There is a legend very similar to the truth. Once, in ancient times, the coast indian ocean inhabited by fishermen, and the only source of their food was the fish they caught. Many days they spent at sea, fighting against bad weather and storms. The women prayed tirelessly for the safe return of their husbands. One day, women's patience snapped and they turned to the gods with a request to give them a fruit as a gift, the flesh of which would be as tender and refined as fish meat. The gods heard them and gave people zucchini. Indeed, zucchini is not only a unique dietary product, but also has a very delicate taste. Today, you can find this vegetable in almost any garden. But is it so easy to grow this food of the gods?
How to plant zucchini
Despite the fact that you can meet zucchini in almost any garden, not every summer resident can grow them successfully. Planting this vegetable requires taking into account some features of site selection, soil and seed preparation, selection various ways landing.
Choosing a landing site
The place for growing zucchini is of particular importance. Given that this vegetable is warm and light-loving, the site for planting it should be protected from the winds from the north and be sufficiently illuminated.
You can not grow zucchini every year in the same place, as well as after cucumbers, pumpkins and squash (at least 3 years). The best predecessors in this case are cabbage, beets, carrots, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, green and spicy crops.
Zucchini are demanding on soil fertility. Therefore, since autumn, the site is subject to deep digging (by 25–35 cm) without breaking clods, as well as refueling with organic matter. If the soil is acidic, it is lime. In spring, the soil is loosened with a rake, and organic and mineral fertilizers are applied, taking into account its composition.
Zucchini can be grown both outdoors and closed ground . But it must be borne in mind that this vegetable requires a lot of space - the distance between rows and in a row is 70 cm (although 40–50 cm is allowed for some varieties).
AT open field recommend the use of the so-called warm bed. It is made high, and raspberry, Jerusalem artichoke leaves, tops of carrots, beets, last year's grass, compost or humus are laid down under the digging. At the same time, it is recommended to cover the bed with planted plants until mid-June (depending on climatic conditions) with a film or non-woven covers. Happy in good weather the bed must be ventilated.
Preparing plant seeds for sowing
You can plant zucchini with dry seeds or seedlings.. Deciding on the choice of landing method is easy. If your goal is to get a crop as quickly as possible, then the seedling method will be optimal. But the fruits grown by seedlings have one drawback - they cannot be stored for a long time. Therefore, if you need to store these vegetables, then it is preferable to choose planting seeds in the ground. In both cases, pre-sowing seed preparation is important.
As preparatory procedures, it is recommended to freeze, warm and treat seeds.. These measures help to increase the resistance of plants to cold and disease. However, at present, on packages with seeds, you can find a warning from the manufacturer that they have already undergone such training, therefore, it is not necessary to repeat it.
Be sure to soak the seeds before planting in the ground, which is carried out in several stages:
- Warm up the bag with seeds on the battery, this will increase their germination. Discard empty and visually ugly seeds.
- Soak the seeds in warm water. When they swell, place them between layers of fabric (the use of gauze can lead to breaking off delicate roots). Optimum temperature for seed germination - 25 C.
- When the shoots are a few centimeters long (usually after 4-5 days), plant them in the soil.
The timing of planting germinated seeds directly into the ground may vary depending on climatic conditions. On average, these are the last days of May or the beginning of June. The optimum soil temperature is 10–12 C.
The soil must be watered before planting. 0.5 kg of humus and 2–3 seeds are placed in an earthen hole (depth 10–12 cm), then sprinkled with earth 3–4 cm and mulched with peat (2–3 cm) on top. Then extra plants thin out.
Seedlings of this vegetable are prepared in late April - early May. Hatched seeds are traditionally placed in individual paper cups or peat pots filled with substrate. Interest is also aroused by alternative methods of obtaining seedlings in the so-called snails or rolled cigarettes.
Video: Planting zucchini seeds in a snail
After the appearance of sprouts, the first feeding of seedlings is carried out (0.5 tablespoons of superphosphate and urea per 1 liter of water). In addition, each plant should receive no more than 1.5 tbsp. spoons of this solution. The second is performed in 10–12 days. The composition of the solution is somewhat different - for 1 liter of water, 0.5 tbsp. spoons of ash and nitrophoska (1.5 tablespoons for each bush). For irrigation, only warm water is used - 100 ml for each plant every 4–5 days.
Transplanting seedlings into the ground is carried out after 25–30 days, when at least three leaves are formed. It is deepened into the ground to the cotyledon leaves. Before the onset of stable heat, planted seedlings are recommended to be covered with a film or non-woven materials.
Unconventional ways of planting and growing
Summer residents who are faced with the problem of lack of free space on their site have invented quite original ways growing zucchini. Their unusualness lies in the fact that zucchini is planted not in the ground in the garden, but in various devices: bags, barrels, compost heaps. And there is also a vertical landing method.
Growing zucchini in bags is not difficult. To do this, use polyethylene (large garbage bags) or polypropylene bags (sugar, cereals are sold in such bags) with a volume of 100–120 liters. Organic residues, compost, sawdust are laid at the bottom and then sprinkled with earth. Several small holes are made in the bottom of the bag to avoid stagnant water. Zucchini is planted with seeds or seedlings, watered. When cold weather cover circumcised plastic bottle. At the same time, the plant does not require special care and a significant amount of fertilizer.
