Grow Perfect Zucchini Every Time! 💚
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 เม.ย. 2022
- Want to put the ZHUZH in your zucchini? Put some COOOR in your courgettes? Well there are a few tricks of the trade you need to know first. Luckily, Ben, your friendly backyard gardener is here to the rescue with his top tips for growing Perfect Zukes every time! 💚
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I interplant zucchini with daikon radishes to avoid squash vine borers.
WhAaaaaaat...for how many seasons? How does it work out for you?
@@andreahorsch286 have been doing about 10 years. Nearly perfect results!
Interesting, I'll have to try that this year
interesting 🤨
Yes, this works. I did it one year and saw no issues until I harvested the radishes. Nxt thing you know, the squash bugs and vine borers got it.
This is probably one of the best videos on courgettes I have ever seen. Chock full of good information without lots of blabber, I so appreciate that. Thank you so very much.
You're very welcome - thanks for watching. :-)
Several years ago, I was told to prune the zucchini for a couple of reasons, 1) to provide air flow and 2) to make the fruit easier to find. The fruits started yellowing before they were ready to pick. My local extension service told me that the yellowing was most likely caused by sun burn, they thought I was cutting away too many leaves. So I started only cutting out the bad leaves. I have not had that problem now for a couple of years.
Read through bunch of comments, and gotta say it's one big community of like-minded people. Wish you a great season 😉
Thanks so much - and it really is! It's a great community here - we're very lucky. :-)
Great video! I am in Australia, so my zucchini season has just come to an end. But I deliberately let some of mine go to marrow size, as then I can harden them off, and store for several months for winter eating. I also harvest the seeds from these to save for next year. I too think you can never grow enough zucchini! When they’re coming in every day, I grate them and put in zip lock bags, flatten them and stack in my freezer. Then I use them throughout the year in stews, pasta sauces, curries, quiche .. etc. I never buy zucchini, ever. I grow and preserve it for all year round use. So make sure you don’t give too many away! Haha
Cheers
Have you tried zucchini bread? It's a sweet, quick bread with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. So delicious!
@@guardmommad5084 ooh no! I haven’t! Great idea! I will look up a recipe, thank you!
Susan what part of Australia as I am in Brisbane. Cheers Denise
@@denisebrady6858 I’m in Melbourne 😀
@@littlesuzie6672 Thanks
Thanks for the video, enjoyable and informative as always. I believe I read the plants put out the male flowers first to attract pollinators to the area as they remember where they got pollen and return there. Once the pattern is established then it's more likely the female flowers will be pollinated and aren't 'wasted' as it takes more plant resources to produce the females. This increases the number of pollinated fruits, which supports the plant's drive to propagate the species by maximizing the number of seeds for the next generation. Even with modern breeding the evolutionary drives are still present, just as overly mature fruit signals the plant to stop producing.
I will share a common saying here in the US Midwest: zucchini is so prolific that's the reason why people lock their cars when they go to church in August-to prevent their friends from sneaking extra zucchini into their cars while they're attending services. A more modern version is why doorbell cameras are so handy-you get to see who crept up and left that bag of baseball-bat sized zukes on your porch. If I can ward off the vine borers I'll be the worst offender.
My favorite is golden zucchini. It makes a lovely contrast with the dark green in a dish and it's straight and even, unlike crookneck squash.
Caramelize onions, put a layer in a shallow casserole and top with alternating slices of green and yellow summer squash and Roma tomatoes on an angle like this \\\\. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper and your favorite herbs and bake until tender. Beautiful and delicious.
Really interesting to learn about the reason for the male flowers - that makes good sense. Really interesting to read - thank you for sharing. And I LOVE the reason for locking the car!!!
I grow heirloom Black Beauties so I can harvest the seeds for next year. Thanks for all the tips!
