Only in the 18th century did the Italians begin to use its unripe fruits for food. Since then, he has slowly gained popularity. Today, zucchini is already used as food by many people. But in order to enjoy this tasty and healthy vegetable, you need to grow it.

How to choose zucchini seeds for planting?

Zucchini is a plant of the pumpkin family. Its fruits are oblong in shape and different shades– from almost black to pure white. Today, two varieties of this plant are known - ordinary zucchini and zucchini. They belong to the same species, but are not exactly similar to each other physical properties. Zucchini have more female flowers and due to this a remarkable yield.

They have tender and juicy flesh, and the skin does not become rough for a long time, compared to ordinary varieties zucchini. However, let's return to the choice of seeds for planting. There are many varieties of this healthy vegetable. You need to choose them depending on what kind of harvest and when you plan to get it. It is optimal to have several bushes different varieties, in this case you will be provided with zucchini from June to October. What to look for when choosing seeds? If you buy them in a store, then go to the manufacturer. It is better to purchase seeds from those companies whose products you are already familiar with. Many people prefer to grow vegetables from seeds. There are some nuances here.

There are many hybrids that are not suitable for seed production. Therefore, if you decide to get yours, then know that they can only be successful if it was not hybrid plant. Zucchini seeds are stored very well and do not lose their viability for up to 8 years. And even after the expiration date they can sprout normally.

Planting - seeds or seedlings?

Zucchini is a fairly heat-loving plant and cannot withstand the slightest frost, so it is better to grow them in seedlings. This requires peat pots and specialized soil. But if you don't want to spend extra funds, then you can prepare the soil yourself. You need to mix compost, peat and garden soil in equal proportions.

Then the prepared soil is moistened, and one grain is placed in each of the pots, immersing them in the soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. Growing seedlings requires a certain temperature regime– from 10 to 22 degrees and good lighting.

With a lack of light, the plants will stretch and become thinner. After the sprouts appear, if necessary, water them with water at room temperature. When growing seedlings, they must be fed. For such purposes, it is best to use complex fertilizers Kemira or Agricola, designed for pumpkin crops.

In this case, you do not have to measure the dose for each element and add them separately. In the first days, the plants must be treated with one of the growth stimulants. It will prevent the seedlings from stretching and make them strong and disease-resistant.

Planting zucchini in open ground

Zucchini prefers light, nutritious soils and does not tolerate stagnant moisture. That's why clay soils not suitable for them. Moreover, the preparation of the bed for planting must be carried out in the fall, removing the previous crops. It is dug up for the winter, and in the spring it is leveled with a rake, while adding compost and mineral fertilizers. The time frame for planting zucchini seedlings in open ground is 30-35 days. Moreover, if the temperature is not yet high enough, it is recommended to cover it with film until the weather warms up.

Usually in spring it is already quite warm during the day, but there are still frosts at night. Therefore, the seedlings under the film must be opened slightly in the morning and carefully closed in the evening. When planting zucchini, use a 70-70 cm planting pattern.

It is better to do this in the evening, so they will have more time to take root. You can perform this procedure during the day, but only in cloudy weather so that they are not burned by the sun's rays. Seedlings grown in peat pots, planted together with them, while making sure that they are tightly pressed on all sides with earth and lowered 2-3 cm below the soil level. It is recommended to add organo-mineral substances to the hole before planting. It can be humus or compost in combination with mineral fertilizers. This mixture is added half a bucket per plant.

When planting zucchini seedlings, they must be watered - 1-2 liters of water per hole. The best place for planting them are sunny areas. Seedling method they are grown to get an early harvest. But there is also planting seeds in the ground. In this case, you will get later vegetables.

It is usually produced from the first ten days of May to mid-June. The bed for sowing is prepared in the same way as for seedlings. For faster germination, it is recommended to pre-soak the seeds in a solution of mineral substances or ordinary wood ash.

They are kept in it for 3 days, and then, after rinsing with water, they are left in a humid environment for another 3 days and only then planted in the ground. It is recommended to sow a couple of seeds in each hole at a distance from each other.

When several germinate, the stronger plant is left and the rest are removed. After sowing, the bed is covered with film until shoots emerge.

However, at low temperatures the shelter is left until June. If you need zucchini for a long time winter storage, then the best planting dates will be from June 1 to June 10.

Zucchini care

At proper cultivation you will get strong plants and excellent harvest. What will it take? Caring for zucchini is quite simple and consists of:

weeding,
watering,
feeding

Each stage must be completed on time. Weed as the weeds grow. Today there is a great way to avoid this difficult work - mulching the soil around the plant. Mulch can be any plant material, straw, grass clippings, sawdust and much more. A layer of it on the bed will not only save you from weeding, but will also retain moisture in the soil, which means that much less watering will be required.

This is a wonderful remedy for overheating the earth; mulch will not allow the sun's rays to heat up the soil too much, and thereby create good conditions for development and growth. When growing them without mulching the soil, it is recommended to hill up the plants - this will help them form additional roots and have a beneficial effect on growth.

