Grow Well Guides

Zucchini/Courgette

“One zucchini plant will feed an entire family, two plants will ensure leftovers for additional family and friends and three plants will cover your street” ~ old proverb. Weather you call it Zucchini or Courgette, it is a must have in the summer garden. Zucchini is very versatile and is used in many different cuisines. Spiralize it into pasta, grill it, turn it into a cake or a fritter, or you can even eat the flower.

Planting Calendar

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Prepare

Position

Being subtropical Zucchini are best planted in a sunny position with warm temperatures and lots of direct sun and space to grow.

Soil

When planted into the ground Zucchini likes a free draining soil that is rich in organic matter. To improve the organic content in your soil, break up the soil and add Kings Compost or for an Organic options use Living Earth Organic Vegetable Mix and Kings Sheep Pellets then mix together well. When growing in containers, plant into Kings Container mix. This mix contains added water storage crystals and Saturaid, two products that help maintain moisture in the soil.

Pollination

Zucchini plants are monoecious, that is they have separate male and female flowers. Male flowers appear first followed by the female flowers which turn into zucchinis (the flowers with a fatter stem). Pollen is transferred from male to female flowers by bees and other insects. Encourage bees to your garden with extra bee-friendly plants, like lavender and borage, to get better pollination. The female flower is a golden blossom on the end of each emergent zucchini. The male flower grows directly on the stem of the zucchini plant in the leaf axils, on a long stalk, and is slightly smaller than the female.

Care

Watering

Water slowly allowing the water to sink down into the roots, rather than allowing it to run off the top of the soils surface. Add Saturaid into the soil at planting as this will help channel the water deep down into the root zone. If planted in pots never allow the pot to sit in water. Water your zucchini plants each morning and avoid getting the foliage wet.

Feeding

Once your zucchini has started establishing itself (or after 3-4 weeks of settling into the soil), feed your plant with Aquaticus Organic Garden Booster, an all-purpose natural and organic fertiliser that feeds plants and helps to increase and promote healthy soil. Side dress with Oceanfert at 30 day intervals.

Protecting

Water in the morning and avoid wetting the leaves as this will encourage Powdery Mildew. Both whitefly and aphids have been known as unwelcome visitors on zucchini plants. To prevent their arrival, plant nasturtiums (aphids) and nicotiana (whitefly) around the garden as a sacrificial crop. Plant flowers like alyssum and borage around the garden as these help attract predatory insects that will prey on pest insects

Mulching

Mulch around each zucchini plant with pea and lucerne straw. This will help retain moisture in the soil for longer around the plants and help suppress weeds. Since zucchini fruits are borne closer to the soil, straw helps keep them away from direct contact with soil and prevents rotting

Spraying

Spray for prevention rather than cure by spraying with Kiwicare Organic Super Sulphur for Powdery Mildew. If treatment is necessary for insects, keep it natural by spraying leaves thoroughly with EnSpray99 oil, an organic broad-spectrum insecticide. If possible, spray in the evening to avoid affecting bees and other beneficial insects.

General Care

When using sprays, chemicals or fertilisers always read the label and follow the instructions. Apply sprays in the evening to avoid harming beneficial insects.

Expert Tip

It is not uncommon for the first few fruit to go yellow and rot off at the end. (Blossom end rot)This is usually due to lack of Calcium or inadequate watering. Water well and deeply every third day in dry periods. To add calcium to the soil apply a dressing of Lime 2 weeks prior to planting.

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Frequently Asked Questions