Favorite juicy zucchini: planting seeds in open ground and in a greenhouse (with photos and videos). Growing zucchini in open ground at the dacha How best to make a bed for zucchini seedlings

02/17/2019 at 18:32

Zucchini is an unpretentious vegetable that can be grown in almost any garden plot. It is loved for its early ripening, undemanding care, high yield and, of course, for its very healthy and tasty fruits. After all, you can prepare a lot of wonderful dishes from zucchini – from stews to jams. You can even use it when preparing compotes for the winter. And how delicious grilled young zucchini turns out! An excellent side dish for aromatic barbecue!

And since this vegetable is so necessary, I want to grow more of it. So that there is enough to eat it until you are full during the summer, and to use it for preparations. Yes, and I would like to keep it for storage. You can, of course, plant a lot of bushes and collect a large number of zucchini from a large area. But not every gardener can afford it. Especially considering that some garden plots very small - only 4-5 acres, and most of this land is occupied by a house, a bathhouse, a place for a car and outbuildings. And also, albeit small, but a greenhouse (or even more than one), fruit trees, berry bushes and flower beds.

So what should we do? You can, of course, plant zucchini on a compost heap - there the harvest will definitely be good - the plants will have plenty of nutrition. This is true! But in addition to good nutritious compost, zucchini still really need sunlight for full growth. And for most gardeners, the compost pile is hidden away from view behind buildings and near fences. I also tried to grow zucchini on a compost heap and was sure that I would get a lot of fruit from three bushes.

But my compost pile was also located at the back of the site, there was very little sun there. And the result I got was not at all what I expected. We collected only 4 fruits from three zucchini bushes.

This year I decided to plant zucchini again. And at the same time, check whether this crop grows well on a compost heap, or is it enough to plant it in a regular bed in a hole with compost. Only now, instead of a compost heap in the shade near the fence, I decided to use warm beds that were located in a sunny place.

And a warm bed, in fact, is a compost heap. In such a bed, organic matter is also placed in layers and also sprinkled with preparations that accelerate composting. I use the drug “Shine 3” for this. A pack is enough for recycling 0.5-1.0 cubic meter organics.

For planting, I germinated the seeds of three zucchini different types: “Yellowfruited”, “Cavili F1” and “Negro” (zucchini). I wanted the fruits to be different colors.

I sifted compost from last year's warm bed. This is easy to do with a plastic vegetable drawer.

I also filled the holes in a regular garden bed with this compost.

and holes in a warm bed

On June 9th, I planted one zucchini seed in each hole. Thus, it turned out that there were three seeds of each type in a regular bed in holes with organic matter and three seeds of each type in a warm bed. There are 18 plants in total.

“Now there should be enough zucchini for our two families,” I thought at that moment. But it turned out that in an ordinary bed, the varieties “Yellow-fruited” and “Negritenok” sprouted only 2 pieces each. That is, in the end there were 16 plants.

Time passed, and by mid-July the bushes had grown noticeably. But at the same time, the weeds in the ordinary garden bed also grew, and we had to weed them out, despite the 30-degree heat.

Looking ahead, I want to boast that I have never weeded my zucchini in a warm garden bed.

Even that day, I noticed that the plants in a regular bed and in a warm bed looked different. These are zucchini in organic holes in regular soil:

And these are zucchini in a warm garden bed:

To more clearly see the differences in development, I decided to measure the length of the leaf of the “Cavili F1” zucchini.

The leaf length of the plant in the organic hole was 25 cm.

And for a plant growing in a warm bed – 33 cm.

On July 17, we received the first harvest from a warm garden bed - 2 small, handsome, bright yellow ones.

These fruits weighed only 950 grams, but how much joy the children had as they devoured the zucchini pancakes on both cheeks!

By the way, regarding the size of the first fruits. It is recommended to pick the first zucchini from the bush very small, no more than 15 centimeters. Then the young plant will distribute its energy to new ovaries, and will not spend it on growing this single zucchini, taking away nutrition from the just forming “fruits”.

Returning to the experiment, I will say that in the organic holes by this day the fruits had not yet grown.

Three days later, 5 more zucchini were cut from the warm beds. Three "Yellowfruit" and two "Cavili F1"

Again, the zucchini were not cut from a regular bed with organic holes - they had not yet grown.

The photo clearly shows that the yield of zucchini grown in organic holes in a regular bed (pictured on the left) is significantly inferior to those grown in a warm bed (pictured on the right).

Despite the fact that I was already convinced of the effectiveness of growing zucchini in a warm bed, I continued my experiment and carefully recorded all the data (both the number of fruits and their weight).

And this is the harvest from 07/29/18 (organic holes on the left, warm bed on the right).

By this time, I had already provided our two families with zucchini. Everyone has already had enough of them. But the plants did not stop. And the “battle with the harvest” began.

Harvest from 08/06/18

Harvest from 08/12/18

Harvest from 08/26/18

Harvest from 09/02/18

Before this time, we not only had not grown such a quantity of zucchini, but had never seen it. When they finished with the preparations, they began to distribute the zucchini to friends, neighbors and just good people.

And this brought me real pleasure - it was so nice to see the result of my labors. Although there wasn’t too much work involved in growing zucchini, they are actually very easy to care for. Most of the time was spent processing the grown products, as well as counting and weighing the fruits of each group.