But it is better to use soil taken from another bed for this, so as not to damage the roots of the plant.

It is necessary to water the zucchini regularly; it is better to do this with rainwater that has warmed up in the sun. Watering is carried out once every 10 days, 8-10 liters per meter square land. This is usually done in the evening or early in the morning.

Feeding is carried out for the first time ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potash fertilizers in a ratio of 20:40:20 g per bucket of water. This amount is distributed over ten plants.

The second is carried out during flowering with the same composition of substances, only this amount is distributed among 5 plants. Feeding with a diluted infusion of chicken manure gives good results. When growing, do not forget about pollination.

To improve it, it is necessary to periodically move the leaves apart, giving access to the flowers for insects. To attract more of them, you can spray the plant with water and honey. If you grow zucchini in greenhouses or under film, then you must not forget about ventilation.

These plants cannot stand high humidity, and if there is an excess of it, the fruits will rot and diseases may appear. The period from flowering to fruit formation in zucchini is about 20 days. The harvest is usually harvested when the fruits reach a length of 10 cm. at this stage they have not yet had time to harden and are easily cut off with a knife. Plant growth occurs very quickly in warm weather and good care. One bush can produce up to 20 fruits over the entire period.

It is necessary to collect zucchini every other day, preventing them from overgrowing. With irregular harvesting, the formation of new ovaries slows down and the taste of the fruit deteriorates. If you grow zucchini for seeds, then in this case it is left on the plant until the skin hardens. They check the ripeness by lightly pressing the nail; if the skin is not pierced, it means the fruit is already ripe. Zucchini that have reached physical maturity can be stored for a long time in dry and ventilated basements.

The benefits of zucchini

Today it has been scientifically proven that these vegetables contain a lot of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, organic acids and protein, and they are also low in calories. Therefore, they are recommended to be used by those people who have decided to get rid of excess weight. By growing and using this vegetable for food, you will not only get a boost of vitamins, but also tasty and healthy dishes which can be prepared from them.

Even traditional medicine I found a use for some of them. For example, it is believed that squash caviar is useful for urolithiasis and metabolic disorders. Juice and flower decoction are recommended as a sedative. This wonderful vegetable can be grown on your own plot.

“Evening” continues the “Farming Academy” section. This time we will talk about the production of zucchini - a crop that grows well in our area not only indoors, but also in open ground.

It's November, and the hottest days for agricultural producers are behind us. This is what the city dweller thinks and... is deeply mistaken. Yes, the harvest has been harvested. But there is an equally important task ahead after harvesting: selling the products on time. Especially when it comes to perishable vegetables.

Promising product

Every summer resident, and indeed any person who has at least once visited vegetable gardens in central Russia, knows: zucchini is one of the most unpretentious crops. Compared to capricious tomatoes, heat-loving peppers and cucumbers, zucchini behaves peacefully. They grow slowly, requiring only minimal care.

And for the preparation of canned food they are used no less often than other vegetables; There are countless recipes for delicious preparations with zucchini. Not to mention the dish in which this culture dominates, squash caviar.

Zucchini is grown not only in gardens, but also in industrial scale, for the needs of canneries. We learned how to set up a business for growing zucchini from Mikhail Novichkov, the head of a farm in the Ryazhsky district.

Mikhail Viktorovich is only 29 years old. He has been involved in zucchini since his student days. While still a senior student at the Faculty of Law of the Russian State University. S. Yesenin, he understood that in the future he needed to look for a career niche that was freer than jurisprudence...

And in the end I decided. Together with a friend, I rented 5 hectares of collective farm land, found equipment through friends, and set to work during the holidays.

Why zucchini? The reason is quite simple: next door to Mikhail’s parental home there is the Ryazhsky Cellar plant. Every Ryazan resident knows their squash caviar. The novice farmer was counting on the stability of this enterprise, because a constant market for a vegetable grower is necessary.

True, over time it became clear that one cannot even rely on, as it seemed before, stable production... But first things first.

Counting expenses

Now Mikhail already has 60 hectares of land. The farmer rents most of the land; he bought a smaller part of the land a few years ago.

In principle, it is easier for a beginning agricultural producer to rent land - what if things don’t work out? So we at our “Farming Academy” will focus on this option and take into account that the cost of renting land in the Ryazhsky district is about 8,700 rubles per year for 50 hectares.

Next to farmland, you need to acquire equipment, and here the costs will be the most impressive. To cultivate an area of 60 hectares you will need two tractors plus the necessary attachments. At present, the Belarus tractor alone costs 1.2 million rubles.

Our hero was lucky: two years ago, a farmer from the Ryazhsky district received a grant of 1.5 million rubles and with this money (at prices two years ago) he was able to immediately purchase a tractor, loader and plow.