Similarly, you can grow zucchini in 150–200 liter barrels.. A pipe (with a diameter of not more than 0.3 m) with small holes is installed vertically in the barrel in the center. Drainage in the form of cones or brushwood is laid at the bottom of the barrel. Then successively lay out layers of humus, hay, earth, a mixture of sawdust and peat, and, finally, the soil on which the zucchini will grow. Plants are planted in holes on both sides of the irrigation pipe, through which the plants are subsequently watered.
Zucchini can be grown even on the site of a compost heap containing the remnants of last year's hay, tops of vegetables, husks from grain. The decomposition of these products can be accelerated with the help of special microbiological solutions.
Video: Growing on a compost heap
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bVTIQ-tDgdsThe vertical method of planting zucchini is suitable for climbing varieties zucchini(for example, Profit F1, Ambassador F1). It consists in the fact that the lashes of the plant are launched along a trellis attached to the ground or a wall.
The approaches described above have a number of advantages. First of all, plants are much easier to care for. It also reduces the risk of plant damage by diseases and pests. In addition to saving space on the site, these "beds" are mobile - they can be moved from place to place. At the same time, the greenhouse effect that occurs inside the bags, barrels and compost heaps during the decay of organic residues contributes to the harvest at an earlier date. Another plus of these planting methods is that the fruits of zucchini always look attractive, because they do not come into contact with the surface of the earth.
Growing zucchini on the balcony
Growing zucchini at home is quite difficult, but possible. To do this, it is necessary that the balcony or loggia have a southern exposure and be protected from frost, since the zucchini is photophilous and afraid of frost. best temperature for growing - above 16 C.
For each plant, a separate pot is allocated, with a volume of 10-15 liters of soil. The capacity for planting should be chosen high - 35–40 cm, because when the tap root reaches the barrier, the growth of the aerial part of the plant slows down. Humus can be used as soil, but be sure to provide drainage to avoid stagnant water (for example, expanded clay or gravel). It is necessary to arrange the pot so that no objects and structures create a shadow. It is also worth taking care of the support, to which the zucchini will be tied in the future.
Not all varieties of zucchini are suitable for growing on the balcony. It is better to give preference to bushy early-ripening hybrids (Kavili). You can sow the seeds immediately into the container, but it is better to pre-soak them in water for 3-4 days and plant the seed that has already hatched.
If the selected variety is not self-pollinating, it is necessary to provide insects with access to the balcony, and sprinkle the sprouts with a solution of honey. If there is no possibility for this, then you can pollinate the plant manually - with a brush, transfer pollen from male flowers to female ones.
It is necessary to water the plant regularly, under the root. During fruiting, watering is increased. And regular loosening of the soil will ensure sufficient oxygen supply. You can feed the zucchini with complex water-soluble fertilizers.
You can collect the fruits when they reach a length of 20–25 cm. It is important not to overexpose the fruits on the plant. This leads to a decrease in its productivity and early aging.
What varieties to choose for planting
There are two varieties of this vegetable: white-fruited zucchini and zucchini, having a more diverse color of fruits (yellow, green, variegated, striped). It is believed that zucchini are more resistant to diseases and enter the fruiting stage much earlier. They have a special yield, which is associated with the predominance of female flowers.
According to the ripening time, zucchini varieties are divided into:
- Early ripe (super early). The fruits ripen 30-50 days after planting. Such varieties are suitable for growing in the Urals and Siberia.
- Mid-season. Fruits are formed on the 50-60th day.
- Late ripe. The fruits of these varieties are harvested in late August or autumn (more than 60 days after planting).
Giving preference to one or another variety of this vegetable, it must be taken into account that the difference in ripening time between varieties is insignificant, but it is strongly manifested in the yield of this vegetable. The most popular high-yielding varieties and hybrids are briefly described below.
Table: The most popular high-yielding varieties
| Variety | Ripening time, days | yield | Fruit characteristics |
| 40–45 | 17 kg per bush | Pale Green colour cylindrical shape average weight 0.5 kg | |
| 41–50 | 12 kg per bush | Smooth green color, cylindrical shape. Weight 0.9 kg | |
| 40–48 | 12 kg / sq. m | White, cylindrical, weight 0.6–0.9 kg | |
| 35–40 | 8 kg / sq. m | White, smooth. Weight 0.6-0.9 kg. creamy pulp | |
| 60 | 9 kg / sq. m | Short-cylindrical with ribs. Weight 0.7-1.3 kg | |
| 40–45 | 7–9 kg/sq. m | Cylindrical, white-green. Weight 0.3-0.4 kg | |
| 43–50 | 9 kg / sq. m | Light green, slightly club-shaped. Weight 0.6–1 kg | |
| Black handsome | 40–45 | 14–20 kg/sq. m | Dark green, almost black smooth. Weight 0.5–1 kg |
| 38–46 | 9–12 kg/sq. m | Light green with dark green stripes. Weight 0.5–1.2 kg |
Photo gallery: The most productive varieties of zucchini
Zucchini Iskander F1 
Zucchini White Bush F1 
Zucchini Beloplodny 
Zucchini Gribovsky 37 
Zucchini Zebra 
Zucchini Cavili F1 
Zucchini Black handsome 
Zucchini Nemchinovsky F1
When choosing a variety of zucchini, you should also not forget about the influence of such factors as:
- resistance to low temperatures;
- disease resistance;
- the ability to self-pollinate;
- features of transportation and storage;
- the purpose of the fruit;
- taste qualities of fruits.
Growing and care rules
In growing and caring for zucchini, they are not too whimsical. You just have to follow some rules.
