How to Grow Zucchini

Zucchini is an easy crop to grow if you plant it at the right time of year and don't plant too much! It loves wam weather and in Sydney can be planted anytime from mid-August to mid-February. It takes about 6 weeks from planting the seed directly into the soil until you harvest your first zucchini. 

Zucchini need full sun, a sheltered spot and plenty of water and nutrition. They benefit from a mulch around the plants, which also keeps the fruit off the soil. 

How to Harvest Zucchini

Zucchini need to be harvested every 2 days to prevent them from growing too large and becoming watery and flavourless. If you have too many zucchini you can harvest them at a smaller size and eat them as baby zucchini, or you can even harvest the female flowers and stuff them. There are many recipes online. One plant will produce 2-3 zucchini per week. After about 4-6 weeks the plant's vigour slows and it will succumb to disease, so it is a good idea to succession plant to ensure a steady supply of zucchini all Summer long. 

Still to come

Next time I will talk about how to grow a variety of vegetables over a hot dry Summer. 

This week's recipe links

Caramelised Pear, Celery & Cabbage Salad from Taste. 

Silky Beet Dip from Rainbow Plant Life. 

Wilted Spinach Salad from The Mediterranean Dish. 

Healthy Potato Salad from Love & Lemons. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.