I love the Allotment Planner in the 'see below'
I live in North America, specifically in the south where the bugs are abundant. I have not grown one zuke for a few years. I do have a plan this year When I lived in the cooler area I grew tons of zukes. I will now plant three times what I need and use Tromboncino, luffa and others that do not attract bugs as much. I should come out ahead. I have a dying little dog and a senior dog that I feed soup so my garden is devoted to my two dogs. They are living past all expectations. I never feed them dog food,,,, Another super video, thank you
That sounds like a good plan. I am sure your dogs will appreciate them too. :-)
One commenter here said interplant daikon radishes with zucchini for pest management. You should try it.
Last year my zucchini didn't produce many zucchini but they were huge. Really huge. This year they're producing many more but smaller. I am learning a lot about soil health and nutrients.
I love growing mine vertically, helps with air flow and allows planting underneath.
how do u keep them main stem from breaking once they age a bit? --ty
@@bizzhat I have limited space and I grow mine vertically as well.
I use a very tall stake and tie the plant up as it grows. I also prune the older leaves starting at the bottom to promote new growth and allow for air flow.
It’s easier to water and not get the leaves wet this way too.
Once one got quite heavy and still broke, I gave it a clean cut and it started growing again.
I’ve grown both ways, I find it easier to maintain and harvest when they grow vertically, the leaves and fruit don’t sit on the soil.
Love you and the doggie who is always by your side.
In my first year as a gardener powdery mildew decimated my crops, I didn't know what it was and thought I had a brown thumb haha. I was determined to make it a green thumb, I've really enjoyed learning more about growing over the years.
I grew four plants last year - waaay too many for one person lol. One tip is to look really carefully into the plant when you're harvesting to get them all. It's really easy to miss them and then, before you know it, there's a two foot marrow sitting in there!
Great advice Alison. :-)
Great point because if 1 cucumber is left to ripen on the vine the plant will stop producing so its probably the same for zucchini and squash.
I create easier location by pollinators by removing leaves that are obscuring flowers, it definitely works as long as you don't remove too many leaves.
Thank you for spreading such a positive energy! ☀️ I allways get in a good mood when watching your videos! 🤩🌱
Ahh, thanks Emil! :)
I really love the idea of the water bottles to water underground. I will definitely give that one a go.
I just did that for an early growing Zucchini. I hope I did it correctly without disturbing roots etc in the process. I also added leaves for heat protection.
Thanks for your videos! You are so good at explaining exactly what we need to pay attention to and you are so very jollly, it makes my day!
When I lived in Guatemala, they sold squash flowers at the markets. My MIL prepared them by dipping them in beaten egg and flour (I think). Delicious!
Yum!
Zucchini is quite a good choice for container gardens because it has relatively shallow roots. A container that is around 12 inches deep should be sufficient. However, as a hungry plant, zucchini needs plenty of nutrients to grow and produce well. This means that the larger the container you can provide, the better.
You are entertaining. And good gardener too.
Thank you! :-)
Good guidance and details. Thanks for sharing. Clearly supervising you in the garden is exhausting for your pup.
She works hard to keep an eye on things! :-)
Fried male zucchini flowers.
YUM !
I start from seed in my greenhouse in AZ, zone 7B. Just got male flowers today! Fun!
Great job!
One can never have enough zucchini!
True that!
Thank you, Ben. Wonderful information as usual. I learned so much from this video.
Hi Ben this is what I needed to know more about thanks so much from new Zealand
Thank you as always gr8 tips
Thank you so much! That was helpful. Bring on the warm weather. (Wisconsin, USA)
Thank you for the fantastic advice
wow i love how you explained how to tell male and female flowers
This was so helpful! Thanks so much! 🖤
Thanks for this information
I grew zucchini for the first time last year and was pleasantly surprised by the abundance. I found that when I trimmed off leaves, slugs and other bugs would make a home in the exposed stalks which tended to hold a decent amount of water (I was still getting a good harvest so it didn't bother me).
We ended up using the zucchini in cakes which the children loved and experimented with fried zucchini chips, along with more standard butter and garlic sliced zucchini.
I'll probably plant them in their own spot next time so they can grow without overtaking other plants.
Great to hear you've enjoyed such abundance. You can never have enough zucchini - honestly!