- Watering is one of the determining factors for the full development of the plant and its fruits.. The watering regime depends on the stage of development of the zucchini. Before flowering, the sprouts are watered once every 5–7 days at the rate of 5 liters of water for each bush. At the fruiting stage, the intensity of watering is increased up to twice a week using the same volumes of water. It is important to remember that watering zucchini cold water it is forbidden. The optimum water temperature for irrigation is 22-25 C.
- Top dressing of zucchini is carried out 2-3 times during the summer: the first - in the phase of 4-5 leaves with a solution of slurry or bird droppings; the second - at the stage of flowering and fruit formation with mineral fertilizers. It is important to remember that zucchini does not tolerate chlorine. Carefully read the composition of the fertilizers used.
- Bush care. In climbing types of zucchini, the main trunk is pinched when the buds appear, and the side trunks when they reach a length of 40 cm. In order to improve ventilation and illumination, it is recommended to remove lower leaves plants.
- Soil care consists in loosening it and removing weeds. The first loosening is carried out immediately after planting seeds or seedlings. Subsequent loosening is carried out after rain or watering to prevent the formation of a soil crust. They help retain moisture and provide soil ventilation.
- Harvesting. The timing of fruit ripening depends on the variety of zucchini you choose. It is necessary to harvest regularly with a frequency of 2-3 days. It is important to remember that if you skip the harvest, the fruits outgrow and coarsen, and the growth of young ovaries is also delayed. This negatively affects the level of productivity.
What causes diseases of vegetables
Like other representatives of pumpkin crops, zucchini can be affected by pests and various diseases. This can negatively affect the degree of yield, the appearance of the fruit, or lead to the death of the plant. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the disease in time and take measures to eliminate it.
Consider what symptoms of disease damage you may encounter when growing zucchini:
Table: Signs and methods of dealing with major diseases
| Signs of defeat | Name | The reasons | Fighting methods |
| Rounded powdery spots appear on the leaves, then the leaves turn brown and dry. | powdery mildew | Sudden change in weather, high humidity | Spraying plants with a 1% suspension of colloidal sulfur, the first time - at the first appearance of plaque spots, the second - after 15–20 days |
| The appearance of rounded or oval yellow-brown spots on the leaves, spots appear on the fruits, turning into darkening sores, the fruits become bitter | Anthracnose (verdigris) | High humidity and temperature | Spraying plants with 1% Bordeaux liquid, 0.2–0.3% suspension of 80% cineb, 0.4% copper oxychloride. |
| Leaves and lashes are covered with a white coating of mycelium, the affected areas become soft and slippery, the plant fades, the leaves dry out | white rot | Cold wet weather, crowded planting | Removal of affected plants, sprinkling with lime in places of their growth |
| The lower part of the stem and roots turn brown, the lower leaves turn yellow and wither | root rot | Low soil temperature, watering the plant with cold water, applying large doses of fertilizers | Watering with warm water, timely hilling |
| Angular oily spots on leaves, darkening later, ulcers and watery spots on fruits | bacteriosis | Wet warm weather | Spraying plants with 1% Bordeaux liquid |
| The leaves become wrinkled, swollen and variegated, yellowish depressions appear on the fruits. | Mosaic | viral disease | The affected plant is removed |
These vegetables can also be attacked by dangerous pests: sprout flies, spider mites, melon aphids, wireworms, and bears. Methods of dealing with these insects are quite diverse:
- spraying the affected plant with water and special solutions;
- the creation of repellent structures with specific odors;
- the creation of special baits that allow insects to accumulate in one place, and then destroy them.
Photo gallery: The main pests of zucchini
Germ fly larvae damage seeds and shoots of squash 
Spider mite entangles leaves with small cobwebs 
The melon aphid causes leaf curl 
Wireworms and their larvae damage seeds, seedlings, young plants. 
Medvedka damages seeds, roots and young shoots
Thus, when planting zucchini in your garden, remember the methods for preventing diseases and pests:
- follow the rules of crop rotation (do not place zucchini every year in the same place and where cucumbers or pumpkins grew before);
- follow the rules of watering (water the plant regularly under the root with warm water (22-25 C));
- remove weeds and plant debris in a timely manner.
As you know, any disease is better to prevent than to treat later.
So, armed with the knowledge gained about the rules for growing zucchini, decide on the choice of varieties and method of planting this vegetable, demonstrate your diligence and patience, and you can enjoy the rich results of your work, eating the tender flesh of the food of the gods.
Even with minimal care, zucchini generously rewards the farmer large quantity fruits that are suitable for cooking and canning, and also keep well fresh.
Zucchini belongs to the gourd family. Its fruits are yellow, white and green. The culture is thermophilic and light-loving, does not bear fruit in the shade. The yield depends on the amount of light and on the fertility of the soil. The plant prefers light warm sandy loams and loams.
Zucchini can be grown in two ways:
- seedlings;
- sowing seeds in the garden.
Growing through seedlings allows you to get an early and significant harvest.
AT middle lane, growing zucchini in open ground without temporary shelters, seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of April.
All about seedlings of zucchini
Seedlings can be grown indoors or in a greenhouse. Buy soil for seedlings in the store - potting mix for pumpkin, or make it yourself by mixing peat, garden soil and sawdust in a ratio of 50:40:10.
Add mineral fertilizers to the soil - for 10 liters of the mixture a glass, 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate, 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Treat the seeds in potassium permanganate and sow in cups or jars. Zucchini does not like transplanting, so sow each seed in a separate container.
By the time the seedlings are planted in the garden or in the greenhouse, she should be about a month old - at this age she tolerates transplanting more easily. As a take any available material: cups made of paper and cardboard, peat pots and tablets, laminated paper bags. At the seedlings of zucchini large leaves, so the diameter of the container should not be less than 10 by 10 centimeters.
