Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Other Names:  Courgette

Description:

A perfect addition to any garden or large container; bush type plants produce long, slender fruit that can range from golden yellow to dark green; a delicious flavor with tender flesh; great for cooking, baking and roasting; flowers are edible

Edible Qualities

Zucchini (Generic) is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark green long fruit mottled with yellow and creamy white flesh which can be harvested at any point. The fruits have a pleasant taste.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking
• Freezing

Planting & Growing

Zucchini (Generic) will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is not originally from North America..

Zucchini (Generic) is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.