I do love a plant that grows without effort. And when I say grow, I mean REALLY grow–producing big, beautiful and abundant zucchini. Aren’t they beautiful?
Sure, they might look oddly shaped, but they taste the same as perfectly shaped zucchini. I’m sensing this happened due to a burst of water–repeated days dropping tons of rain–then, nothing. Well, not nothing, but the spray misters in my garden are no comparison to the inches of rain we had, proving just how important water is to your garden. Note to self: water more during fruit production for huge produce.
To think that these started out as babies only two months ago…
And now look at them! Gorgeous and glorious with their wide, expansive leaves and lovely yellow blossoms.
Wunderbar! And only one squash bug detected the entire time! Why, you might ask? Diatomaceous earth. Using a hand-held “duster,” I cover the leaves with a fine coating of the DE and the bugs eat and die. One of the sadder parts of nature, but hey, it’s survival of the fittest, right? Mother Nature wants my zucchini to thrive as much as she wants those bugs to survive…
It’s tough out there in the wild, but also delicious. Have you tried my Zucchini and Cheese Supreme? It’s a sumptuous way to serve up zucchini. For a healthier alternative, I like to roast slices of zucchini, then dip them into a lovely marinara sauce. Pan sauté works well, too, adding a sprinkle of Parmesan?
YUM. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry! I’m off to the kitchen….
I have failed at zucchini Everytime since moving to Orlando three years ago. What is your system, time to plant the whole thing? What is your irrigation system, drip? I also see black plastic, do you leave it down between ro s all summer.
I gardened in the Midwest and would love to do better here. Also do you start from seedlings?
Judy, don’t despair–you WILL grow zucchini here in Florida! The key is plenty of water and plenty of food. I plant my seeds directly in the garden and amend with a bit of mushroom compost (you can buy a bag at your local garden center or big box store). Zucchini does not like wet leaves and will develop fungus easily. Also, squash bugs are prevalent around Central Florida so keep an eye out for them, aka stink bugs. They lay eggs on the underside of the zucchini/squash leaves. I use a spray mist system, but yes, drip would be better.
The black plastic paper is a MUST. It keeps my walkways free of weeds all year long and during the hot summer, can be used to “solarize” your soil to kill underground pests like nematodes and grubs. Search my website for solarize to find complete details. Happy gardening and let me know what else I can do to help!