Pour the soil into the pots and water so that it gets wet to the bottom. Make a hole in the center, 3 cm deep. Lay the seed flat - the sprouted root will look down.
Until shoots appear, keep the temperature at 18-25 ° C, then it must be lowered so that the plants do not stretch. Lowering the temperature at the beginning of growth forms a powerful root system. Reduce the temperature for a week to 15 ° C. Do not forget to maintain good level illumination.
By the time of planting in the ground, standard seedlings should have 2-3 leaves, no more than 30 days old. Before planting, water the soil in containers abundantly and carefully remove the plants without disturbing the clod of earth.
When to plant zucchini
The soil for planting zucchini should have time to warm up to at least 15 ° C. Planting zucchini seedlings in greenhouses or under film shelters begins in early May, in open ground - in early June. It is ideal to do this on a cloudy day, and if the weather is sunny, you need to plant seedlings in the evening so that they have time to acclimatize overnight.
Landing pattern
The scheme of planting zucchini depends on the characteristics of the variety. Plants of bush varieties are planted at least 80 cm apart. Leave 120 m between the climbers.
When planting, zucchini can be deepened to cotyledon leaves. If there is a threat of frost, metal arcs are immediately installed over the bed and a film or covering material is pulled over.
If it got colder
If there are no arcs and films on the site, in case of a cold snap, you can get by with improvised shelters - cover each planted plant with a cut plastic bottle. As practice shows, such protection, despite its simplicity, reliably keeps plants from the cold, even if it snows for a short time.
Fertilizer and top dressing of zucchini
If the soil for seedlings is prepared in accordance with all the rules, it can not be fertilized - the nutrient reserves in the container will last for a month. But poorly growing seedlings should be fertilized.
The best fertilizers for planting are organic. Zucchini, like all pumpkins, love compost and rotted manure.
- First feeding spend 10 days after germination. 7 days after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are kept cool, and then the temperature is raised to 20 ° C. The indicator for feeding will be the delay in the appearance of the first leaf after raising the temperature.
- Second top dressing spend a few days before disembarking if the sources turn pale or turn yellow. Suitable for fertilizing seedlings of zucchini foliar top dressing any liquid fertilizer: Ideal, Agricola.
Water
The water should be warm - this will help to avoid root rot. During flowering, each plant should be irrigated with at least 5 liters of water, and during the fruiting period, at least 10 liters.
Before watering, the water is warmed in the sun - cold well water leads to rotting of young ovaries. If it is not the size of the crop that is important, but the taste of the fruit, then the number of irrigations is reduced.
In the open ground
Unlike their closest relatives - cucumbers, zucchini tolerate drought. You can water them rarely, but plentifully. Even if the weather is dry, 1 watering per week is enough for zucchini.
in the greenhouse
Zucchini in the greenhouse need to be watered less than in the open field. Constantly moist soil will cause the fruit to begin to rot at the tips. The rotten place is cut off, the cut is burned with a match. Such a fruit will continue to grow, and a cork layer is formed at the site of the burn, impermeable to rot and bacteria.
In some varieties, the tip of the fruit may rot even with optimal water conditions. This happens when at the end of the fetus for a long time the flower does not fall. The rot from the flower will pass to the fruit itself, so the flowers from the fruits that have already begun must be removed manually.
How to get a rich harvest of zucchini
If you need to get the maximum yield, then every week the bushes are fed with complex fertilizer or a mixture of Mitlider No. 2. If it is not possible to feed zucchini often, you need to do this at least 2 times:
- For the first time before flowering, a solution of the following composition - in 10 liters. dilute water with 50 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium nitrate. Plants water clean water, and then pour 1 liter of fertilizer under each root.
- Spend the second top dressing after harvesting the first fruits with a solution of the same composition, but pour 2 liters of fertilizer on each bush.
Gardeners trying to apply only organic fertilizers, can use the method of growing zucchini on compost or manure beds, as they do with cucumbers. Then the plant does not need additional feeding.
To get a large harvest, you need to regularly cut old leaves and fruits that have reached the desired size from the bush. Frequent fruit picking stimulates the setting of new squash.
When it comes time to plant vegetables, every owner land plot begins to decide what he wants to grow. Zucchini is probably one of the most popular products in our latitudes. From them you can cook a huge number of dishes. Zucchini and zucchini can be fried, stewed, boiled, baked, marinated and much more. Among other things, it is a very useful dietary product, which is advised to use in many diseases. It contains many vitamins and useful minerals, it is used as the first food for babies.
Almost every owner of a summer cottage grows such excellent vegetables as zucchini. Growing and caring for which is simple, ripens quickly enough and produces many fruits, which also adds to its popularity.
Which variety to choose
Zucchini belongs to the gourd family and is an annual plant. There are usually two varieties:
- bushy (with straight stems);
- branching.
The leaves of this plant are quite wide, green in lighter or darker shades, the flowers are rich yellow. The fruit, depending on the variety, is white, yellow, light green or dark green.
Choosing which variety of zucchini to plant at home is not a very easy task, since they all have almost the same characteristics, only slightly different in appearance and taste. They are early and late ripening, varietal and hybrid, which are better suited for storage for the winter. Each owner, by trial and error, selects for himself the variety that he most likes.
Here are examples of some varieties for comparison.
Zebra- refers to zucchini. This is a small plant with a short stem and a small number of shoots, light green in color with a dark stripe. Gives a lot of fruit and tolerates cold well. Refers to bushy early ripening crops.