And now about the numbers... In order not to burden you with my mathematical calculations, I will immediately announce the result:

Average yield per plant (number of fruits/total weight of fruits):

During this experiment, I made the following conclusions for myself: I will plant zucchini only in warm beds in a well-lit place.

This way, these plants will have a lot of nutrition and light so necessary for the formation of a good harvest. Moreover, I will plant only three plants of the varieties I like and at a distance of at least 1.2-1.5 meters from each other, because in a warm garden bed, even bush zucchini grow very powerful, with huge leaves.

And with such a distant planting, the foliage will not be thickened, and the plants will be less sick. In order not to be embarrassed by the large empty space, compacting crops of early ripening varieties (salads, radishes, etc.) can be sown between the holes.

I wish you good harvests! Don't be afraid to experiment - learn new things.

Dear gardeners, I also want to share with you useful information, which you may not have known about.

Scientists have substantiated the benefits of organic products for the first time

Researchers in the UK have found that organic food is actually much healthier than conventionally grown food. Thus, scientists have found that environmentally friendly products contain much more antioxidants and compounds that have a better effect on health.

Regular food contains much less antioxidants and useful substances than in organic products. At the same time, organic food contains much less toxic metals and pesticides. This is evidenced by recent research, writes The Guardian.

A team of researchers led by Professor Carlo Leifert from Newcastle University concludes that there are some "meaningful" differences between organic and non-organic food. The range of antioxidants in organic foods is 19% to 69% higher, scientists say. At the same time, the publication notes that this is the first study demonstrating the differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables and grains.

Scientists are confident that increased levels of antioxidants have a significant impact on human nutrition, and organic food, due to its higher antioxidant content, can be consumed quantitatively less.

At the same time, Tom Sanders, professor of nutrition at King's College London, recalled that the work of his colleague Leifert had already been questioned in the past. However, Sanders added that, according to recent data, organic cereals contain less protein than conventional crops.

Proponents of organic farming also responded to the results of the study. “What is fundamentally important about this study is that it destroys the myth that the way food is grown does not affect its quality,” said Helen Browning, Executive Director Soil Association - an organization that supports eco-farms.

Moreover, Leifert's study concluded that many antioxidants "reduce the risk of chronic diseases - including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as some types of cancer." But at the same time, scientists note that no long-term studies have yet been conducted showing the health benefits of an organic diet.

The researchers also found that conventionally grown crops contained much more of the toxic metal. Pesticide residues were found four times more often in non-organic food. The research was funded by the EU and funds supporting organic farming.

Sales of organic products are currently growing in the UK, despite their high prices. Although after the 2008 crisis, people began to buy such food less actively.

According to surveys, 55% of Britons want to eat healthy, 53% want to avoid harmful chemicals in food, 44% care about the environment, and only 3% say they like the taste of organic food.

Every gardener can grow zucchini in his or her own plot. This is an unpretentious vegetable crop, however, to get a good harvest you need to know about the rules, methods and procedures for cultivating it in open ground. It is equally important to provide proper care for the crop and harvest it in a timely manner. Read on to learn about all the stages of growing zucchini.

Variety selection

If you decide to grow a vegetable in open ground, then preference should be given to varieties that are characterized by well-developed shoots and independent formation of a bush. They are more resistant to diseases, adverse weather conditions, etc. external factors. Among these varieties are:

• Gribovsky. A medium-ripening variety that bears fruit 55 days after sowing the seeds. It has well-developed bushes with long shoots. Fruit light color They are distinguished by slight ribbing on the surface and excellent taste. As they age, their skin becomes dense and rough. The variety is not afraid of cold weather and disease, so it can be grown both in the Moscow region and in the Urals. It is also unpretentious in care - for good fruiting it requires only regular watering and loosening the beds.
• Chaclun. Distinctive features This variety is characterized by high yields and duration of fruiting. The first fruits can be harvested after 45 days. They turn out white and with a smooth surface. The zucchini pulp is tender and sweetish. The crop is rarely infected and tolerates transportation well to long-term plants.
• Golden. The variety has a female type of flowering, therefore it bears fruit abundantly and for a long time. As they ripen, zucchini turns bright yellow, hence their name. Fruits weighing up to 400 g are suitable for consumption. Larger specimens lose their taste.
• White-fruited. Included in the group of early hybrids, which brings the first harvest on the 35th day after sowing. The fruits are white, have a smooth surface and compact size. They are not afraid of pests and diseases and are easy to transport.
• Odessa cluster. Like the previous variety, it is early ripening and bears fruit 40 days after sowing. The white fruits have slight ribbing and delicate, sweetish flesh. The plant is resistant to disease and cold.
• Pharaoh. This is an unpretentious variety of zucchini that does not require frequent watering, easily tolerates cold and heat, and gives bountiful harvest. The dark green fruits are long and can weigh up to 1 kg. The variety can be cultivated in a variety of regions - from middle zone to the Urals.
• Pantheon. The fruits of this variety are superior to their counterparts in marketability, so they are often grown for sale. It is easy to care for, but requires planting in fertile soil and needs to maintain a stable level of humidity.