Fuel costs are also quite high. Tillage begins in the fall, at which time the land needs to be plowed. In spring, the area is harrowed and cultivated (leveled). Taking into account summer harrowing work, for the entire season, diesel fuel (when processing 60 hectares) will cost 250 thousand rubles.

Of all the varieties, Mikhail chose the Gribovsky variety of zucchini - one of the most common and popular. Seeds cost 600 rubles per kilo; for 1 hectare you need about 3.5 kilograms. Thus, Novichkov needs 126 thousand rubles to purchase seeds for his plot.

The next expense item is fertilizers. This year, both Mikhail Novichkov, and throughout the Ryazan region, and throughout the country as a whole, vegetables will be extremely clean... The fact is that prices for fertilizers after the fall of the ruble increased so much that farmers either sharply reduced their use, or give up chemistry altogether. But everyone wants a good harvest... So whether sooner or later, we will have to return to these expenses.

Zucchini requires only one herbicide treatment per season: to prevent weeds, the area is sprayed a couple of days after sowing. For 60 hectares at current prices it will cost 60 thousand rubles.

In addition, treatment with saltpeter is also needed to saturate the soil with nitrogen. And here it will be necessary to allocate 200 thousand from the enterprise budget. For a sprayer – another 80 thousand rubles.

A hard-to-predict expense item when growing zucchini is the cost of workers.

– It’s very difficult to find people seasonal work, explains Mikhail Viktorovich. – For example, this year I was unable to find workers to hill the zucchini. I was ready to pay, but no one wanted to work... Of course, the yield fell because of this.

People still showed up to clean up. As for expenses, according to the farmer, 1 ruble per kilogram of collected vegetables is considered a good payment. With a yield of 300 c/ha, we get 1,800 tons of zucchini, that is, 1.8 million rubles for harvesting.

Now let’s add up all the above expenses - from land rent to employee salaries. The total will be more than 5 million rubles, and this does not even take into account the work of two tractor drivers.

Benefits with caveats

Now let's calculate the potential profit. Mikhail Novichkov sells zucchini to the Ryazhsky Cellar plant for 3.7 rubles per kilo. The collected 1.8 thousand tons is 6.66 million rubles. Considering that more than five million were spent, the benefits are obvious. If not for two “buts”.

Firstly, the costs in practice can be much higher. Offhand, we did not take into account taxes and operating costs for equipment maintenance. Secondly, when Mikhail will receive money for the products, he himself does not know for sure.

– I can’t pay my employees! The zucchini has been shipped, but the plant has not paid the money in full, there are still 4.5 million left,” laments the Ryazhsk farmer. - IN best case scenario, they will be able to pay me no earlier than March. This, by the way, was the case in previous years.

While Mikhail is waiting for payment for the shipped goods, he is forced to pay interest on the loan he took out earlier, although he could have fully paid off the bank this fall.

At the same time, in theory, our farmer had the opportunity to earn more...

– If you start harvesting at the end of July, then new zucchini will grow in August. So, it will be possible to harvest two crops per season,” says Mikhail Novichkov. – Of course, the second harvest will be smaller than the first. But in total, the average yield will no longer be 300, but 400 centners per hectare!

According to the most approximate estimates, it turns out that by harvesting only one crop, the farmer receives less than two million rubles in profit. And he would collect two without hesitation! But for some reason, traditionally in August, the factory either has no cans for canning, or lids, or runs out of vegetable oil... And they don’t accept zucchini until September.

How to protect yourself from such troubles? Ideally, look for other buyers. True, then in the case of Novichkov’s farm, transportation costs will also be added to other costly items. There are many factories processing zucchini in neighboring regions. And the money they pay for the products is quite reasonable. But delivery of goods to another region “eats” about 1.5 rubles per kilogram...

In any case, growing zucchini is a promising activity. We love this vegetable. But for a novice farmer, it would probably be better to either find several options for sales, or, in parallel with zucchini, cultivate other vegetables. It will be more reliable this way.

HELP "VR" According to calculations by economists of the regional Ministry of Agriculture, for the organization of vegetable farming open ground A conventional area of 50 hectares will require 15-17 million rubles in the first year. investment - with a minimum set of equipment. Annual operating costs will amount to 5-6 million rubles per year. The investment will pay off in the third year. Most of the costs will be on acquisition planting material, fuels and lubricants, fertilizers and plant protection products.

Growing zucchini: secrets of the harvest. Features of growing zucchini for sale. Growing zucchini in a barrel is common.

Rarely seen today summer cottage plot, on which zucchini would not be grown. After all, this is such a tasty and healthy vegetable! In addition to the vitamins (A, C, B) and microelements it contains (iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium), it perfectly cleanses and strengthens the body, and is used in children's, therapeutic and dietary nutrition, and even in cosmetology. Another big plus of zucchini is long term storage of fruits, during which it completely retains all its beneficial properties.

The best varieties of zucchini

To eat fresh vegetables straight from the garden from mid-summer to late autumn, breeders have brought out new productive varieties zucchini and hybrids different periods maturation. These varieties are perfect for use on the territory middle zone Russia and Siberia: zucchini can be grown both in the Moscow region and in the Urals - the climate is wonderfully suitable for this.