Barren. White in color with a smooth surface and hard skin. Early maturing bush plant with one or two shoots. Relate to single stem.
Kavili- hybrid. Early variety, gives big harvest for quite a long time. The fruits are straight, light green.
Gribovsky. Mid-season bushy plant with short firm fruits of light green color.
Kuand- zucchini. A mid-maturing shrub variety of green color with pale gray spots. Gives a high yield and is excellent for storage for the winter.
Mountain- hybrid. Early ripe medium maturing bush plant with fruits white color.
Anchor. Bush early grade with average maturing and light fruits.
ball. Early variety, ripening period up to 2 months. It has a round shape of green color with light dots.
It is possible to list the varieties of zucchini for a very long time, since their variety is huge, there are even more hybrids, only a few examples are given.
Bed preparation
Despite the fact that this vegetable is quite simple to grow and care for, it is quite demanding on the soil. That's why beds must be prepared before planting with fertilizers.
Depending on what kind of soil you have, it requires different care. For example, clay and light loamy soil is best fertilized with peat, sawdust and humus, while you can add a spoonful of superphosphate from mineral fertilizers and wood ash. On peat soil, it is better to apply compost or humus, also with superphosphate or calcium sulfate and ash. But sandy, it is just necessary to cover it with peat or clay soil with sawdust and humus, and then fertilize it. Good black soil is fertile anyway, but it can also be fertilized with sawdust, ash and superphosphate for greater effect.
When preparing a new site for planting zucchini, it must be carefully dug up and removed from the ground all the roots and possible beetle larvae, and then cover with compost or humus with mineral fertilizers - wood ash and nitrophoska.
Landing nuances
Zucchini is a rather unpretentious vegetable, it grows quite quickly, it gives the first shoots a maximum of a week after planting and brings good harvest already 40-60 days after that. You can prepare seedlings or plant seeds immediately in the ground, as soon as the soil has time to warm up.
Seeds of 2-4 pieces are placed in holes prepared in the garden, with a depth of 3-5 cm to 5-7 cm, depending on the soil (there are light and heavy), at a distance of approximately 70 cm, but no more than three pieces per square meter. If several seeds suddenly sprout, they leave only one shoot, the most developed. The beds are usually covered to avoid the threat of possible frosts, and when it passes, the covering material is removed.
Early and late varieties zucchini sit in different time. For the first, sowing can begin as early as May 1, and a vegetable suitable for winter storage, it is best to plant in the period from 1 to 10 June. To get always fresh zucchini throughout the season, planting can be repeated several times with an interval of 5-6 days.
Remember that zucchini loves light, so you can’t cook beds for them in places with a possible shadow. Choose the maximum open space, the more light the plant receives, the faster it will begin to bear fruit. It tolerates cold well, but it is still better to plant it in places protected from the wind.
There is another feature of growing zucchini - their it is strongly not recommended to plant in places where any vegetables from the pumpkin family have grown before, as this contributes to the accumulation of diseases in the soil. In such areas, the land should rest for at least three years. In any other places, zucchini can sit down without problems. It is good to plant zucchini after radishes, onions, cabbage, carrots, parsley, herbs and any early vegetables.
You can speed up the germination time of seeds if you pre-soak them in a solution of a growth stimulator or mineral fertilizers for a day or five hours in warm water.
If you want to get zucchini as early as possible, you can grow them in a greenhouse or prepare seedlings.
seedling preparation
Zucchini seedlings allow you to increase the yield and get it faster, making it easier to grow. To do this, buy ready-made soil for seedlings or prepare it yourself from peat, soddy soil (clay), humus and sawdust in the ratio 50:20:20:10. Prepared seeds are pre-sown in pots one at a time. about a month before planting in the ground.
Seedlings require fertilizer with minerals or a solution of mullein. With good soil, once a week before planting is enough. In case of poor soil, it is better to fertilize twice: the first - ten days after the sprouts shoots, the second - after another seven days.
Seedlings are transplanted into prepared soil along with a clod of earth so as not to damage the roots. Early varieties zucchini are planted in a greenhouse or under cover in early May, late ones - in early June.
Features of growing zucchini
Caring for zucchini is simple - it is periodically required to loosen the soil, weed weeds, water and fertilize. At the same time, there is not much difference whether you planted the seeds in open ground or with the help of seedlings. The first weeding and loosening begin after the appearance of sprouts (in the case of seedlings, this process is recommended to be done a week after transplanting). As soon as the first leaves appear, zucchini planted in open ground must be thinned out so that only one sprout remains in the hole (no need to pull out the roots, just pinch off the excess right near the ground).
Zucchini is fairly drought tolerant, so they need to be watered rarely, but plentifully. On average, regular watering is required once a decade. The water should not be cold, otherwise you will damage the young ovaries. When the first fruits appear, the water norms for irrigation must be doubled. About a week before harvest, zucchini stop watering so that the taste of the fruit is more intense.
Excess moisture in the soil can cause the tip of the squash to rot. In this case, you need to cut off the rotten part and set fire to the place of the cut. The fruit will grow further, a cork will form on the cut. It happens that the rotting of the tip of the zucchini may be due to the flower that did not fall off after fertilization, which began to rot.
If zucchini is bare root system, which is possible with frequent watering, it must be covered with soil. Also, when hilling, you can’t rake the earth to the plant (as we do with potatoes), because all pumpkins do not like when their roots are disturbed. Therefore, the bringing earth is poured from above.