Planting methods and timing

Zucchini can be cultivated in two ways, which will determine optimal timing carrying out sowing work:

• Rassadny. It involves growing seedlings, which, when germinated, need to be transplanted into open ground. With this method, you don’t have to worry about successful seed germination. They need to be sown for seedlings on April 15-25 or May 1-10. At the age of 25-30 days, at the end of the first ten days of May, the seedlings can be moved to the beds. They should be covered with film or other insulating material until the end of spring frosts, that is, until the beginning of June.
• Direct sowing of seeds into the ground. A less labor-intensive method, however, there is a possibility of crop loss if return frosts. Seeds should be sown in well-warmed soil (not lower than +12-13°C at a depth of 8-10 cm). As a rule, this period occurs at the end of May - beginning of June. To reduce the risk of frost damage to seedlings, seeds should be sown in 2-3 periods with an interval of 3-4 days. Minimum temperature for their normal germination – +12…+15°C.

When choosing a seedling technology, you need to take into account the following feature: zucchini grown in this way are not intended for long-term storage - they must be immediately consumed as food or used to prepare preparations for the winter. If you want to grow zucchini suitable for long-term storage, the hatched seeds should be sown immediately in the ground, around the beginning of June.

To be confident in the harvest and maximize the period of harvesting young zucchini, experienced summer residents combine seedling technology with direct sowing of seeds in the ground.

Zucchini is the most cold-resistant crop among all members of the Pumpkin family, so it can grow at temperatures of +8-9°C and even withstand a short-term drop to +6°C. However, regardless of the planting method, the strongest young seedlings can be obtained at a temperature of +20...+25°C.

Selecting a location and preparing the bed

Zucchini is light-loving and heat-loving plant, so it needs to be grown on the sunny side of a bed 60-70 cm wide. This can be a small area for growing several plants. It is important that no other representatives of the Pumpkin family were previously grown in this place, otherwise the zucchini will become sick and produce a lot of barren flowers. To maintain garden crop rotation, they are best grown after the following crops:

• tomatoes;
• potatoes;
• cabbage;
• Luke;
• root vegetables;
• greenery;
• legumes

Zucchini themselves are good predecessors for all vegetables, with the exception of representatives of the Cucurbitaceae. Their roots perfectly loosen the soil, and large leaves prevent the development of most weeds.

It is equally important to choose an area where the soil is optimal for zucchini. The best option For them, loamy or sandy loam fertile soils with a neutral reaction (pH 6.5-7.5) are considered. Zucchini grows poorly peat soils– the fruits are small and the leaves grow poorly. Unsuitable for this crop are heavy clay soils.

To ensure that the soil is fertile and loose, 12-15 days before planting, it is worth digging up the area to the depth of a shovel, having previously added 1 square meter. m:

• 0.5-1 bucket of humus or rotted compost;
• 1-1.5 buckets of rotted sawdust;
• 1 tbsp. l. urea and potassium sulfate;
• 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate;
• 2 cups wood ash.

To spend less fertilizer, they can be applied directly to the planting holes at a distance of 80 cm from each other, and then mixed well with the soil. Next, the bed will need to be watered with hot water and covered with film before planting the zucchini.

The order of fertilizer application can be adjusted depending on the composition of the soil:

• Peat. For 1 sq. m you need to add 2 kg of compost or humus, 1 bucket of loamy or clay soil, 1 tsp. superphosphate and potassium sulfate, 2 tbsp. l. ash. Next, a bed 65-70 cm wide should be dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm and leveled with a rake. It must be watered with a warm (40°C) solution of liquid fertilizer Agricol-5 or Rossa (1 tbsp per bucket of water) at the rate of 3 liters per 1 sq. m. m. At the end, all that remains is to cover the bed with film to retain moisture and heat.
• Clayey, loamy. For 1 sq. m, it is enough to add 2-3 kg of peat, sawdust and humus. As mineral fertilizers, it is worth introducing 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2-3 tbsp. l. wood ash.
• Sandy. Every sq. m should be fertilized with 1 bucket of turf soil (clayey, loamy) and the same amount of peat. Next you need to add 3-4 kg of sawdust and humus, as well as 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2-3 tbsp. l. wood ash.
• Chernozem. For every sq. m of fertile soil, it is advisable to add 2 kg of sawdust, 2 tbsp. l. ash and 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate.
• Dense, heavy and poor. In such soils it is worth adding manure or compost in the fall (4-6 kg per 1 sq. m), as well as complex mineral fertilizers for vegetables (50-80 g per 1 sq. m). It is advisable to water the bed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and loosen it a little just before sowing the zucchini.

If a plot of land is being developed for the first time for growing zucchini, then when digging it, you should carefully remove all the roots from the soil, as well as catch and destroy cockchafers and wireworms.

Immediately before planting, do not add to the soil. fresh manure, since this can lead to the development of various diseases in young seedlings, active growth of green mass and poor fruiting.

Planting zucchini through seedlings

It involves growing strong seedlings about a month before planting them in open ground. We will consider each stage of this procedure separately.

Seed preparation

Pre-sowing treatment of seeds consists of pre-soaking them for 10-12 hours in water with the addition of nitrophoska. Those specimens that float are hollow, so they will need to be removed. When the remaining seeds swell, they can be sown in the ground, but it is better to soak them for another day in a solution of the growth stimulator Epin (a drop of the product per 50 ml of water). After this soaking, the seeds remain to be washed clean water and dry, and then plant in the soil.

Proper processing will increase seed germination and also contribute to faster development of young seedlings.

Planting seeds in pots

To grow seedlings, you can purchase ready-made EKZO soil mixture at a garden store. You can also prepare it yourself by mixing peat or humus with sand and garden soil in equal parts. As a container, you should choose separate disposable cups volume 10x10 cm, since the plant is painful to transplant.