Early ripening

White Swan, Golda F1, Tsukesha, Anchor, Odesskie 52, Sote 38, Anna, Aeronaut, White bush, Waterfall, Gribovskie 37, Zebra, Zolotinka, Cavili zucchini, Caserta, Roller, Skvorushka, Helena and others.

Mid-season

Pasta, Jade, Black handsome.

Late ripening

Nutty, Long-fruited

Varieties of zucchini squash

The main varieties of this species are Aeronaut, Tsukesha, Zebra. They can be classified as early ripening. Already on the 47th day after the seeds of the Aeronaut variety emerge, the harvest can be harvested. Zucchini fruits have an elongated cylindrical shape, the surface is dark green and smooth. The average weight of zucchini squash is 1.1-1.4 kilograms.

Self-pollinating varieties

Belogor, Aeronaut, Astoria, Apollo, Beloplodny Zucchini, White Swan, White, Black Zucchini and others.

Planting zucchini seedlings

When to plant zucchini seedlings?

Seeds can be planted from mid-March to mid-May. Seedlings are planted in open ground 25-30 days after planting the seeds, this is on average the end of May - the beginning of June. But it all depends on the specific region of residence; here it is impossible to give universal exact disembarkation dates.

Features of landing

Vegetables are grown both through seedlings and by sowing seeds in open ground. When growing seedlings, it is better to use a separate container for each plant (peat pots, paper cups, milk cartons, etc.) about 10x10 cm in size.

Before sowing, zucchini seeds are prepared in the same way as when growing other vegetable crops, and are sown in April - early May. The soil mixture for seedlings is prepared from peat, humus, turf soil and sawdust in a ratio of 6:2:2:1. To enrich with microelements, you can add 0.5 cups of ash, 5-6 g of ammonium nitrate or 7-8 g of urea, 10 g of potassium sulfate, 15-20 g of superphosphate to a bucket of the mixture. Or you can use a ready-made soil mixture, for example “Exo”, from a specialized store.

Filled pots are spilled hot water or 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate and sow the seeds to a depth of 2-3 cm, flat, so that the sprouted root “looks” down. Until the first shoots appear, we maintain the ambient temperature within 18-25°C, and then reduce it to 15-20°C. Remember that seedlings need a lot of light, otherwise the plants will be weak and begin to stretch out greatly.

Features of growing zucchini (video)

Fertilizers

Watering is carried out as needed to prevent the top layer of soil from drying out with water room temperature. The first feeding of plants is carried out 7-10 days after the sprouts appear. To do this, use: mullein solution (1:10) 50 mg per plant, urea solution (0.5 tsp per 1 liter of water) 0.5 cups per pot, solution of the drug “Bud” (2 g per 1 liter of water ) 1 glass for 1-2 pots or a solution of any specialized growth stimulator.

After another 10 days, a second feeding is carried out with a solution of mullein with the addition of 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 15 g of potassium sulfate per bucket of solution. Or dilute 1 tsp in 1 liter of water. nitrophoska. Use 1 glass of solution per plant.

Preparing the bed

Plants are transplanted into the ground when they have 2-3 leaves and are 25-30 days old.

Site selection

Choose a site for growing that is sunny and protected from the wind. The best predecessors for zucchini are green and legumes, potatoes, early cabbage and cauliflower, onion, garlic. You cannot plant a vegetable in an area where cucumbers, squash, and pumpkin previously grew. Zucchini is returned to its original place after 3-4 years.

Preparing the land for planting

In the fall, after harvesting the predecessor, the soil is harrowed with a rake and dug up two weeks later. For digging, add rotted manure or compost - a bucket per 1 sq.m., 30-35 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potash fertilizers per 1 sq.m.

Early spring the soil is loosened with a rake, and before planting the seedlings, they are dug up and 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate are added per 1 sq.m. On sandy soils additionally (per 1 sq.m.) it is necessary to add 1-2 buckets of crushed dry clay and 3 kg sawdust. If the soils are heavy, clayey, then per 1 sq.m. add a bucket river sand and 2-3 kg of peat, sawdust, humus. To peat soils per 1 sq.m. add a bucket of turf soil and 2 kg of compost or manure humus.

Features of planting zucchini

Since the plant is quite large, the distance between the rows should be at least 1-1.5 m, and between the holes - at least 1 m. Before planting, 1 tablespoon must be added to each hole. organic fertilizer, for example “Effecton” and mix well with the soil. Then each hole is watered with a solution of Agricola-5 fertilizer (1 tablespoon per bucket of water) - 1 liter in each.

Seedlings are planted early in the morning or in cloudy, warm weather along with a lump of earth from a pot. Bury down to the cotyledon leaves. If there is a threat of frost, then install metal arcs and cover it with film. Or you can cover each plant plastic bottle. The next day after planting, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the seedlings.