I have the tiniest yard in the city - wish they could be alone! But mine are on top of the cabbage and roses and lillies. But those two flowers are past by the time the zucchini take off so they are green and pretty and climb within and around them which makes for an interesting look. All in my front yard - and the neighbors walking by always say how they love the yard. Thanks for the tip about the cutting stalks - i'll keep an eye out for that!
I have it growing right now! Thank you!
Great video Ben.
Courgettes are one of my favourite things to grow. Doing both the green and gold ones this year 👍
thank you for your expertise
Stumbled across your channel a few months ago. Just planted my squash this morning. I love your channel my friend!
Cheers Mike, that's hugely appreciated. :-)
Thanks for another great, informative video.
Great & thorough video! Cutting up to 1/3 of the leaves really helped me! Cheers!
Could you make a video all about picking good seeds? What seeds should we avoid? What should we look for in a good seed? What's the difference between all the varieties? Where do you get your seeds from? Thanks in advance!
Thanks Patrick. I'll certainly add that to my list of suggestions for future videos.
Thank you for the information!
Ben, you're too much fun! Keep on edutaining us
Will do! :-)
Still the best video on summer squash 😍🙏
Thanks, Ben, very instructive. Absolutely going to try the aluminum wrap tip this season. Got hit hard with borers and bugs last season.
Awesome video as always, thanks for sharing and all you do! To help save money my family and I have started a small backyard garden. We're learning how to homecan, seed save, make compost, and preserve what we grow. Less than 2 years in our new home and we've completely transformed the backyard. We are beginner gardeners, growing and learning along the way. Recently I started a gardening channel to help encourage others to begin growing as well. No time better than now to learn self sufficiency. Thanks again for all you do, your channel definitely helps me stay motivated for my family. God bless!
So true - no better time for self-sufficiency than these crazy times. Keep up the great work also! :-)
More great tips,thank you.🤗
Thank you so much
I've had terrible problems with powdery mildew so am trying some resistant varieties (PMR) from Johnny's this year. Zone 7a Hudson Valley NY. Thanks for the many tips -- I knew that zuchs should be harvested young but not about harvesting when the flower is still on. We love zuchs grilled.
Hi Ben, just discovered your gardening channel and subscribed immediately. I'm from Austria and I've been gardening for 30 years, but I can still learn a lot from you. There are many garden channels but yours is simply the best. Well-founded information, humorously presented, simply great. Thank you and please keep it up!
Eric - that's very kind of you to say, thank you. And welcome as a new subscriber! :-)
So helpful, thank you!
Can you do a video on sunflowers? I’m a new subscriber I’m unsure if you have one already
We'll consider that for a future video topic. In the meantime you might find this article handy: www.growveg.co.uk/guides/the-fun-of-growing-sunflowers/
Thank you for sharing. I love zucchini and yellow squash. ❤️❤️❤️😊
Your videos are brilliant, thank you Ben 🙏🏼😁 Nameste
Thank you, and you're welcome. :-)
Fantastic. Thank you 😊
Loving your veg videos, thank you 😀
Good timing. I'm planting my squash today
I have not had squash due to those pesky borers! I am doing this this year!!! Thank you for the hope!
You really are a joy to watch/listen to and an inspiration! 👍
Thank you :-)
I'm Gorging on facts... Wednesday night is the last
Brilliant! :-)
I'm enjoying your videos very much Ben, thank you
Thanks for watching Michael.
Thank you Ben- just planted my first courgettes out today following your advice and protected them with a cloche ! All your wisdom is helping build my confidence growing veggies - to thank you 😊
That's wonderful to hear!
Wow awesome watering trick !
This was a terrific video. Thank you so much for posting. DA
Hi Ben, thank you very much for sharing, I planted 6 varieties last year but only 4 varieties this year 👍
We love them, I have 8 balls, shooting stars and some Black Forest ones growing this year to add to the all bush greens!
I will be sowing some courgette seeds in the next few days. The pack says sow in April if indoors but May for outdoors. I also have to sow cucumber seeds because the cucumber plant I had was eaten by a pest and died on me. Another fantastic video Ben and great tips how to grow Courgettes. Keep safe, well and happy gardening.
Cheers David. Hope the second sowing of cucumber goes unmolested.