At home, it will be enough to grow 3-5 plants. Seeds should be planted in pots filled with soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. Next, they should be watered with a spray bottle and covered with glass or polyethylene on top. Protective covering need to be removed regularly to ventilate the soil. Keep the pots on a sunny windowsill.

Seedling care

It involves the following agrotechnical activities:

• Watering. It is often not necessary to moisten seedlings, because the main thing is to maintain soil moisture. To do this, it is enough to irrigate it with warm (25°C) water approximately once a week at the rate of 200-250 ml for each pot. Under such conditions, properly prepared seeds will germinate within 3-4 days.
• Temperature . In order for the seedlings to hatch faster, the ambient temperature should be around +18…+20°C. When the seedlings appear, it needs to be lowered to +15...+18°C during the day and +12...+14°C at night, otherwise the plant will become very elongated.
• Lighting. Sprouts need to be provided with good daylight, otherwise they will be weak. If necessary, you can additionally use special ones.
• Feeding. During the entire growing period, seedlings need to be fed twice:
  • 8-10 days after emergence. Seedlings can be fed with a solution of the drug Bud (2 g per 1 liter of water) at the rate of 1 glass per 1-2 pots. As the first feeding, you can also use a solution of 1 tsp. superphosphate and the same amount of urea. Product consumption per plant – 200 ml.
  • 7-10 days after the first feeding. The plant can be fed with a solution of organic fertilizer Effecton and nitrophoska (1 tsp per 1 liter of water). Mixture consumption – 1 cup per pot. Instead of the specified fertilizer, you can use a solution of 1 tsp. nitrophoska and the same amount of wood ash. Water the zucchini with it at the rate of 200-250 ml for each seedling.
• Hardening. A week before transplanting into open ground, pots with seedlings should be regularly taken outside or onto a balcony for hardening. Keep them in fresh air for 1-2 hours.

At the age of 20-25 days, seedlings can be transplanted into open ground. By this point, it should have 2-3 true leaves of a dark green color and short, squat stems. The root system of young seedlings should tightly cover the entire volume of the cube and consist of intact white roots.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

Seedlings need to be transplanted into well-warmed, loose soil rich in organic matter. Work should only be carried out on a cloudy, warm day or early in the morning. Holes for seedlings should be made at a distance of 90-100 cm from each other. It is desirable that on average per 1 sq. m of beds there was one plant each. The wells themselves can be prepared in the following ways:

• Fold the annual weeds into a mound, and sprinkle on top with a 15 cm thick layer of fertile soil. Add 1 tbsp. l. urea and superphosphate (preferably in dissolved form), and then water well with a dark solution of slurry or fermented grass. At the end, cover everything with film and wait 10-12 days for the slide to settle.
  Next, at its top you need to make a hole for planting seedlings. To preserve heat, cover the slide with film, and cut a hole in it for the zucchini required diameter. When it grows, it will quickly cover this hill with its tops and become a real decoration of the garden.
• Dig up the bed using the bayonet of a shovel, and then add 1 tbsp into each hole. l. organic fertilizer Effecton. It needs to be mixed with soil and watered warm solution Agricol-5 (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 1 liter per well.

When planting, you need to act carefully so as not to damage the delicate root system of plants. To do this, the seedlings should be replanted with a clod of earth, after watering it with warm water and cutting the pot. If the seedlings are too elongated, they can be buried down to the cotyledon leaves, slightly tilting the stem. It is worth using humus, soil or peat as bedding. If you rake the soil from the surface, you can expose and damage the roots.

After planting, the seedlings need to be watered with warm water to prevent them from drying out in the future. Next, the bed remains to be covered with polyethylene on the arcs. If dry winds are also expected on sunny days, the planting must be shaded. If the weather is cool, the soil with seedlings can be covered with another layer of film.

Direct sowing into the ground

If there are no intentions to grow an early harvest, then the seeds can be sown directly in open ground. Seeds and soil for planting must be prepared in the same way as with the seedling method. The sowing itself is carried out according to the following instructions:

1. Water the garden bed generously with hot water.
2. Make holes to a depth of 4-5 cm and at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other.
3. If necessary, add a little compost or humus into each furrow, and then place 2-3 seeds vertically, with the sharp part facing up. It is important that the top of the seed is 1-1.5 cm below ground level.
4. Water the holes and cover with soil. If all the seeds hatch, then you need to leave one strong plant, and the rest either cut off above ground level or replant at the moment the cotyledon leaves appear. You cannot pull them out, as this can harm the entire root system of the bush.
5. Cover ready bed film or other covering material to protect the seeds in case of cold weather. The cover can be removed with the appearance of the first shoots. Usually, this period falls after June 12-15.

Zucchini care

Zucchini is characterized by rapid development, especially under favorable weather conditions. During this period, they need to be properly cared for so that the plant grows and produces many female fruits.

Watering and mulching

Zucchini is a moisture-loving and drought-resistant crop, so it needs abundant watering. To do this, it is important to use water that has been settled and heated (22-23°C) in the sun, otherwise you can cause massive rotting of young ovaries on the bushes. It should be poured under the root of the plant, avoiding contact with the leaves and ovaries, as this is fraught with the development of rot.