Zucchini care

Feeding

After the young plants have 4-5 leaves, light hilling is carried out. Water the zucchini only at the roots, warm water based on 5 liters of water per plant before flowering and 10 liters during fruiting. To obtain a bountiful harvest, every week the zucchini is fed with Mittleider mixture No. 2 (6 kg of nitrophoska, 1 kg of urea, 1 kg of potassium sulfate, 1 kg of magnesium sulfate, 15 g boric acid, 15 g molybdic acid).

If this is not possible, then the first fertilizing is done before flowering. 40-50 g of superphosphate, 20-30 g of potassium nitrate and 25 g of ammonium sulfate are diluted in 10 liters of water. Apply 1 liter of solution to each plant.

The second feeding is carried out before fruiting begins. 40-50 g of superphosphate and potassium nitrate are diluted in 10 liters of water. The consumption rate per plant is 1.5 liters. For feeding, you can also use a solution of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings(1:20) based on 2 liters per plant in the first feeding and 4 liters in the second.

Supporters of organic farming can grow zucchini in compost beds, which are made from dry plant residues (potato tops are best) and half-rotted last year's compost. No fertilizing is required in this case.

Pest Control

To combat pests and diseases, zucchini is sprinkled wood ash and treated with non-toxic drugs (Narcissus, Zircon, Amulet and others). And to attract pollinators during the flowering period, every morning the plants are sprayed with a weak solution of honey.

To collect good harvest It is also important to break off large leaves in a timely manner and remove ripe fruits. If this is not done, the formation of new ovaries will slow down.

Zucchini harvest

The first harvest of juicy fruits can be harvested 35-45 days after planting young plants in the ground. Vegetables are used to prepare side dishes, vegetable stew, salads, various preparations for the winter from zucchini. For storage, the fruits are removed from the bush along with the stalk and wrapped in plastic bag, make small holes in it and store it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or basement.

Have a good harvest and an abundance of fresh vitamins on the table!

Reviews and comments

(4 ratings, average: 4,38 out of 5)

Marina 07/02/2014

I have zucchini growing in my garden different varieties. It seems to me that this is the most unpretentious vegetable. I plant seeds directly into the ground in the spring, they germinate well. And then all that remains is to weed and water. The zucchini harvest is always very large. I prepare a variety of dishes from them, even make jam. Children are always bad at eating vegetables, but they love zucchini pancakes.

Olga 02/12/2016

I always plant zucchini - they really help out at the beginning of summer: when there are no cucumbers yet, you can make wonderful salads with herbs and radishes from zucchini. I plant cucumbers and zucchini in open ground on the same day, but zucchini always begins to bear fruit earlier. In early August, zucchini is attacked powdery mildew, but, to be honest, I don’t fight it: usually by this time we’ve already eaten enough zucchini.

Marina 06/20/2016

I have very large zucchini leaves. What can I do with them?
b

Marina 06/20/2016

I agree about the climate. But I probably don’t agree about the black soil... I always add sand to the black soil, then the plant feels as close as possible to its natural condition and it looks just wonderful, and also, juniper can be trimmed, even creating entire compositions. 😳

Yuri 03/15/2017

“Before sowing, zucchini seeds are prepared in the same way as when growing other vegetable crops”
Wonderful, and most importantly, detailed and intelligible! Thank you!

Alena 04/08/2017

I accidentally got from a discarded seed on compost heap beautiful zucchini grew. Since then, every year I specifically throw zucchini seeds into compost pit. I catch two birds with one stone: there is no need to set aside a special place for this crop and the zucchini grows very well.

Natalia 10/04/2017

In my dacha, the zucchini grows very poorly. There was no harvest all summer. Only at the end of September there were 2 zucchini.
Tomatoes and peppers grow well and produce large yields, but zucchini does not. And so it has been for three seasons. I have the impression that zucchini is very difficult to grow.

NatashaPetrova 07.10.2017

I think it's just a bad choice of seeds or variety. This happened to me with several varieties (for example, Beloplodny). In the same summer, under the same conditions, some grow, others do not. And the plants themselves are somehow dead, and there is no harvest. I do well with zebra zucchini. True, for several years now from my own seeds. Therefore, I don’t know whether the variety is exactly to blame, or whether the seeds of that Beloplodny one were bad. Try changing both varieties and seed producers.