Another really informative and helpful video. We grow for just 2 people with very little space so 1 courgette plant is enough for us. I like the standard long green fruits, cut at 15cm ish. Found yellow and ball forming courgette plants to be significantly less generous with female flowers. Black flies seem to accumulate in newly opened flowers but once or twice a season I pick these flowers to poach, stuffed with a chicken mousseline or mushroom dacquoise. Mmmm. Salivating as I write ….. My plant will probably be hardened off this week so plan to prepare its space, complete with watering aid, today or tomorrow. I’ve used bottles to get water to the roots of cucumbers in the past but hadn’t thought of that for courgettes.
Love your recipes for the flowers Prune - yum!
I tend to agree. I like to grow the round ones because they are easier to hollow out, fill and bake or even cook in a broth. But as you say - you get a flurry of females at the start of the season but then it's mostly males or the females don't make to a decent size. The long ones, particularly the dark skinned ones are more generous.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I’m a beginner gardener. I’m growing Zucchini and as of today I noticed that they now have budding yellow flowers that haven’t opened yet. Looking forward to hopefully harvesting Zucchini at some point. I am using cedarcraft elevated self watering planter boxes.
Hope you get a good harvest soon. :-)
@@GrowVeg Thanks!
Thanks for this very informative video. Our zucchini plants are almost ready to add to the garden. God bless!
Top show Ben, anyone can grow perfect courgettes after watching this.
Perfect Ben.
I think ur a brilliant teacher, u make it all so straight fowards and simple.
Thanks Ben.
Cheers John!
I play so much DayZ that Zucchini videos are in my recommended. Thanks for the tips :D
I haven't even finished the video but I thumbs up because of your enthusiasm in all of your videos :D
Cheers Keith! :-)
This is a lovely video. I really enjoyed it. You have a great easy to understand way of explaining things that are very 😊😊😊😊and I feel that the zucchini plants I’m about to put out of my garden will be a lot healthier and happier. Thanks to your advice.
So pleased you enjoyed the video. Happy gardening! :-)
This year we are growing Fordhook zucchini and rampicante zucchini (italian variety). Hugs to your fur baby and happy gardening.
We are in North Carolina with a food bank garden. We have a terrible problem with the vine borer on our squashes, including zucchini. One suggestion is to grow varieties that are recommended as the least susceptible to the borer. In our case it is Romanesco (Italian and it looks like the one in your video) and butternut squash ''Waltham'; . We never have a prob lem with the borer with butternut squash because the stems are much thicker and the borer can't seem to get through.
Great advice - thanks for sharing Ellen.
Great video
We generally plant 4 or 5 plants of different varities for grilling, frying, and baking in breads. At the end of the season, we let the final fruitings grow extremely large and use them as targets for sighting in our rifles for hunting season. USDA Zone 4, Wisconsin, USA.
That’s a really cool way to use the leftovers ! Love to hear about hunters in our country. We need more of it.
That’s a really cool way to use the leftovers ! Love to hear about hunters in our country. We need more of it.
I'd be really impressed if you were using the little ones for targets... just kidding. Love it. Very fun. Can't do that here (city) glad you can. Hunters rock. Keep on living the dream.
Excellent video. I like to grow Fordhook Zuke and Butterstick Squash along with everything else😀 Last year I found a zucchini at the back of a planter that was the size of a marrow! Tasted fine. Thanks for all the great vids, I am ready to put peppers out in my planters since it is 60F overnight now in 9b Sacramento, Ca. Thanks Ben.
You're welcome Stephen. Sounds like you've got some super varieties lined up there.
I hope more folks in the UK try to grow fresh produce as the food shortages have made mainstream news. Good luck to everyone!
I've read seed sales are up a third on last year because of it!
This is the 1st time I have ever had an issue with no zucchini I got about 1 or 2 all last year! Why you ask WELL! My 8 year old cut off the growing tip lol oh well! Not to worry I had a TON of pati pan! And I still love her helping in the garden it’s so important to include them when they are young it’s work everything!