It is better to water the zucchini rarely, but abundantly. Here is the optimal scheme:

1. Before flowering, water the seedlings once a week at the rate of 8-10 liters per 1 square meter. m.
2. During the fruiting period, increase the frequency of watering to 2-3 times a week at the rate of 8-10 liters per 1 square meter. m. The plant can be watered once a week, but then you will need to increase the water consumption to 15-20 liters.

It is better to water the zucchini from a watering can, since the pressure of water from the hose can expose the root system. If this has already happened, then the roots must be covered with a mixture of peat and humus in a layer of 3-5 cm.

Zucchini needs timely moisture, but cannot tolerate excess moisture in the soil, as this leads to rotting of the tips of the fruit. In this case, you will have to cut off the affected area to a clean cloth, and burn the cut area in a candle flame so that the vegetable continues to grow.

While the shoots have not yet unraveled, after watering the bed is covered with humus or peat. Thanks to this, plant shoots will not cover the soil, so there will be no difficulties with loosening the soil.

Loosening, weeding and hilling

To get a good harvest of zucchini, it is necessary to maintain looseness, water and breathability of the soil. To do this, 2-3 hours after watering, you need to loosen the soil. It should be neat and shallow, since the plant has very thin and weak roots located close to the surface of the earth.

The frequency of loosening depends on the composition of the soil. This manipulation is especially often carried out in the case of loamy soils, since a hard crust easily forms on them, in particular after precipitation.

Another important manipulation is regular weeding, which does not allow weeds to grow and absorb nutrients, intended for zucchini. This procedure is very important at the beginning of the growth of a vegetable crop, since young plants will not be able to develop if they are poorly fed due to a large number of weeds.

In order for zucchini plants to form additional adventitious roots, they should be earthed up at the stage of appearance of 2-4 true leaves. To do this, soil should be added to the roots in a layer of about 5 cm.

Pollination

A week after planting, the plant begins to bloom. Ideally, male and female flowers appear simultaneously, but if after 3-4 days the ovary does not increase in volume, this means that pollination has not occurred. This work will have to be done manually, especially in inclement weather. To do this, you can use the following manipulations:

• pick a male flower, tear off its petals and apply pollen to the pistil, which is located in the center of the female flower;
• attract squash and other insects for pollination by sprinkling flowering zucchini in the morning with honey solution (1 teaspoon of honey per glass of water).

Feeding

It is impossible to get a good fruit harvest without regular fertilizing. During the entire growing season, you need to apply root and foliar fertilizers several times.

The scheme for applying root fertilizers is as follows:

1. Before flowering. Water the seedlings with mullein infusion, to prepare which, dilute 0.5 liters of mullein and 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. nitrophoska. It can be replaced with a fermented infusion of weeds or a solution of Ross fertilizer (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 1 liter per plant.
2. During flowering. Water the plant with a solution consisting of 2 s. l. wood ash and the same amount of Effecton fertilizer per 10 liters of water. Composition consumption – 5 liters per 1 sq. m beds.
3. During the period of fruit ripening (fruiting). In 10 liters of water you need to dissolve 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, urea and potassium sulfate. Water the bushes with the composition at the rate of 3 liters per 1 square meter. m beds. For last feeding You can also use another composition - 2 tbsp. l. wood ash or 2-3 tbsp. l. organic fertilizer Effecton-O per 10 liters of water. Its consumption is 2 liters per bush.

If the plant develops poorly and bears fruit, it can be additionally fertilized several times during the fruiting phase. foliar feeding with an interval of 10-12 days. Here are the feeding options:

• 1 tbsp. l. dissolve urea in 10 liters of water and spray the plant;
• 10 g of the drug Bud or 1 tbsp. l. Dissolve Ross liquid fertilizer in 10 liters of water and spray the bushes at the rate of 2 liters of composition per 10 square meters. m.

Bush formation

Zucchini often does not need to be formed, but during the flowering period the vegetative mass can grow greatly to the detriment of the fruit. In this case, it is necessary to cut off 2-3 central leaves in order to improve the conditions for pollination of flowers by insects and to provide better access to sunlight to the core of the bush.

Thanks to this, new ovaries will form more actively, which will increase the yield of the vegetable. In addition, it is worth systematically removing aging leaves and rotten fruits.

When the buds begin to appear, you can pinch the zucchini - remove the tops of the young shoots. When the growing point is eliminated, the stems will produce side shoots. This will support the increase in peduncles and ovaries, which will contribute to better yields.

When the ovaries appear, it is worth placing plywood or bricks under them so that they do not contact the ground and are reliably protected from rotting.

Protection from diseases and pests

As preventive measures against diseases in the fall, after harvesting, you need to carefully remove the area from plant areas, dig it up and properly prepare it for new culture, observing the rules of crop rotation. For the same purposes, 7 days after planting in the ground, zucchini should be treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride. The remedy Malathion (Karbofos) will help against pests.

