Features of growing zucchini
Zucchini is a cross-pollinated annual cold-resistant and drought-resistant crop of the pumpkin family, the cultivation of which is not particularly difficult. To collect high-quality seeds, it is important to plant plants of the same variety next to the seed specimens to avoid the appearance of hybrids.
Hybrid specimens should not be used for collecting seeds.
Spatial isolation must be reliable. In a home garden - from 20 to 150 m. Artificial pollination can also be used. To do this, transfer pollen from the male (staminate) flower to the female one with a brush. The ratio is 1 male for 2-3 females. The staminate flower grows on a straight petiole; the rudiments of the fruit are clearly visible at the base of the female flower.
To improve pollination during flowering, the plant can be sprayed with a sugar solution - 100 g of granulated sugar and 2 g of boric acid per 1 liter of hot water. Or hang jars of honey mixture - stir 1 teaspoon of water into a glass.
What is the advantage of seeds collected from your own garden? They are taken from plants that have already gone through their life cycle precisely under the same conditions of climate, soil and economic influence that await new plantings. Therefore, zucchini from “family” seeds will sprout more quickly and grow better. In addition, the gardener can always choose the best plant for harvesting, free from defects and pests.
Where to plant zucchini in open ground: choosing a location
The place for growing zucchini in the garden must be sunny. But it is very important that at noon (that is, during the hottest time of the day) the plants are shaded from direct sunlight, for example, they can be protected by the shadow of a fence, trees, or buildings.
You can also highlight other recommendations for choosing a location:
- The bed should also be protected from wind and cold drafts.
- It is important to avoid acidic soils; if they predominate in your area, be sure to deoxidize the soil in the garden bed.
- It is important to avoid waterlogged areas (for example, locations with high groundwater levels).
- It is recommended to avoid beds where chlorine-containing fertilizers have recently been applied (the crop reacts poorly to chlorine).
Advice! It is not recommended to plant zucchini next to other members of the Cucurbitaceae family (cucumbers, pumpkins, melons, watermelons, squash).
When choosing a bed for planting and growing zucchini, you must pay attention to crop rotation and choose a site with the right predecessors:
- Good predecessors for zucchini in the garden are potatoes, cabbage, beets, carrots, onions, herbs, and legumes.
- Bad predecessors for zucchini are all pumpkin plants (melons, watermelons, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini themselves). You can plant a crop in the place where its relatives grew in no less than 4 years.
How to prepare a garden bed for sowing zucchini
Preparing the site and beds is a standard procedure for any crop. It is better to deal with this issue in the fall or spring several weeks in advance (ideally 4 weeks, or at least 2-3).
You can prepare a garden bed for planting zucchini as follows:
- Dig the area to the bayonet of a shovel (i.e. to a depth of about 30-35 cm).
- Before digging, add mineral fertilizers: 20 g of potassium sulfate, 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of ammonium nitrate are added per 1 square meter.
Note! It is advisable to apply superphosphate and potassium sulfate in the fall, but spring application is also allowed. But ammonium nitrate (and any other nitrogen fertilizer) needs to be applied only in the spring!
- Since zucchini loves organic matter, it is useful to add organic fertilizers during digging: compost, humus (or half-rotted manure).
- Immediately before sowing, you need to loosen the soil surface with a rake and level it.
Advice! 7-10 days before sowing zucchini, it is recommended to cover the bed with agrofibre (spunbond, lutrasil) or film. Such a shelter will additionally warm the bed.
How to make a warm bed
Since the crop is very heat-loving, it is best to plant zucchini in warm compost beds (or holes) ; due to fermentation processes, the temperature in the soil will be slightly higher.
You can make warm beds or holes according to the following scheme:
- It is necessary to dig a hole with 2 shovels (about 50-60 cm).
- Place weeds at the bottom of the hole (optimally nettles and dry grass).
- Sprinkle the grass with regular fertile soil.
- A few days before planting, you need to water the holes with fermented herbal infusion or the Baikal M-1 preparation.
You can also prepare the bed in another way:
- In summer or autumn, place cut grass on the site.
- Next year in the spring, water the grass with fermented herbal infusion or Baikal M-1.
- Place a layer of fertile soil on top.
- After planting seeds or seedlings, spread dry hay around the holes or seedlings.
How to choose seed fruits?
The growth period of the zucchini from which it is planned to collect seeds is about four months. For such purposes, at least 3-5 landings are left. To make zucchini grow faster, pinch the main stem during the bud formation phase. Fruits from which seeds can be collected are usually formed at the end of the second month from the moment the ovaries form.
Select developed fruits with a pronounced appearance characteristic of a particular variety, no more than two per plant. Harvest healthy, beautiful zucchini with typical shape and color. To make their growth go better, reduce the dose of nitrogen fertilizers in fertilizers for seed plants by 1.5-2 times.
Collecting seeds
Seed zucchini is collected from dry plants. To be sure that the fruit is ready for removal, you need to run your fingernail over it. If the skin has hardened so much that there is no trace left on it, then you can remove it. The color should become orange, intense cream or yellow.
After removal, the zucchini is placed in a dry room with good ventilation for 15-20 days to ripen. If they were collected a month and a half after the formation of the ovaries or a little later, the fruits ripen in 30-50 days; if the harvest took place in 50-60 days, they ripen in 20-30 days.
If you prepare seeds from unripe zucchini, they will not sprout well when planted. Therefore, it is not advisable to rush to collect them.
Cut the zucchini in half and carefully collect the seeds with your hands. You can get 20-40 g from one fruit. They should not be washed and cannot be fermented. In good weather, seeds are laid out on glass, ceramics or paper (not on metal) in the open air, but without the sun. In case of precipitation - under a canopy. Dry thoroughly, especially those that are planned to be stored in closed containers.
Seeds should not be overheated or kept wet for a long time, otherwise they will lose their germination!
Many gardening experts give advice - it is better to collect the seeds at home, in winter, when the zucchini has fully ripened in warm storage at room temperature.
Procuring seeds from your own garden can be done annually, but it is better to store them for several years to “preserve” the variety in case of unwanted cross-pollination or bad weather.
When to collect?
The manufacturer indicates the growing season of zucchini on the seed package. For early crops it lasts 30-50 days. For mid-season plants 60-90 days. For late zucchini, 120 days or more.
The countdown begins from the moment the first sprouts of cotyledons appear. This period means how long it takes for the berries to grow and be used for food. By the specified time, the fruits reach technical maturity.
The skin of young zucchini is thin, the seed pods have not yet formed, and the seeds are poorly developed. They are almost invisible. They grow up to 15-20 cm in length and weigh 200 g. Such fruits are not suitable for storage for the winter; they are used to prepare culinary dishes.
The peel is often not removed. Yellow-fruited zucchini is used at the stage of milk maturity. Their flesh is juicy and sweet. Salads are prepared from them.
View this post on Instagram
Publication from Store