Mari28 10/08/2017

Most likely your zucchini is fattening. Eliminate nitrogen fertilizers after flowering, during the ovary period. From my own experience, I noticed that zucchini seeds, the seeds of which are sown and grow on a compost heap, do not “fatten” despite the fact that they grow practically on nitrogen. But the zucchini in the garden reacts sharply to feeding nitrogen fertilizers, if it is carried out once and abundantly. 08.10.2017

There may be several reasons for poor fruiting. I will list:
1. You may have used seeds previous year hybrid variety. Such seeds are characterized by a reduction in yield by next year disembarkation
2. The reason may be improper storage. Zucchini seeds are stored in a warm and dry place. High humidity and low temperatures sharply reduce yields.
3. Choose a place for planting in partial shade, since pollinating insects do not like to fly in the shade. For this reason, the ovary on female flowers dies.
4. If the summer is cloudy or rainy, this affects insects. They do not pollinate flowers with raw pollen. Carry out hand pollination.
5. Perhaps the reason is an excess of fertilizing and watering. An excessive dose of nitrogen leads to an increase in green mass, the plant “forgets” about bearing fruit. Excessive watering leads to rotting of the root collar. In addition, the roots stop receiving oxygen.

Elena 10.10.2017

If you cannot easily grow a rich harvest of zucchini, then you must follow the following rules when planting and further cultivation. Despite the fact that many zucchini seeds are planted directly in open ground, these pumpkin seeds still love to be grown as seedlings. It is necessary to cut out the bottom of a glass or seedling box so that it does not damage it during further planting. root system. The seedlings should be no more than thirty days old. After planting zucchini in open ground, it is important not to overfeed them with fertilizers. It’s better to prepare fertile soil in advance by mixing it with humus and adding a little superphosphate. As the zucchini grows, it is no longer necessary to feed them.

Nikita 09/10/2018

I love zucchini, I plant a lot of them, then I make caviar from them, with peppers, tomatoes, and I love them stuffed anyway. Zucchini requires a lot of space, so in the spring I immediately leave a large square of land for it, then I make large holes, fill it with humus and plant it directly with seeds. And then the main thing - proper watering, I always water the zucchini from a watering can and carefully so as not to blur the holes, not to wet the leaves and at the same time so that there is a lot of water.

Add a comment

Zucchini in lately began to enjoy increasing love among gardeners. Why? Yes, because this vegetable is simply a storehouse of vitamins and microelements, and it is also excellent for the first feeding of babies, which only adds to its popularity.

So how to grow zucchini correctly? Let's find out!

Let's start small - seeds and seedlings

There is a clever way to grow zucchini. To do this, you need to warm the seeds before germination. This way the seedlings will sprout more smoothly and the productivity of the plants will increase significantly. Spending the night with a bag of seeds on a switched-on heating radiator is quite suitable.

Then the grains must be soaked for several hours in a warm, but not hot water. When the seeds swell, they need to be spread between layers of damp cloth. It is not recommended to use loose material such as gauze, as the nimble roots can easily get tangled in it.

At room temperature, after three to five days they reach several centimeters in length. It is at this stage that zucchini is planted in open ground. Do not delay this, otherwise the long roots will quickly intertwine, and it will be difficult to separate one seed from another without damage.

Growing zucchini in a barrel is common.

Dimensions of your land plot don’t allow you to allocate a large area for squash beds? No problem. In such cases, among lovers of pumpkin plants, one of the most popular ways to grow zucchini has become the construction of “green barrels.”

Preparing a barrel

The barrel for growing zucchini should have a capacity of at least two hundred liters, and in the middle of it, be sure to stretch a pipe pierced in several places. It will be used for watering zucchini. It is necessary to make several holes in the bottom of the barrel to drain excess moisture.

When installing the barrel, pay special attention to the middle summer temperature in your region. Is it over thirty degrees (Celsius)? Then place the barrel on north side area, where it will be cooler. If clouds are common in your area, place it in the south.

Now you can start filling the zucchini growing barrel with substrate for your future harvest.

It is filled with layers, each of which is a delicacy for zucchini:

A twenty to thirty centimeter layer of brushwood is placed at the bottom, which will serve as drainage.
Five to six centimeters of compost and the same amount of last year’s rotted leaves. On top - a couple of centimeters of ordinary garden soil.
Five centimeters of hay and tops of any crop (ideally potatoes). Again a few centimeters of garden soil.
Finally, three to four centimeters of sawdust of the middle fraction and. We finish filling the barrel with another layer of garden soil.

A couple of days before planting the seeds or in a barrel, the mixture must be thoroughly moistened. This will require about ten liters of water.

Planting and care

The best varieties for growing zucchini in a barrel are Dlinnoplodny, Apollo F1, Gribovsky 37, Beloplodny, Sosnovsky, and Pharaoh. Planting of seedlings in the soil is carried out when the mixture in the barrel has warmed up sufficiently. This usually happens in the second half of May.

Watering of plants is carried out exclusively using the built-in pipe. Otherwise, the earth often rots or dries up, and neither one nor the other, of course, “is good.” The watering rate is about two liters per bush. If you live in a hot region, you can slightly increase the volume of water.

For successful cultivation zucchini in a barrel, it is necessary to loosen the soil in a timely manner, trim extra leaves and, if possible, help insects pollinate flowers. It is recommended to fertilize plants for the first time a week after planting in the ground.

Five grams of extract + ten grams + three grams of ammonium molybdate, boric acid and magnesium sulfate are diluted in ten liters of water. Exactly a liter of such fertilizer is applied to one plant.