Despite the measures taken, zucchini can be affected by some diseases, among which the most dangerous and common are the following:

• Powdery mildew. Occurs under conditions of sudden changes in humidity and air temperature. A grayish-white loose coating appears on the ground part of the plant, which gradually turns brown and causes the leaves to dry out. The fruits themselves become deformed and stop developing. If such signs occur, the area should be treated with a 10% solution of fungicides (Topsin, Bayleton). This treatment must be repeated twice with an interval of 14 days.
• Black mold. Appears angular or rounded rusty spots on the tops, which are gradually covered with a coating of fungal spores, dry out and crumble, leaving behind holes on the surface of the leaf plate. The fruits will be wrinkled and poorly developed. Sick specimens must be immediately removed from the site and burned.
• Bacteriosis. Infection manifests itself as oily spots on the leaves, which darken over time and disrupt the integrity of the leaf plate. Watery spots and sores appear on the zucchini. In case of bacteriosis, the plant must be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
• White rot (sclerotinia). Mycelium appears on the plant - dense white coating. The areas underneath become soft and slippery, and later harden and become covered with black bumps. As a result, the plant withers. This rot often develops in cold and wet weather due to overly dense plantings. Diseased specimens must be removed, since their treatment with a fungicide will be ineffective.
• Root rot. Causes yellowing of zucchini, death of their lower leaves, drilling of stems and transformation of the lower part of the plant into sponge. The disease develops due to planting the crop in poorly heated soil, watering cold water or overfeeding. In the fight against rot, it is necessary to eliminate deficiencies in care and treat the plant with preparations containing copper.
• Anthracnose. Round and yellow-brown spots appear on the leaves, which leave holes when dry. The tops curl and the fruits dry. Treatment of the plant with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or pollination with ground sulfur at the rate of 15-30 g per 10 square meters will help against anthracnose. m.

Powdery mildew on zucchini

Black mold

initial stage bacteriosis on zucchini
Anthracnose of zucchini

In addition to these pathologies, the following pests can pose a danger to zucchini:

• melon aphid. Attacks crops in wet and wet conditions warm weather. Aphids suck nutritional juices from the above-ground parts of the plant, causing damage to stems, leaves, flowers and ovaries. To combat it, you can treat the plant with a soap solution (300 g of soap per 10 liters) 3 times at weekly intervals. If there is a large infestation of aphids, you will need to resort to the use of insecticides (Karbofos, Phosfamide, Decis, Metaphos).
• Whiteflies. They appear on the underside of leaves, mainly in the second half of summer. They leave behind sticky sugary secretions, which become a favorable environment for the development of fungi, leave black spots on the plant and cause it to wilt. Pests can be washed off the leaves with water, and then loosen the soil to a depth of 2 cm. If such manipulation is ineffective, the zucchini should be treated with Komandor’s solution (1 g per 10 liters of water to treat 100 sq. m). It is advisable to spray the plant after harvesting.
• Slugs. They must be collected by hand. If they are found in large numbers, baits can be used against them. For example, you can pour dark beer into bowls and place them around the perimeter of the site. When the slugs crawl towards the smell, they will need to be quickly collected.

Harvest and storage

As the fruit ripens, it should be harvested once every 1-2 weeks to prevent the appearance of overgrown fruits. They will delay the formation of new ovaries, consuming too many nutrients. Ultimately, this will affect the yield of the variety.

Fruits can be collected at any stage of their development. For consumption, it is worth removing unripe 10-12-day-old ovaries 15-20 cm long. The seeds inside them are soft and tender, and the pulp itself has the best taste characteristics. In addition, the collection of unripe fruits stimulates the formation and rapid growth of new fruits.

However, young zucchini does not store well. Therefore, if there are intentions to lay the fruits on winter storage, then you need to collect ripe fruits with a hard and thick rind, as well as with coarser pulp. As a rule, they reach this condition after 6-7 weeks. The weight of each of them can reach 500 g.

You need to cut the fruits using pruning shears or a knife along the stalk. Young specimens should be cut off at the very base, but mature fruits should be left with a long stalk. The cut itself must be even, since shaggy ends quickly deteriorate and rot the entire fruit.

Young zucchini collected at the stage of milky ripeness can be stored for 2 weeks at a temperature of 0...+2ºC. Subsequently, they will begin to fade or become rough, and sometimes even rot. Ripe fruits can be stored for up to 5 months in a cool, dry place with good ventilation. They cannot be kept in a cellar where there is high humidity, as it stimulates the development of putrefactive processes. When storing zucchini, you should put it in a box, placing straw or straw between them. pine sawdust so that they do not touch. For longer storage, their stalks can first be dipped in molten paraffin.

Zucchini can be stored in the refrigerator if you place it in a perforated plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable drawer.

Growing zucchini in open ground is a task that even an inexperienced gardener can cope with. However, to get a good harvest, it is important to strictly follow the right technology cultivation of this pumpkin crop - from determining the timing of planting to harvesting the fruits.

City: Tomsk

Not everyone can successfully grow zucchini. These representatives of the pumpkin family cause a lot of trouble for summer residents. Planting this dietary product requires preliminary preparation soil and soaking seeds. To increase productivity and protect zucchini from diseases, you need to know how to properly fertilize the crop. If you follow some tips on how to plant zucchini, growing them will be a pleasure.

Preparing land and beds

The place for growing zucchini should be sunny and warm. Often preference is given to small areas where 1-2 grains fit. For good growth of bushes and increased productivity, it is enough to properly care for zucchini.

After feeding the soil, the bed is watered with a manganese solution (1.5 g of crystals per 20 liters of warm water). Approximately 3 liters of manganese solution is required per 1 square. m. plot.

A bucket of turf is first introduced into the peat soil. It is advisable to mix 2–3 kg of peat product with clay soils. If zucchini seeds are planted on undeveloped soil, you should take a sample of roots and insect larvae when digging. In the first year of planting, such soil is enriched with 2–3 kg of compost product or humus. An alternative option is mineralization with a mixture of 10 g of nitrophoska and 20 g of wood ash. Digging is done again and now you can plant.

