Zucchini, botanically known as Cucurbita pepo , is a vegetable belonging to the Curcubitaceae family that has become extremely popular in recent years. The pioneers in the cultivation of this nutritious, tasty and low-calorie vegetable were the Arabs. Currently the main world producers of zucchini are North America, Italy, Holland and Spain. Its culinary use is very wide, in tortilla, tempura, roast, stuffing, etc. Therefore, why not plant zucchini in your home garden ?
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How to plant zucchini
Planting zucchini is easy , because only what you need is a warm climate to germinate. You can sow zucchini in your home garden directly on the ground, placing two or three zucchini seeds for each hole, 2 cm deep.
The seeds are sown together from March to September so that when germinating they break the soil crust easily. When you place them, cover them with 4 cm of soil. Once germination occurs, let one seedling grow by hole, choosing the strongest and discarding the others.
Zucchini adapts to any type of soil, although it prefers those that are deep and have good drainage. On the other hand, simple fertilizers are the most used, whether soluble or liquid.
As for irrigation, if you are going to grow zucchini in your garden , you will have to know that this plant requires moisture, so you should water it frequently when the first fruits begin to appear. However, at the beginning of planting it is not convenient to overdo it with water, since the waterlogging is detrimental to the correct development of the plant.
When you do the transplant, do a deep watering so that it is well rooted and you do not water the plant again until the leaves look “decayed”; there you will have to perform a deep watering again. Repeat these steps until the flower begins to grow. From that moment on, you should keep the soil moist, but without watering it.
Pruning and harvesting
In the zucchini you should eliminate the secondary shoots as soon as possible. If the home garden has given a great welcome to the zucchini, the harvest should be done 40 days after planting, and will continue according to the growth of the plant for another 40 days. Collect zucchini daily or every other day.
Pests and diseases that affect zucchini
- Whitefly: this insect causes the yellowing of the plant and its weakening. The best way to combat this pest is to grow aromatic plants that repel it, such as basil.
- Red spider: this insect affects the zucchini plant during its first phase of development, so you should watch it in this instance.
- Aphids: these form colonies and are distributed in foci that spread in spring-summer.
It can also be attacked by mildew, caterpillars, oidium and gray and white rot. Remember that if you plant the zucchini next to a nasturtium, it will help you get away from aphids and whiteflies and also improve the taste of this vegetable.
Zucchini care
- Plant the zucchini in a sunny placeso that it develops well
- On the other hand, its greatest development occurs when temperatures are maintained between 25 and 35 ° C.
- Eliminates weeds and crop residues to avoid pests and diseases.
- When the zucchini flowers fulfill their function, they will detach themselves, so you should remove them as soon as possible so that they do not rot and form diseases.
