All about growing zucchini

Zucchini is one of the most popular summer vegetables, and therefore is found in almost every vegetable garden. It is possible to cultivate this culture in several ways of varying complexity and convenience.

Growing zucchini in the garden can be done in different ways.

The classic way of growing zucchini involves planting planting material in the beds. The soil on the site is prepared in the previous autumn: it is dug up with a shovel deepening by 20-25 centimeters and is fed. For each square meter of the territory, you will need to add 30 grams of superphosphate and 20 grams of potassium sulfate. Crop seeds are planted in the first week of May, and it is allowed to transport seedlings to open ground from May to June. In any case, it is important to make sure that the frost cannot be returned.

It will take 3-4 centimeters to deepen the seeds. It is important that between 50 and 70 centimeters of free space is maintained between individual specimens. There is also the possibility of organizing the cultivation of a crop in tires on open soil. Such a mini-bed will provide additional heating to the zucchini, and also prevent the fruit from touching the ground.

Since not every garden bed in the garden meets the conditions suitable for growing zucchini, it is much easier to use tissue containers with soil to comply with agricultural techniques. This method allows not only to more rationally use the free space in the country, but also to get a good harvest 10-14 days earlier than on ordinary soil. It is extremely convenient to transfer structures to a house in hail or in case of other natural troubles, and collecting fruits in this case does not present any particular difficulties.

Vegetables located at a distance from the ground are less sick, bear fruit more actively and have fewer care requirements. For planting, it is correct to use containers with a volume of 100 to 120 liters, made of dense polyethylene or propylene. In principle, it is not forbidden to use packages of a suitable size left over from flour or sugar.

The bag is filled with dry foliage, grass, tops or even paper, which forms a dense organic layer at the bottom. The thickness of the base should be about a third of the bag. The next layer is humus, and the topmost one is formed from the garden soil. The soil taken from the garden should be fed with wood ash, as well as "Nitrofoskaya". A number of holes are cut at the bottom of the bag to remove excess moisture. Prepared packages are placed in well-illuminated parts of the site and fixed on supports. Seeds planted in bags require preliminary manipulations. First, the planting material is filled with salt water.

In the future, 2 seeds are laid out in each package. When they germinate, the weaker sprout is eliminated. The material deepens by 3-4 centimeters and is abundantly irrigated with water heated to +22 - +23 degrees. It is also proposed to plant seedlings in bags that have grown in cups and have already released 2 full leaves. They should be transferred to their permanent habitat in the evening or on a cloudy and cool day. Zucchini growing in bags will have to be irrigated often: 2-3 times a week. It makes sense to cover the space near the stem with dry grass, which will slow down the evaporation of moisture.

To create a budget analogue of a warm bed, you will need 200 liter barrels made of plastic or metal. At the bottom of the tank, a drainage layer 25-30 centimeters thick is formed, made up of broken branches and pieces of wood. On top of it are laid compost, mowed grass and cut tops. This is followed by fertile soil taken from the garden, and sawdust spilled with a mixture of hot water and "Nitrofoski". The top layers of the barrel are formed from humus and 20 centimeters of garden mix.

Most gardeners prefer to harvest the substrate the previous fall so that it has time to decompose and become more nutritious before planting. Barrels are placed on the south side of the site in well-lit areas. In principle, it is not forbidden to place them near young trees: they will create a light shade that has a beneficial effect on the development of the plant.

From September to spring, while the soil decomposes and sinks, it will be necessary to add earth connected to wood ash to the container. In the spring, 3 holes are formed on the surface, into each of which 2 seeds or one seedling are deepened.

Zucchini also grows well in metal or plastic buckets of the largest possible size. Drain holes are drilled at the bottom of the tanks, and then the free space is filled with layers of humus, a mixture of ash and superphosphate, and turf. Upon completion, only a third of the total volume should remain free in the bucket. After sowing the seeds, you will need to mulch the plantings with hay or peat.

It is customary to organize a compost heap in a remote part of the site and enclose it with a small fence made of scrap materials. It is recommended to water the plant residues that make up it with "Baikal-EM", which accelerates the decomposition process. Before planting zucchini, carried out in late spring, a bucket of manure and garden soil are poured onto the compost heap, forming a layer 20 to 25 centimeters thick. Pits are formed on the surface, in each of which 2 seeds or one seedling bush are poured.