Absolutely. Getting the kids involved is so important. My nine-year-old sometimes 'helps' and it's all welcome! :-)
Another great video!
Thank you
Thank you do much. Last year I struggled so much with growing squash. I live in Georgia, USA, and squash bugs and Squash Vine Borers were a BIG problem! This year year I am going to try every technique that I researched including wrapping the stems in aluminum foil. Wish me luck!😁
Very best of luck Sharon - I hope you'll ace it!
Hello from East Scotland! Thank you for your great video, I am Italian by birth but I never knew WHY some of my zucchini were not growing and rotting, the trick of pollinating them has solved a great mystery! Much obliged to you, GRAZIE!!
You're very welcome Gisella. :-)
Great video - I have just come upstairs from my garden with 3 beautiful zucchinis/ some wonderful onions & 2 Red Papayas. I have planted more Kohl Rabi & cabbage so very Happy with my day in the garden so far- peas going in the garden tomorrow. Cheers Denise- Australia
Sounds like a productive day. :-)
I definitely wasn't aware I could prune that aggressively. I ended up planting two varieties (Grey and Round) per the packaging directions which was three plants per mound, so now I've got quite a dense bit of zucchini to contend with.
Pruning really helps. I've been doing that a lot with mine due to mildew and it's really helped the plants along.
Very useful tips .try to attain the fruits
Last year (first year of growing) Courgette was my most successful plant. Silly me planted 4 of them, and I reckon I was getting a good 5-10 courgettes a week! Was sick of them by the end of summer lol , and they need a massive amount of space!
Maybe two or three will suffice this year!
There’s a joke at out our allotment which is be prepared for an invasion of courgettes if you accidentally leave your car windows open. 🤣
Also, it is noticeable that people will go to any lengths to avoid meeting you if they see you have an armful of courgettes 🤣
Love the video, thank you! 💚Can't wait for those lovely fruits!
>>Will be growing the varieties Primula and Patio Star in the main garden area, and Partenon in the other end of the yard
My absolute favorite zucchini variety is Costata Romanesco, I just can’t get enough of them. I fail to understand why nurseries here in the American Northwest only seem to carry the Black Beauty variety. The same is mostly true of grocery stores as well. Fortunately summer squashes are so easy to grow from seed!
This is my first year of summer squash and though some say they are easy, it seems more address the potential issues such as pests and mildew. Not sure what to think. 😏
@@rocio2917 my first year it was a nightmare. Mold, Mildew, lack of fertilizer, not enough water, then too much water. Man I was so frustrated. But I watched videos, and pulled out plants that were just to damaged and let the 1 or 2 that weren't keep growing. Eventually I got some fruit. Decided to do it again. Hey a pack of seeds or seedlings is cheap so let me try again. This year is going much better. I also planed in a windy place so lots of air flow, and happen to have radishes next to it not on purpose but by accident. Results are way better this year. Don't give up! And its ok to get rid of a plant if you tried everything and its not doing well. That doesnt make you a failure it makes the plant a failure, not you. Keep it up you'll get it.
@@TammyMerk Thank you! I am working on not giving up. I vacillate on the hope factor. Right now it feels like quite a bit of loss for all the work.
I fry up tiny zucchini & female flowers that I did a quick dunk in pancake batter. So delicious! 😋
I start all my seeds on my front porch in the shade. A few days before taking out to garden i will scoot the out to the edge in the sun. I haven't had any die after transplanting. I transplanted hundreds of plants this year of many kimds.
great video!!😁
I've tried the foil tip, and never had much luck, but some of the old timer veggie growers in the area swear by it, and they seem to do very well. I think NC is home for every pest that enjoys munching on curcubits, so it's always a loosing battle.
My best solution was to cover my zucchini in a frame with a mosquito net, and hand pollinate.
Great idea Eddie.
Good advice
Coooor! Trying out yellow ones this year.
Nice one Paul! :-)
Will try your suggestions for the vine borers. Used to grow incredible zucchini in TN without much effort - not able to grow any here in NC…. The vine borers win every year.
Hope you manage to beat them this year!
Sure like to see the fruits too.
Beautiful 😻