During fruiting, standard fertilizers are used to feed zucchini. complex fertilizers for pumpkin plants. Their dosage is individual, usually indicated on the package.

How to get a large harvest of zucchini?

Are you going to can, dry, or freeze zucchini? Then you can safely collect them already at the stage of technical ripeness - thirty (sometimes forty) days after emergence. However, if you want to pamper yourself and your household fresh vegetables all winter, you will have to wait until harvest. Only such zucchini will acquire the color characteristic of the variety, smooth hard skin, aroma and juicy pulp.

Pumpkins fully ripen only after one hundred to one hundred and twenty days from the moment the first shoots appear (that is, in early to mid-September). It is important that the fruits must remain “on the vine” all the time until the mature vegetables are harvested. If you follow all the rules for growing zucchini, they can lie in a cool place until spring without losing their original quality.

So what are these rules?

At the beginning of the season, when the plant is already preparing for flowering, it is necessary to carry out chasing - pinning the growing point. This way the bush will get more flowers, and, consequently, more fruits.
After flowering ends, all shoots with unset fruits must be removed so that the plant’s resources are spent only on maintaining the leaves and ripening of vegetables. “Empty” lashes will only be additional consumers.
At the end of August, when the fruits have significantly increased in size and began to acquire the thick color characteristic of the variety, the gardener needs to cut off all the excess leaves covering the bush. sun rays access to ripening vegetables.
It is advisable to place some dense dry material under the fruits. It can be tree bark or regular cardboard. It will protect the zucchini from excessive moisture (and rotting from below), and will also reduce the risk of vegetables being eaten by the main night hunters. ripe fruits– slugs and snails.
It should be remembered that it is necessary to cut zucchini on time. Both unripe and overripe fruits are significantly inferior in keeping quality and taste to their counterparts collected at the right time.
How to check if the fruit is ready for cutting? You need to knock on it. A mature vegetable will produce a dull sound, characteristic of melons and pumpkin crops. In addition, the skin of the fruit should be dense and smooth. It is quite difficult to scratch the skin of a ripe zucchini with a fingernail, but if you succeed, it means that it is too early for the vegetables to part with the bush.

Are your zucchini ready to assemble? Great! This means that you have successfully completed the first part of the job - growing bountiful harvest zucchini. Now they need to be cut off. Do you think it's easy? Not so. This also has its own rules, following which you can achieve better results.

How to harvest zucchini?

Use a well-sharpened knife to collect fruits. One that will cut vegetables evenly, without damage.
Zucchini should have a dense, juicy stalk. If it has dried out, it means that the vegetable is overripe and is no longer suitable for long-term storage.
Do not cut the fruits “closely”; be sure to leave part of the stalk – about five centimeters. After a couple of days, the resulting “tail” will dry out and become an excellent barrier to various types of infections.
If you are going to send zucchini to long-term storage into the basement or refrigerator, they, of course, need to be cleaned of dust and soil. For these purposes, use a piece of dry cloth. It is strictly not recommended to wash zucchini, as water provokes the formation of mold.

Problems and problems

Sometimes gardeners encounter problems growing zucchini. Soil composition, light, temperature... You never know what willful vegetables might not like! So let's figure out what problems gardeners most often encounter and how to deal with these problems.

Zucchini categorically do not like acidic soil. They grow poorly on it, get sick very often and do not bear fruit. big harvest. To reduce the acidity of the soil, add powdered chalk or wood chalk to it.
If under the site at a shallow depth there are groundwater, for zucchini it is necessary to build high bed. An excellent option would be to grow them in a barrel.
Plant seedlings (or, especially, seeds) in open ground only when the threat has passed spring frosts, since at the first drop in temperature to zero degrees Celsius, the heat-loving zucchini will simply die. If cold weather suddenly sets in at the end of May, urgently cover the bed with film or agrofibre.
Is your area completely blown by the wind? Build a “screen” for the zucchini - a small fence that can reliably cover the plants.
Zucchini needs plenty of watering. For one square meter The beds should have at least twenty liters of water. Special attention pay attention to its temperature. If the water is cold, the zucchini may get sick.
Overly caring (or greedy for the harvest?) gardeners can often overdo it with fertilizing zucchini, which also leads to various kinds of diseases, and sometimes the death of the entire garden bed.

The rules for alternating crops in the same area are very important for zucchini. For example, they do not grow well on land where other pumpkins (, squash, or even the zucchini themselves) were grown last season.

But on the soil left over from cabbage, onions, radishes, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peas or greens, any pumpkin plants thrive and produce abundant harvests.

Secrets of zucchini agricultural technology - video

In the last 10-12 years, the popularity of vegetables such as zucchini has increased significantly. And this trend is not at all accidental. In fact, zucchini is a valuable crop; it speaks not only about its benefits and taste. But also indicate the hypoallergenic nature of the vegetable. Zucchini is indicated even for babies under 6 months of age, people suffering from allergies and gastrointestinal diseases. You can also prepare a hundred delicious and healthy dishes based on this vegetable.

