Growing Zucchini, also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash

Cucurbita pepo : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  S S S
T                     T

(Best months for growing Zucchini in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • Grow in seed trays, and plant out in 4-6 weeks. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 70°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 20 - 35 inches apart
  • Harvest in 6-9 weeks. Cut the fruit often to keep producing.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Corn, beans, nasturtiums, parsley, Silverbeet, Tomatoes
  • Avoid growing close to: Potatoes

Your comments and tips

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18 Feb 08, Rachel (Unknown climate)
Lime your soil. A couple of handfuls of lime will definately fix the problem. Works with tomatoes if they get brown bottoms too. It's apparently the magnesium. Happy harvesting
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17 Feb 08, Richo (Unknown climate)
The Zucchini rot at the end because they are not fetilised properly. You need to get the flowers to germinate and you can do this by hand. Try this page it explains how and why http://www.sgaonline.org.au/info_continuous_harvest_zucchini.html I planted 3 plants this year and with out a letter of a lie I had three months of production and at least 20kg of zucchini.
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07 Feb 08, Chris (Unknown climate)
Leaves going white sounds like powdery mildew, probably due to all the wet. You could try a spray of dilute (1 to 9) skim milk and water (see RHNZ website: http://www.rnzih.org.nz/pages/powdery-mildew.htm), or a commercial spray.
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07 Feb 08, Ket (Unknown climate)
So am I, I am looking into it and hopefully have an answer. My zucchini's leaves are going all white and I have never had this happen. I have grown zucchini's the size of pumpkins and this season they are really bad........
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21 Jan 08, Jac (Unknown climate)
I am having the same problem as Kirsten with rotting ends on my zucchini - what do I do about it?
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09 Dec 07, Kirsten (Unknown climate)
I am having trouble with rot on my zucchini as soon as the vegetable starts to develop. Do you have any ideas.
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Showing 351 - 356 of 356 comments
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Tromboncino and butternut are both Cucurbitus moschato so would cross pollinate. As Cucurbits are pollinated by insects you would need to have a substantial distance between them (a few house blocks) to avoid this happening. If you want to save Tromboncino seed you would need to remove ALL of the male flowers off the butternuts as they appeared. The Butternuts would then be hybrid but the Tromboncino's should be pure. Check the botanical names of all pumpkins, squash, marrows, zucchinis, etc. before interplanting. If the specific name comes up with both, they will cross pollinate. Trust this helps

- John Mauger

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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