It is worth remembering that seedlings must be protected from pecking by birds. For protection, you can hang strips of paper or film.
Feeding and pollination
Fertilizing zucchini should be carried out twice every decade after germination. Remember that they react badly to chlorine, it is better to use a mixture of potassium sulfate, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate in proportions of 20:40:20 grams per bucket of water (10 l) - for the first feeding, and a similar infusion, but without saltpeter - for the second. It is very good to feed with infusion of mullein or chicken manure, diluting it 1:10 and 1:15, respectively. During the period of fruit set, you can feed the zucchini with a liquid solution of potassium salt (50 g per 10 liters of water).
We must not forget about pollination when the first flowers appear. If there are bees in the area, then this process will not be a problem - attract insects with a solution of a teaspoon of honey in a glass of water, which is sprayed with flowering zucchini in the morning. If there are no bees or the weather is cloudy for a long time, pollination can be done manually. Pick the male flower and apply its pollen to the center of the female flower. In order to avoid poisoning of pollinating insects, spraying with pesticides is not used during the flowering of the garden.
Harvesting
Zucchini are best harvested while they are young, as their skin is thinner and their flesh is tender. They are juicier, tastier and perfectly prepared in any way. Young fruits are also better suited for preservation and pickling.
Zucchini are harvested regularly every other day, checking all the bushes well so that there are no fruits left anywhere that will interfere with the emergence of new ovaries, which will affect the yield. With good external conditions fruits grow quite quickly. On the fertile soil one plant can bear up to 15-20 fruits per growing season. When harvesting zucchini, they leave a long petiole.
You can start collecting fruits after 15-20 days from the beginning of flowering, they are fully ripe by this time. Also, the ripeness of zucchini can be determined tactilely: the skin becomes quite hard and makes a dull sound when tapped. If you are growing zucchini for winter storage, it is undesirable to pick them too young, let them fully ripen. The skin should be firm enough to be stored for a long time. To do this, after collecting, it is worth letting them lie down in the sun for several days and dry.
It is best to store such zucchini in a dry, well-ventilated place, while they should not touch each other. The shelf life in such conditions reaches 4-5 months. But varieties related to zucchini can also be saved in an apartment, since during long storage they form a fairly dense skin.
Problems of growing zucchini
When growing zucchini, you may encounter some problems that you should be aware of in order to deal with them in a timely manner:
- avoid close proximity of zucchini next to a pumpkin, cucumber, or other variety of zucchini. This can lead to over-pollination of plants and negatively affect them;
- zucchini has the following diseases - anthracnose, white rot, powdery mildew, root rot;
- melon aphid and spider mite- the main pests and enemies of the zucchini, which must be fought.
Growing zucchini in an apartment
There are some small varieties of fast ripening that can be grown even on the balcony in an apartment building. They are resistant to bad conditions, tolerant of cold, easily tolerate drought. Among others, these varieties include:
- barren;
- Anchor;
- Video clip;
- Zebra;
- Zukkesha.
Seeds are planted in pots with a diameter of at least 10 cm according to the same principles as in the ground. Further, identical rules apply for them as for a normal landing. The only thing, since in such conditions there are practically no insects, manual pollination required described above. After the first frost, the plants are removed, and the containers are washed and disinfected.
Zucchini is a well-known and beloved vegetable by many, which does not require excessive attention and is not very demanding in care. At right approach to planting and growing this vegetable, as a result, you can get a rich harvest. If you decide to try growing zucchini on your suburban area, it will be useful for you to learn about the intricacies of growing a vegetable in the open field: planting, caring, etc., as well as about its main varieties.
The main varieties and varieties of zucchini: a detailed description
Planting a plant in open ground
There are two ways to plant zucchini in open ground: seed and seedling. Let's consider them in more detail.
seed method
To plant a plant in this way, you will need zucchini seeds. Before planting, the seeds are prepared accordingly: soak them in heated water with 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ash/potassium humate solution. Then the seeds need to be wrapped in a damp cloth and kept in this form for several days at 23-25 degrees.
The most proven and reliable way to prepare seeds before planting is the following: the seeds are alternately placed first in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours, then left indoors for about ten hours at an air temperature of about 22 degrees.
zucchini seeds
We prepare the soil long before planting the plant in open ground - even in the fall. The earth is dug up and then fertilized with compost (about 10 kg), superphosphate (10-15 grams) and a handful of wood ash. All figures are based on one square meter.
By spring (the last decade of May), the soil must be carefully leveled and holes should be prepared with a depth of about 10-12 cm (the distance between them should be such that it turns out no more than three per square meter). We put a small handful of humus and ash in each hole, mix it with the ground, slightly moisten it and only then plant the seeds - 2-3 pieces in each hole five to seven centimeters deep (if the soil is light enough). Top the seeds with a layer of earth.
Advice. If several seeds germinate in the hole, you need to leave only one, remove all the rest from the hole.
seedling method
Using the seedling method, you can grow zucchini much faster compared to the seed method. But one point should be taken into account: zucchini grown in this way will not be stored for a long time.
First, the seeds are processed (in the manner described in the first option) - the zucchini seeds should swell slightly. Soil for planting seedling way should be saturated with 50% peat, 20% with humus, with the same amount of turf and 10% sawdust. If the soil is too saturated with acids, then you can add a little chalk / ash.
In small parts, the soil is laid out in peat pots and disinfected either hot water, or a solution of potassium permanganate. After that, you can lay the seeds in the soil to a depth of about 2 cm. From above, the pots with seeds must be covered with something: cellophane, glass, etc. will do.