Some people love to eat zucchini, while others consider this vegetable as great way earn money due to increased demand. Growing zucchini is not that difficult. The culture is not too delicate and even a specialist in this industry can cope with this task. There are varieties that ripen early and quickly, and early vegetables cost much more. Even in connection with high level competition in this industry, it is worth going into this business, but first you need to take into account some nuances.

Rent a plot.

Growing zucchini requires adherence to agricultural technologies. It is better to choose a site for growing crops in the zone farm. The vegetable is not very drought-resistant and requires regular watering. This point must be taken into account when choosing land. It is most profitable to plant zucchini after potatoes, onions, legumes, cabbage, and green crops. It is better not to do this after pumpkin and cucumbers, otherwise the yield may decrease significantly. It is better to choose sandy loam soil with mineral fertilizers or neutral. On clay soils, the required yield cannot be achieved.

Before planting the vegetable, it is necessary to plow the soil in the fall, to a level of 20 to 25 cm. After this, the soil is treated with heavy disc furrows, and peeling is carried out in heavily clogged areas. Also, ridges are cut in the fall, and in the spring they are already treated with furrows. This ensures perfect loosening of the soil.

The cost of renting land will depend on many factors. First of all, they pay attention to the region, terrain and level of soil fertility. In particular, the price range can vary greatly from $7 to several hundred per hectare. On average, you should expect an amount of about $1.2 thousand.

Equipment.

To care for zucchini, you need a minimum set of agricultural equipment.

This equipment is for plowing, harrowing, peeling, planting and harvesting:

1. Harrows - from $900;

2. Peelers - from $1.5 thousand;

3. Plows - from $1 thousand;

4. Cultivator - from $700;

5. Sprayers - from $2 thousand;

6. Disc mulcher - from $600;

7. Tractor - $20 thousand.

In total, about $30 thousand is spent on the purchase of agricultural machinery.

To quickly pay off your initial investment this technique and equipment can be rented.

Raw materials.

To grow zucchini, you need seeds and mineral fertilizer. Fertilizers are applied in the fall and immediately before sowing. It is best to use manure or humus in combination with mineral fertilizers. If the soil is not very suitable for growing zucchini, then consult with specialists to obtain the required level of yield.

When choosing seeds for growing zucchini, first of all pay attention to the country of origin. Hybrid seeds are bred in the west. Domestic seeds are better suited for growing in the western and central parts of our state. Imported ones are ideal for the south. Experts recommend using domestic product, since the yield is an order of magnitude higher. Such products are resistant to storage and transportation. The following varieties are especially popular: Apollo, Gribovsky, Masha, Bely, Roller, Zebra and others.
The number of plants per 1 hectare of land can vary from 10 to 35 thousand seeds. The seeding rate per hectare is from 3 to 5 kg. The cost of seeds per 1 kg will range from $8 to $200, depending on the variety. In total, you should expect to spend at least $2 thousand for the purchase of seeds and mineral fertilizers.

Staff.

Caring for zucchini requires specialized, knowledgeable personnel. The work will be seasonal, so people are invited to work during the planting, ripening and harvesting periods. More agricultural machinery means less need to hire labor. Agronomists and workers are needed.

We also need a tractor driver. Personnel must be hired who are responsible and have experience in this industry. The workforce will consist of 7 to 20 people, depending on the size of the site. The agronomist will be responsible for the quality of crop growth, control the yield, and be responsible for the quality of the work performed by the staff. On wages staff must be allocated at least $5 thousand.

To promote your own services, you should use the services of specialized printed publications and place external advertising. You can also create a website. A website page is enough to promote your services.

You can engage in and offer products on forums. But the greatest effectiveness of advertising can be achieved by visiting directly to potential clients. These are cold calls, setting up meetings and signing agreements. Considering that you will have to invest a lot of your own efforts and resources, advertising and promotion of services should be allocated at least $150-200.

Basic costs.

The main costs when organizing a business for growing zucchini include the following expenses:

1. Rent of premises - at least $1.2 thousand;

2. Machinery and equipment - $30 thousand;

3. Raw materials - $2 thousand;

Total for organizing a business for growing such vegetable crop As a zucchini you need to have a budget of about $35 thousand.

Profit, profitability.

Profitability of this business, with skillful organization, can reach 200%. Wholesale prices for early harvest will be $0.38, and the June harvest will already cost around $0.11. The yield per 1 hectare will fluctuate within 80 thousand kg. In this case, you can expect a profit of at least $9 thousand. If you rented land of at least 5 hectares, then you can safely count on a full return on the initial investment in one season.

Clients and business development.

The clients of this type of business will be wholesale centers, retail outlets and the market. As a business development, you can offer customers grown zucchini in greenhouses, but such an action will require additional investments. You can also start growing additional crops or fresh herbs.