Guv's Gardens
Photo: Tarunpant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sun
- Full sun.
- Soil
- Rich and well-drained, with lots of compost.
- Soil pH
- About 6.0-7.0 (slightly acidic preferred).
- Water
- Regular deep watering; keep soil moist but not wet.
- Hardiness
- Frost-tender warm-season crop. All Australian climate zones (year-round in the tropics).
- Height and spread
- Bush about 0.6-0.9 m high; allow about 70-90 cm between plants.
Guv's tipPoor fruit set on your zucchini? Hand-pollinate the female flowers with pollen from the male flowers. Attract the bees, too.
Through the year
Timings are for temperate Australia. Tropical and arid gardens follow different seasons.
When to plant
Most areas: spring to early or mid summer (Tasmania Oct-Dec). Tropics: year-round, e.g. autumn plantings.
Harvest or flowering
6-8 weeks after sowing; pick young and often.
Pruning
None needed; remove old or diseased leaves.
Making more plants
Seed, sown direct (dislikes root disturbance).
Watch out for
Poor fruit set (pollination problem)
Look for: Small fruit shrivel and rot from the tip.
What to do: Attract bees; hand-pollinate female flowers with pollen from male flowers.
Powdery mildew
Fungal (powdery mildew fungi).Look for: White powdery spots or coating on leaves and stems.
What to do: Give good airflow and sun, water at soil level, remove badly affected leaves, and use a registered fungicide (e.g. sulfur) if needed.
Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.
Safety and spread
Pets and people: Not listed by the ASPCA. Plain zucchini (raw or cooked) is generally safe for dogs.
Weed risk: Not listed as a weed on Weeds Australia or the Queensland restricted invasive plant list.
Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the UK and the USA.
The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book
Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 Australia plants in one book.