Seedlings of zucchini
After the seeds germinate, you can open the pots and transfer them for a week to a cool room (15-17 degrees) with enough daylight. Then return back to warm room. These actions will prevent strong stretching of the sprouts.
Periodically, the sprouts need to be watered with a small amount of settled water. At least once every ten days, the soil with seedlings needs to be “feeded” a little. For the first time use a solution of mullein (about 50 g for each pot of seedlings) or some kind of mineral composition.
Approximately 25-30 days (by the end of spring) after the appearance of the first shoots, seedlings can be planted in open ground. The conditions for this are the same as for planting seeds - a sufficient distance between the rows and no more than 3 plants per square meter. Don't forget to fertilize the soil too. To next day the soil should be slightly loosened.
vegetable care
In order for the zucchini to grow into a strong plant and give a rich harvest, it is necessary to carry out a number of standard procedures, such as loosening and weeding the soil, watering the plant, and controlling diseases and pests.
In order for the reproduction of the vegetable to occur according to temporary standards, it is necessary to periodically weed the beds. This is done for the first time 7 days after the landing is made. When the seeds / seedlings germinate so that several young leaves form on the sprouts, you can hill the zucchini.
Planting zucchini in the ground
To side shoots grew more actively, you can pinch the main stem. When the reproduction of lateral roots begins and the leaves slowly close, the soil can be thoroughly loosened and weeded again.
Watering zucchini is best done after sunset with water warmed by the sun. In hot weather, watering should be daily, and when the leaves close and cover the ground, the soil can be moistened less often - a couple of times a week.
Advice. Pour water only under the root, in no case should it fall on ripening fruits or leaves, otherwise they will simply rot. If the leaves begin to wither from hot weather, you can moisten them using a special nozzle with small holes.
Fertilizer and fertilizing zucchini
In order for the zucchini to give a good harvest, you need (if necessary) to help it pollinate. To do this, pollen from the male flower is transferred to the pistil of the female (corresponding photos from detailed description process you can find on the Internet). You can also use "heavy artillery" - insect pollinators. Spray the plants with honey/sugar water every day to lure them in.
Zucchini loves organic fertilizers very much, so do not regret this goodness. You can make an excellent herbal infusion for young seedlings. To do this, put the weeds left after weeding in a barrel and fill it with water (be sure to stir the infusion periodically). After a week of infusion, the fertilizer can be filtered, mixed with water in a ratio of 1:8 and watered the soil. This must be done very carefully so as not to catch the sprouts.
Secondary top dressing must be carried out in a week (with the same infusion). The third time - when the first ovaries appear. Be sure to add double superphosphate (1 tablespoon) and 250 g of wood ash to the fertilizer.
Advice. Before each feeding of the plant, it is desirable to water it.
We fight pests and diseases
Even with excellent care zucchini sometimes suffer from diseases. Most often, this representative of the squash family is affected by several pests and diseases, such as slugs, whiteflies, melon aphids, powdery mildew, etc.
The whitefly is a very big problem for zucchini gardeners. main feature their presence is a white sticky discharge that forms on the leaves from the underside. This provokes the development of sooty fungi, which eventually destroy the leaves of the plant. The easiest way to get rid of the pest is to wash the leaves with water. If this does not help, then use a special insecticide.
Slugs must be collected by hand. If their number is too large, you can make a kind of bait - pour dark beer into small jars and place them on the site. Slugs will definitely react and “run away”.
Aphids take the juices from the plant, thereby damaging all its parts. An excellent method of dealing with it is to treat the plant with a solution of soap (300 g per bucket of water).
Check zucchini regularly for pests
Powdery mildew damages squash leaves with a loose coating. They dry out over time, and the fruits simply stop growing. At the first signs of this disease, the plant is treated with a 10% solution of fungicides.
The combination of zucchini with other plants
In no case should zucchini be planted in soil that was previously planted with representatives of the pumpkin family (cucumber, all varieties of zucchini, pumpkin, etc.). Excellent predecessors for zucchini can be tomatoes, parsley, carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. There is an excellent combination of zucchini with such fruit and vegetable crops as onions, beets, corn and tomatoes.
A couple of months after planting zucchini (at the end of summer - beginning of autumn), you can collect the first fruits of your labor. In general, you should not keep ripe zucchini in the beds for a long time: the faster the ripe fruits are cut, the faster new ones will grow.
We have examined in detail the process of planting and growing zucchini. With proper care, you are more likely to get quality product which you will enjoy for a long time.
Growing zucchini: photo
It's hard to imagine a garden without zucchini. This vegetable is one of the first ready to be harvested and appears on the tables in the form various dishes. The ease of growing zucchini, availability, early maturity and other characteristics make it possible to grow these plants with proper care. different varieties in open ground, greenhouses and greenhouses and in Siberia, Moscow region and in the Leningrad region.
Our grandmothers did not think much about the varietal characteristics of the plants grown, and from year to year they collected their seeds from best fruits. Sometimes appeared on the site new variety, but its main characteristic was color spectrum fruits: white, green, yellow, etc. With
The arsenal of modern gardeners is much wider and the color scheme as a sign has faded into the background. Attention is paid to such characteristics as:
- Ripening time (early, middle, late);
- Type of growth (bush, climbing);
- Features of pollination (parthenocarpic or pollinated by insects);
- Productivity.
These and other characteristics allow the rule to choose a species for certain conditions and get the most out of each plant.