You should not plant zucchini in areas where pumpkin crops previously grew. They are not suitable for planting zucchini. If cucurbits were grown in the selected area, diseases could accumulate in the soil.

The width of the bed is 60 cm. Initially, the bed is dug up, then the soil is leveled and holes are made.

If zucchini is immediately planted with seeds in the ground, the bed is made high. Various garden debris (leaves, stems) are brought in for digging fruit crops). With the onset of spring, rotted manure, compost and garden soil are added to the prepared beds. The treated areas are covered with polyethylene for a period of 1 week. After time has passed, it is time to plant seeds or seedlings in the ground. Then the bed is covered again with non-woven covering material along with film. The bed should remain insulated until May - June, depending on weather conditions. In good weather during the day, the bed must be ventilated.

Selection of zucchini seeds

When choosing seeds, you should focus on the country of origin. On Russian market There are plenty of foreign hybrids, since zucchini is grown everywhere. Due to their long fruiting, these hybrids are ideal for growing in the southern regions. As for domestic zucchini, they are planted mainly in the central and northern regions. Russian varieties more adapted to local conditions and have better nutritional characteristics. Domestic zucchini has good keeping quality and is excellent for salting and pickling. True, they ripen quite quickly. If you leave them in the garden for too long, they will outgrow and become “old”.

Foreign varieties are distinguished by small and soft grains, thin skin, fleshy pulp, and lack of overgrowth. They are great for culinary purposes. But preparing caviar from them or growing them for storage is not at all recommended. Foreign hybrids are inferior to domestic varieties in terms of the content of pectin fibers, vitamins and sugars.

Preparing zucchini seeds

The fastest germination of seeds is ensured by pre-soaking them. To do this, prepare a solution with mineral fertilizers or growth stimulant. The grains are left in solution for a day. An alternative option is soaking in 50 degree water for 5 hours. You can wait until the moment of “pecking”.

We plant zucchini in the ground after soaking the seeds. To prepare the composition, 10 g of nitrophoska is combined with 1 liter of water. The grains are placed in a bag soaked in solution for 3 days. After time has passed, the sprouted grains can be planted. To speed up germination and increase product yield, grains should be soaked in the following composition: 1 tsp. potassium or sodium humate, 1 g growth stimulator, 1 liter of warm water. Pour the grains into the finished mixture and leave. After a day, the grains are covered with a cloth soaked in water for another 2 days, periodically moistening the cloth.

To test grains for germination, it is necessary to soak the seeds of existing varieties in damp gauze for a month before germination occurs.

Planting seeds

Plant zucchini in sunny places protected from cold winds. South-western and southern slopes are ideal for this. With good lighting, they bear fruit better, which contributes to a high yield.

Planting seeds in the soil involves pre-moistening it. If sowing is done in dry soil, grain death cannot be avoided. In order not to burn the grains, the hole is filled with a handful of humus mixed with the ground with a pinch of ash and watered, and then the grains are planted in the ground.

The interval between rows is 70 cm, between plants – 50 cm, approximately 3 seeds per 1 square. m. During planting, a handful of humus with ash is added to the hole, where 3-4 grains are first placed at a depth of 3-5 cm. After germination, less developed seedlings are removed. Only 1 plant remains in each hole.

Seed germination occurs at a temperature of 13–15 degrees. Frosts are detrimental to zucchini. Planting in open areas is expected at the end of May. To consume fresh fruits longer, you should sow the grains every week.

Seedling method

To get a zucchini harvest ahead of time, you need to plant the plants in the spring. To do this, a steam bed or steam heap is excavated. A ridge is obtained by digging a trench 25 cm deep and 40 cm wide, and a heap is obtained by digging a 30 cm deepening with a diameter of 50 cm. The finished deepening is filled with hot manure and covered with earth. In areas insulated in this way, we plant zucchini seeds already with the onset of May, provided that a warm film shelter is built. Harvesting from these beds occurs at the end of June.

The seedling method involves growing zucchini under a film cover or in pots on a windowsill. The diameter of the pot is 10 cm. The pot is filled with a peat mixture with humus. Then it is poured in warm water and the grains are buried by 2–3 cm. The temperature for growing seedlings is 20 degrees Celsius. When watering, each crop receives 0.25–0.5 liters of water. Duration of watering is 10–12 days. To avoid seedling diseases, you should feed the crop with a superphosphate mixture in combination with urea.

Planting seedlings in the soil is done with preliminary moistening of the soil. The plant is planted together with a lump of earth from a pot. This avoids damage to the root system. Planting zucchini better in the morning or on a cloudy day.

Fertilizers and fertilizing

Zucchini is planted by mixing special soil with a neutral reaction, which contains a large amount of humus. An alternative option is to prepare a mixture of turf soil (20%), peat (50%), sawdust (10%), humus (20%). Chalk or ash is added to soil with high acidity.

The following steps are suitable for fertilizing:

• Before flowering.
• When the plant begins to bloom.
• During fruiting.

Fertilizing is carried out with a mineral composition: superphosphate (5 g), urea (2 g), water (1 l). As an alternative, mullein is used. The first feeding is 10 days after emergence, the second is a week later.

The first solution is prepared on the basis of nitrogen fertilizer, the subsequent one should contain phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizer should not contain chlorine.

