I use a lot of my zukes to make zucchini pancakes. I use 4 cups of grated zucchini, an egg or two, a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt and however much flour it takes to make a batter. I usually add some vegetable oil to the batter as well to discourage sticking. Once I have the basic batter, I can take it in a number of different directions: Italian, Mexican, Asian, sweet, etc. by adding spices and whatever else. The batter itself is very mild tasting and easily takes on whatever character you want to give it.
As a kid my grandpa had me put halfway in a coffee tin of chicken poop ,top it a inch of sand and have nail holes 1 inch from bottom in the sides of the can pointed towards three watermelon seeds and water daily. A old Kentucky hills trick
When an occasional zucchini gets away from me and grows too large, I slice it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds from the center, and then stuff and bake it. Brown ground beef with some onion, salt, pepper, add tomato sauce and rice if you like, or a cheese sauce, top with shredded cheddar, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. Place in a baking dish, cover, bake @ 350 F about 45 minutes. Overgrown zucchini can also be shredded, packed 2 cups at a time into zip-lock bags, and frozen to be used in recipes (zucchini bread) through the winter.
I put shredded overgrown zucchini in my sourdough bread and then reduce the water added. A little olive oil and rosemary makes for a fabulous savory loaf.
Ae Norist We have four human bipeds in our immediate family PLUS 5 livestock guardian dogs, 4 mouser cats, 4 bunnies and 236 chickens’ mouths to feed! All except the cats LOVE all summer squash. We grow 40 plants and it’s never enough!!! 😁
Remember to pick them very often and while they are still young. I often cut them when they are just four inches/10cm long. Just be sure to head out daily and pick the ones you see.
A few years ago I was having a problem with polination with the zucchini. I did some investigation and found out that if you cut some of the larger leaves off a plant, it makes it much easier for the insects to do their thing. I tried it and it worked great.
I’ve only discovered your channel this spring. Retired and getting into vegetable gardening after serious illness. So well presented and comprehensive info. Thank you. Pat
Absolutely growing zucchini. I grate my excess and freeze in plastic freezer bags in 2 Cup quantities. I add the defrosted zucchini to soups, casseroles, lasagne, spaghetti sauce and so many more dishes all winter long. It adds vitamins, sweetness and thickens. And of course I bake them into zucchini walnut muffins. My boyfriend doesn’t eat zucchini if he can see it but happily consumes all the grated zucchini he does not know about.
What my mom and I usually do is direct sow them into the garden soil when it is warm enough and after the last frost. In our garden they grow like weeds! LOL We ALWAYS end up with the monster Zucchinis! IT NEVER Fails!! One day we will go out and check them and they will be too small to pick. Next day still too small. So we wait 2 days and suddenly they have grown to MONSTER Size!! LOL As to what/how we use Zucchini: We usually shred up, measure out and then freeze some of the Zucchini in containers that are sized just right for most of the recipes that we use the Zucchini in. We use the Zucchini to make Zucchini bread or Zucchini cake.
One tip for using zucchinis is to slice them fairly thin and dry the slices. They taste lovely dried! You can add a bit of spice, but too much and they will get very intense as it concentrates as they dry. This works with oversized fruit, if its not too big!
It never dawned on me to hand pollinate courgette I will defiantly try this year I normally grow three plants to give the bees a better chance, but I really only need two. Thanks for the top tip!
Mix the yellow and green with sliced/quartered onion, olive oil or butter, salt/pepper and a dash of oregano. Saute to desired doneness. Makes very pretty side dish and onion sweetens the squash even further. Optionally quarter tomatoes and add at end just to warm. Even more colorful. Very Italian vibe. Note: This is actually best sauteed in margarine, but hydrogenated oils are another story.
My dad is 92 years old, & has planted a garden every year for over 50 years. He makes a little hill when planting our zucchini & yellow squash. We have straight & crookneck. Also eggplant, okra, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans (Roma) strawberries (bearing now) green onions, kale, parsley, basil, mint, dill, & rosemary. 30’ rows. Thanks for your tips.