To get a good harvest - you need to select a variety according to the characteristics
Among the variety of zucchini is Special attention give varieties that have earned the recognition of breeders and are most popular with gardeners. Each group has its favorites. Someone is convenient due to its ripening time, and someone conquers with its compactness.
The best bush-type varieties for outdoor cultivation
Most asthenias of the gourd family form long spreading lashes that require large areas. At the same time, modern summer residents and gardeners are often limited to 6 acres, on which they want to plant a variety of crops.
The limited space and economy of each meter makes planting traditional climbing varieties a real luxury, but bush varieties become a godsend for such areas.
Bush zucchini can easy to fit into limited space and even planted in a flower bed among flowers, where large leaves will become an excellent background for other plants.
Compact plant. Shows good disease resistance.
Fruits are green, 14-15 cm long, tasty, universal purpose. Excellent transport resistance. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology from 1 square. m area can be collected 7-7.5 kg.
Ultraearly. The first fruits are ready to be harvested within 35-40 days. The fruits are white, oval, excellent taste, universal purpose. The pulp is dense, creamy. Well kept.
Waterfall
early ripe hybrid. Fruits weighing up to 500 g, green. The pulp is dense, white. The yield is high. Disease resistance is above average.
precocious bush type variety. Disease resistance is very high. The fruits are pale green, cylindrical. The flesh is pinkish-yellow or light yellow color. Suitable for canning.
The best self-pollinating parthenocarpic species
Zucchini forms female and male flowers. In most cases, pollination and fruit set occurs with the help of insects that carry pollen. However, when grown in greenhouses, especially in winter time cross-pollination is problematic.
Parthenocarpic varieties that are able to set fruits without pollination become a real find. These varieties are great for open ground.
early maturity and high yield make the hybrid one of the best.
The fruits are light green, up to 22 cm long. Fruiting is abundant and long. The ripening period is 1.5 months, and the active setting of new fruits takes place within 2 months in any conditions, even without any participation of pollinating insects. During this time, from 1 sq. m manage to collect about 9 kg. The pulp is tender, juicy, whitish.
Super early hybrid. Ideal for the production of early products under film covers. Withstands large temperature fluctuations.
Ripening period 35 days. The fruits are light green, with a delicate skin. The pulp is dense, the seed chamber is miniature. The weight of the fetus can reach 800 g, with a length of 25 cm.
Hybrid of the Dutch selection, very compact and fruitful. For 1 sq. m can accommodate 3-4 bushes and collect up to 15 kg fruits. Good fruit set without insects and early term maturation makes this variety an excellent candidate for greenhouse planting.
The fruits of the variety are dark green, cylindrical with light green dense, juicy and tasty pulp. It can be used not only for canning and cooking various dishes, but also consumed raw. fruiting period of zucchini very long and can stretch until September.
Early varieties
Varieties of early ripening zucchini are of particular value, because they most often become the first fresh vegetables of the new summer season.
An early ripe parthenocarpic hybrid bred by Dutch breeders. Ripening period 40-45 days.
The special value of the variety lies in the ability to set fruits when low temperatures, which is especially true for northern regions with cool summers.
When planting 4 plants per 1 sq. m yield is 15 kg. The fruits are light green, up to 20 cm long, with a thin delicate skin. The pulp is tender, juicy, creamy or white.
The ripening period of the variety is 41-50 days. The plant is characterized by large dark green leaves with gray spots. These are varietal color features and should not be confused with the disease.
Fruits up to 40 cm long and weighing up to 900 g. Fruiting continues until frost. Fruit well stored and transported. The pulp is juicy, very tasty.
The main feature of the variety are green globular fruits covered with light dots that look like a ball. The taste of the pulp is excellent.
The ripening period of a round zucchini is 50-55 days. The plant is compact, bushy with strongly dissected leaves.
This variety has already been mentioned as a popular bush squash, but the early ripening period is another plus in the piggy bank. positive characteristics. Ripening period 42-45 days.
Medium maturity
Widely known white-fruited variety. The ripening period is not less than 46 days, depending on the region of cultivation. Plant forms long lashes.
Fruits up to 20 cm in size, white. The skin is hard, the flesh is tasty, white or yellowish. yield 8.5 kg from 1 sq. m.
Ripening period 50 days. Bush type of growth. The color of the fruit is fully consistent with the name.
Bush grade. Ripens in 45 days. The fruits are very dark green, close to black. The peel is thin, the flesh is greenish, delicate taste.
Fruits are universal and suitable for everyone options use. At the same time, 4-5 fruits can be tied on a bush.
late zucchini
An unusual variety that is only gaining popularity.
Young Spaghetti zucchini tastes no different from the usual varieties, but after full ripening, the zucchini pulp is stratified into fibers and a peculiar vegetable spaghetti which has many fans. Outwardly ripened fruits in shape and color resemble small melons.
The only problem - late maturity, which in regions with a short summer does not always allow you to wait for "macaroni".
Lagenaria (calabash)
This type of gourd is also called Vietnamese zucchini. Due to the long ripening period and exotic nature, lagenaria cannot be called a frequent guest of vegetable gardens. Fruit shape varies.
When young, they are used as food in the same way as pumpkin or zucchini. When ripe, the walls and pulp dry out and a cavity forms inside.
Traditionally, some peoples used these plants to make vessels.
Variety of zucchini allows you to choose suitable grade not only for certain growing conditions, but also for aesthetic and taste reasons.
At right combination hybrids, you can get a good harvest even with small area and prolong fruiting. And some exotic varieties will help to diversify traditional culinary dishes and grow material for crafts.