To water 10 sq. m., you will need 2 liters of solution. Apply 1 liter of solution to each root. For well-prepared soil, you can limit yourself to one fertilizing, which is applied a week in advance. In a month you need to plant zucchini closed ground with the onset of May, in the open - at the beginning of June. When replanting, do not shake off the soil from the plant, since this preserves the root system. Depth – 5 cm.

Sprout care

Zucchini – heat-loving crops, but compared to watermelons and cucumbers they are more resistant to cold weather conditions. Optimal temperature environment for germination of zucchini seeds and subsequent cultivation of the crop - about 25 degrees. Zucchini, along with cucumbers, are quite demanding fertile composition soil and mineralization, which is carried out with a fertilizer solution.

The emerging plants should be provided with:

• Regular watering.
• Timely loosening of the soil.
• Weed protection.
• Fertilizer application.

The 5-leaf phase involves easy hilling of the stem. This prevents the development of unnecessary lateral roots.

Since the squash crop loves moisture very much, it should be regularly watered at the root, mainly with water at a temperature of 22–23 degrees. It is strongly recommended not to wet the leaves. When flowering, zucchini is watered every week (4 liters of water/1 sq. m). When fruiting begins, the water rate is doubled. Accordingly, watering is doubled.

The optimal frequency of watering is every 5 days. Timely moistening of the soil at the roots has a positive effect on productivity and protects the fruits from overripening. Before the final harvest begins, the plants stop watering for a week.

To prevent crust formation in young fruits, the nearby soil is mulched with humus or peat product.

When flowering, zucchini is pollinated by hand. in the following way: the petals are torn off from a plucked male flower, the male pistil brushes over the female one and the pollen is transferred. Female flowers located in the center of the bush. One male flower three females are pollinated. To attract pollinating insects, plants are sprayed with a honey solution: 5 g of honey per 0.25 liter of water. The procedure must be carried out in the morning.

Pollinating insects can be attracted by spraying plants with a sugar solution in combination with boric acid. Thus, productivity is increased.

To provide the plant good ventilation and allow pollinating insects access to the flowers; during fruiting, 2–3 leaves should be cut from the bush. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the formation of rot. If the plant is sick, it is sprayed with a copper-soap solution. Pre-copper and soap mixtures are prepared separately. Then the soap composition is poured into the copper one.

Fruits are harvested in a timely manner, without waiting for them to become overripe. The delay leads to a decrease in ovaries and a sharp decrease in yield.

That's all the secrets about how to plant zucchini.

Thanks to the continuous fruiting of zucchini, they can be consumed from summer to late autumn. The final harvest takes place at the first frost.

Zucchini - soil, predecessors, compatibility

The soil

The best soil for zucchini is chernozem or light loamy soil, well seasoned with organic fertilizers. Acidic soil and areas with similar levels groundwater not suitable. If they are grown here, it is only in high beds.

Clay and excessively moist peaty soil are completely unsuitable for zucchini.. On sandy soils it is necessary to apply significant doses of magnesium fertilizers.

Many gardeners plant zucchini on a compost heap. This can be done, but the compost in the heap must be old and well decomposed. Fresh, unrotted compost is not suitable for zucchini because it is too rich in nitrogen. This leads to rapid development of leaves to the detriment of fruits.

Soil preparation begins in the fall immediately after harvesting the previous crop. To do this, the soil is well harrowed with a rake to encourage the germination of weed seeds. After 10-12 days, you need to dig up the soil with a shovel full so that the sprouted weeds get deep underground. For digging, add a bucket of rotted manure or compost per 1 square meter, 30-35 g of superphosphate and 15-20 potassium fertilizers.

In early spring, as soon as the soil allows, the area must be thoroughly loosened with a rake to cause the remaining weed seeds to germinate, and in the second half of May the soil must be dug up to a depth of 12-15 cm, adding 1 sq. m. m for 15-20 g ammonium nitrate. If for some reason you did not plant zucchini immediately after this, then before planting the soil will need to be loosened again with a rake.

In addition to the above doses of fertilizers, on heavy clay soils you need to add 1 bucket of coarse river sand and peat chips, on sandy soils - 1-2 buckets of dry clay crushed to a powdery state.

Zucchini beds can be prepared in the spring. Their width is usually 100-120 cm. Insulating the beds is very effective when growing zucchini. To do this, dig a ditch up to 30 cm deep in the middle part of the bed and add compost, plant debris and household waste into it and cover it with a 20 cm thick layer of earth. If there is a shortage of such material, it can be used more economically. To do this, in the garden bed, instead of a groove, make separate holes up to 30 cm deep, into which 1-2 buckets of plant residues are placed, and they are covered with earth so that a mound 10-15 cm high is formed. At the top of this mound, holes are made for sowing or planting zucchini. The method is labor-intensive, but it allows you to get greens 7-10 days earlier and grow powerful, productive plants.

Predecessors, compatibility

The best predecessors for zucchini are early cauliflower and cabbage, green and legumes, as well as onions, root vegetables, tomatoes, and potatoes. They cannot be grown after cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and again in the same area.

They can be placed in the same bed with cucumbers and pumpkins only if you do not plan to grow seed fruits.

Many gardeners place zucchini in potato plots, planting them throughout the plot or along its edges on the north and east sides.

Zucchini can also be grown in different places garden or vegetable garden, using small free areas for 1-2 plants. It is only necessary that the plots be located in a sunny, warm place. With proper care, these plants develop well and produce many female ovaries.