This video was my first view of your channel. I loved your spirit. You made me smile and you made me happy for you being so good at doing the video. Subscribing. Thank you.
I grow them every year! I pick them small but I always leave a few to get large by the end of the season to use in my zucchini relish and salsa! The flesh simmers up perfectly and tastes delicious! Thanks for the awesome video! :)
I second chocolate chip zucchini cake, one quart of shredded zucchini per recipe, same amount for zucchini bread and zucchini pizza crust. Shredded raw zucchini dries in 5 or 6 hours in a dehydrator and is great in homemade backpacking hot water only dinners, plus throw a couple handfuls in winter soups. We have squash bugs. The romanesco variety is less tasty to these destructive insects, and stays edible for people even when it gets large. Surrounding the vines with calendula also helps keep the hugs away. Just one plant per garden, one year we got 16 foot long vines. Watch out for zucchini surprise, we have found a few 24 pounders lurking that were not there the day before.
Great advice about popping in a plant pot to hold onto water to be directed to the roots rather than run off. Also, the organic matter around the plant to avoid a hard crust 😊
not gonna lie your channel is by far the most useful for guides and stuff. you focus of what people are asking for in a simple way and show it all on camera making it clear. the sections of the videos are managed well and consistent and never repeats... every video has new information and you are my favourite gardening channel! keep it up and thanks for all the tips and guides! 😁
My father grew a huge garden with great success. We lived in a colder climate and the deep freeze killed many pests. However, I live in a warmer climate and remember the excitement of my first garden. We were so looking forward to squash and zucchini and cucumbers and eggplant. Well, the vine borer put an end to that. I’ve had farmers tell me that they are in the soil. I waited 4 years and still the vine borer. I’ve cut them out and tried regrowing roots. I’ve covered them with row covering and their roots with foil. Beautiful plant one day, wilted one the next. Any suggestions?
In addition to zucchini muffins, cakes, and breads, I add shredded zucchini to spaghetti sauce, zucchini, soup, etc. They are also yummy grilled. If you get some giant ones, scoop out the seeds and they still work fine for recipes calling for shredded zucchini, plus you can roast and eat the seeds like pumpkin seeds... Very nutty and delicious to add to your zucchini bread of you want.
When I discover those hidden *monsters* in my zuchs (how do they get that huge so fast??) my favorite recipe is for Zucchini Boats. One plant serves two, and make a few more, they're delicious as a cold lunch too!
This is the first year that I've grown 95% of my garden from seed, it's been an interesting adventure. Like riding a roller coaster, lots of highs and lows.
Thanks for these videos! Love zucchini and started growing it this year. Looking forward to stuffed squash blossoms. Also, just created a vegan alternative to cheese enchiladas using zucchini as the filling. Very tasty!
Thank you i learned a lot, I’m currently growing courgettes and your tips probably saved my crop, thanks again great video as usual, keep up the hard work
I think i will plant my courgettes out this morning. I absolutley love your channel and consult it whenever I need to do something with my garden veg :)
Never, never, never? Never let you zucchini grow too large? Oh yes do it, esp. if you have had an abundant harvest already and don't know how to store them as the freezer gets crowded with all kinds of vegetables and you're out off jars (and time?) for canning. If you have baked, sautéed, stuffed, and grilled about as much as you can stand, here is the trick: Let them grow and ripen (yes, zucchinis are actually pumpkins and usually we pick and use them unripe). Fully ripened they can be stored for months in a pantry/storage room. OK, you will have to peel them and handle the fully grown seeds before using. But it's such an easy way of preservation and cheap (no time and energie for canning, no plastic freezer bags needed). If you're not sure about it, give it a try with one fruit you might have missed to pick on time anyway. @GrowVeg: No hard feelings, it's a lovely video and as usual made with lots of know-how and ❤️ I'm looking forward to the next 🙂
Hello! I need advice. I got too excited and started my seeds today. I'm 8 weeks away from last frost. How screwed am I with my squash? Will they be massive at 8 weeks? I checked my forecast and think I can harden them and plant them outside at 6.5 weeks with a frost blanket. Will this work?🤞🌱💚 Hope to hear from you! Thanks.
