them into your garden bed once the seedling is established but before they become root bound in the seedling tray as this can stunt the growth of your plant.

Zucchini plants grow quite large so it’s vital to ensure that you plant out your seedlings to allow for growth. Spacing your plants 75-100cm or 30-40 inches apart is advisable to avoid overcrowding which could result in smaller fruit or disease issues.

Once you’ve planted out your seedlings, lightly water the seedling in with a seaweed solution such as the Plant Doctor’s Seaweed Secrets (use SSME10 for 10% off your order) to minimise transplant shock.

Zucchini plants tend to wilt if they haven’t had enough water so be on the lookout for limp leaves as that’s a good sign that you need to water them.

As a member of the curcubit family, zucchinis produce both male and female flowers which need to be pollinated for the fruit to grow. The male flower has a long stamen in the middle of the flower that is covered in a powdery yellow pollen and has a long thin stem that it grows on. The female flower has a cluster in the centre of the flower known as the pistil which has a sticky residue designed to capture and hold pollen and behind the flower, you’ll find a thick stem and miniature zucchini which is what turns into the fruit when pollinated.

For this reason, it’s a great idea to plant flowers nearby that attract pollinators who will do the job for you. If you want to be sure that your female zucchini flower has been pollinated, you can do so by hand – simply cut off the male flower and rub the stamen around the pistil on the female flower.

How long does it take zucchini to grow?

Zucchini grows quite quickly with many varieties taking around 50-60 days to reach full maturity. Of course, it depends how you like your zucchini as you can harvest whilst small or leave them to grow much bigger.

When to harvest zucchini

The answer to this question really depends on how you like your zucchini. Most people find them ideal when they are around 15cm or 6 inches but the choice is yours. Once you’ve pollinated the female flower, be sure to keep an eye on your plants as the fruit can grow very quickly and you want to avoid them getting too big and becoming tough skinned with mushy centres and a bitter taste.

Mark’s top tips for growing zucchini

For best results, grow zucchini in compost rich soil and fertilise regularly. Water in the morning and around the base of the plant rather than the leaves to limit diseases like powdery mildew.

How did you go growing zucchini?

Mark and the Self Sufficient Me team love hearing about your growing success so leave a comment and a photo below to let us know how you went growing zucchini.

If you had some trouble growing zucchini or simply want to pick Mark’s brain about your self-sufficiency goals or projects, you may want to consider becoming a patreon for exclusive content and email access for less than a restaurant meal each month!