Simple and Effective Way to Grow Zucchini at Home

Growing zucchini at home is a simple and rewarding experience. This variety of squash is known for its hardiness and ease of cultivation. You can grow it in pots or directly in the ground, following these simple steps. Let's learn together with My Garden!

Planting zucchini in 2 Easy Steps

With the zucchini planting method, it is recommended to start by germinating the seeds in a seed pot before transferring them to the ground or into larger pots.

Step 1: Sowing the Seeds:

I sowed the seeds in a seed pot filled with a pre-mixed potting soil and a small amount of NPK fertilizer. After about 2.5 weeks, when the seedlings have two true leaves, I transplanted them into the ground. The germination rate for squash and gourd plants is almost 100%, making them very easy to grow!

Step 2: Planting Soil and Fertilization:

Since I was planting in the ground, I only dug holes about 15 cm deep and mixed them with composted cow manure and NPK fertilizer. I didn't measure the exact amounts since I'm not an expert, but I used about 2 handfuls of each. The NPK fertilizer I used has a 10-20-20 ratio.

Caring for zucchini at Home

From my experience growing zucchini, I've found that this plant is incredibly easy to care for. Here's my specific zucchini care routine:

• Watering: During the summer months, I water the plants in the late afternoon.
• Fertilizing: When the plants are about 3 months old, I add NPK fertilizer around the base and water them. This provides additional nutrients for the plants to support fruit production.
• Pruning Old Leaves: My plants grew quite long, and the old leaves didn't fall off naturally. Therefore, I pruned some of the leaves to encourage the plants to direct their energy towards producing flowers and fruits.

Tips for Growing zucchini at Home

In general, the method for growing zucchini is similar to that for growing other types of squash, such as gourds and loofahs. However, there are a few additional things you should keep in mind to ensure that your plants produce the best possible fruits:

• Pollination of female flowers is essential for fruit set and development. Pollinate by using a cotton swab to collect pollen from the male stamen and transfer it to the stigma of the female flower. Each male stamen should be used to pollinate 2 female flowers.
• At around 2 months old, the plants will start to produce flowers (or even earlier). At this stage, the root system is not yet fully developed and cannot absorb enough nutrients. Therefore, even if you pollinate the flowers, the plant will not set fruit. So don't be discouraged if your plant produces flowers, is pollinated, but the fruit still dies.
• Be aware that fruit flies and thrips can also prevent fruits from growing and cause them to rot gradually.
• Pollinated fruits will grow very quickly. They can change size significantly from morning to evening, and they can be ready to eat in as little as 4 days.
• Unpollinated or incompletely pollinated fruits will still develop, but they will be misshapen.
• If the male flowers have already bloomed but the female flowers will not bloom for another 2-3 days, you can store the male flowers in the refrigerator. Wait until the female flowers bloom and then pollinate them.
• Male and female flowers only bloom for 1 day, usually in the morning, so you need to pollinate them early in the morning.
• You can use a different variety of zucchini to pollinate it. I tried using yellow zucchini and it worked very well.
• It is recommended to plant at least 2 plants because sometimes the plant will only produce female flowers and no male flowers.
• When the plant has several fruits at the same time, you can select 2 of the largest fruits to ensure they have enough nutrients to grow large. Don't worry, the plant will produce many more flowers.

Conclusion

These are my tips for growing zucchini at home. If you have any other questions, please leave.