The use of plastic bottles helps protect the culture from recurrent frost. In fact, the culture is simply planted in the garden, but then each seed is covered with a plastic cap with a cut bottom. It is important that the planting material is sent dry into the ground, and then the soil is irrigated. Plastic bottles, dug in by 2-3 centimeters, are stored until a warm temperature is established - somewhere before the beginning of summer. If up to this point daytime temperatures rise to +20 degrees and above, then in the daytime the covers will need to be opened for ventilation. The threat of a cold snap will require additional cover of the bottles with plastic wrap.

Plastic containers, which are 40 centimeters wide, 60 centimeters long and 25 centimeters high, are ideal for vegetables. The bottom and sides of such boxes must be covered with black polyethylene, which will hold back the soil. We must not forget about several immediately cut drainage holes. The container is filled in layers with compost and soil, fed with Nitroammofoskaya. Zucchini is planted by seed or seedling method.

It is better to plant only 1 copy in a small box, and no more than 2 in a more spacious one. After the soil is abundantly irrigated, the seed is buried in it by 2-3 centimeters, or a seedling is buried with an indent of 1 centimeter from the cotyledon leaves. The beds are watered with warm water, after which they are covered with mulch or a lid from a plastic bottle. It is better to place the filled box in the greenhouse first, and move it outside by the beginning of summer.

Growing crops in a greenhouse has its own specifics.

In a building made of polycarbonate, hybrid varieties of zucchini are most often placed, taking up little space, but bearing abundant fruit. For example, all breeding varieties marked F1 are suitable, as well as "Kavili", "Belogor", "Nemchinovsky" and a number of other varieties that give large white fruits. It is best to plant in a greenhouse those varieties of zucchini that are characterized by the ability to self-pollinate and ripen in medium terms.

Before planting, it is recommended to feed indoor ground with wood ash or a mineral complex. A plus will be to choose for zucchini those areas where green manure previously grew, or at least inhabited onions, cabbage, legumes or garlic. Large planting material can be sown immediately into the ground, but it is more correct to germinate medium-sized specimens in advance. It is customary to transplant seedlings into a greenhouse upon reaching thirty days of age.

If a gardener decides to grow seedlings, then he will need spacious containers made of wood or plastic, filled with a mixture of peat, compost and garden soil. The seeds go deeper into the ground by 2-3 centimeters. They will grow best at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees, which drops to 15 degrees when shoots appear. You will have to water the seedlings once a week with warm liquid. The bushes should be transplanted into the greenhouse in the early morning or late evening, or on a cloudy day. The seedlings will have to be removed together with the earthen lump, subsequently deepening by 5 centimeters. The gap between individual specimens in rows remains equal to 40-50 cm.

In order for the culture to develop successfully in the greenhouse, it will need to organize daily ventilation and humidity equal to 60-70%. A suitable temperature for culture is 24 degrees during the day and 18 degrees at night. You will have to irrigate the plantings once a week, pouring about 3 liters under each bush. When the zucchini sets fruit, it will need about 4 liters every 3 days. Always direct warm water under the root, avoiding the appearance of drops on the leaves. If the plant becomes thickened, it will be necessary to get rid of the lower leaf plates.

The conditions for growing zucchini on the balcony include using a pot or container made of wood with drain holes and a pan with edges. The height of the container should reach 12-15 centimeters, since about 5 centimeters can go to the drainage layer of sand or gravel. If there is not enough natural light on the loggia, then immediately you need to mount fluorescent devices. In the future, they will need to be placed as close to the vegetables as possible and deployed during the day.

If you follow the instructions step by step, then sprouted seeds with a long root are planted in purchased soil soaked in warm water. Each grain is deepened by 3 centimeters with the spine down. After a week, the seedlings are irrigated with a mixture of a growth stimulator and water. In the future, vegetables will have to be watered regularly at the root. Zucchini is pollinated by hand by transferring pollen from male flowers to female flowers.

Zucchini fruits do not set due to the density of the leaves, the wrong temperature, or the lack of pollination. Sometimes the process goes badly, because initially poor-quality planting material was involved or the culture does not have enough nutrition. Again, if the specimens were densely planted, then their leaves will create a shadow that prevents the development of "neighbors" - such plants should be urgently planted. By the way, bad seeds can also be the reason that the seedlings sprout poorly. If, after planting, the leaves of the plant turn white, then sunburn is to blame - the zucchini must be urgently saved, creating a protection from spunbond and watering abundantly.