I think you'll be fine. It's worth chancing it as the bigger they are when they go outside, the more further along you'll be. Just watch the weather forecast and be prepared to cover them when it's cold. You can always sow again too.
I know them as courgette, I believe that word is of French origin ( I could be wrong) therefore I shall now call them Zukes ( @Peter Bergel for that great word ) simply because I'm Briton. Everything I grow in my garden is either dwarf varieties , small bush or columnar. I'm gonna give bush zukes a little space if I find a variety suitable for my garden, probably in a large pot as none seem suited to SFG. Oh!, PS. had a go at your garden planner, the SFG planner does not understand dwarf varieties and does not allow me to place misunderstood item into a single square. yes I was gonna have a recurring annual subscription, the features take out all of the headache, such as crop rotation, planting time in my own area, pest alerts, email and text notifications ... all great stuff. Please fix the resize to a single foot square for plants it does not understand.
That’s so wonderful, I transplanted my zucchini and it didn’t fruit because of no pollinators and the hot weather was blistering it was 115F and since they are in pots they easily dried so I will put them in a tower pots or make my watering frequently. Thanks for the video 👩🌾👍🥰
I have had a hard time with zucchini. When I lived in Indiana (USA) I could grow them easily. Now I live in Texas and have had strange experiences. A year ago I had plants with only male blossoms. No fruit. This summer I was invaded by little white caterpillars. I spent 2 hours hand picking them off of my plants only to go out the next day to find them completely devoured by them. No leafs. So in August I replanted and they are doing fabulous. The plants a huge and have many fruits to eat. Go figure. 👍🏻
Hi. I have a problem with my zucchini. The female flowers open, but some days after it the fruits start to get little yellowish and thinner. Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong? My balcony has some few hours of sun in the morning and in the evening. I give water each day or all two days depending if the humus is humid/wet or dry. One plant is in a pot filled 22cm high and 30cm in diameter. Filled as follows; 2cm sand, 2cm decomposing material, 14cm mix of humus and sand in a ratio 4:1 and the last 4cm are only humus.
I think what you're describing is poor pollination. The fruits often go soft at the blossom end, yellow and then thin. It may help to hand-pollinate the flowers. Check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/4Baj4vUXFMA/v-deo.html
Last question I’m finally seeing fruit They are yellow and about 5-6 inches Will they turn green? Do I wait to pick them and where do I snip them off the plant
It depends what variety you are growing. Some varieties are just yellow. In which case it won’t turn green. Check the variety description to be sure. But if they have reached 5 to 6 inches and are still yellow, then I am pretty confident it is a yellow variety. I would pick them around about now. And I would cut them just at the neck where the stem connect to the fruit
So I planted gold rush zucchinis from a local nursery - flowers are developing but so far I have had 2 female flowers bloom, but no male ones!! Dad has pumpkin plants next door with plenty of male flowers though so i collected some pollens from them - would that work for them to develop the zucchinis further? I imagine the actual seeds would be non viable though
I love ALL your videos. I have a question about the squash bug that destroys the squash plants so quickly. I don't know the name of it. I don't want to use harmful pesticides. Do you know of an organic way of taking care of these pests? I have been picking them off but they are so invasive, I don't get them all. I have had terrible fruit production. The first summer they destroyed all squash and melon plants overnight. Last year, almost all. I miss have squash from the garden. I look forward to your response PS. I live in Virginia.
I grow in Louisiana, have no problem with slugs/snails in my raised garden beds but use a method for controlling non-vine type plants. I once had a mildew problem, to solve this I began pinching off all stems leaving 3 to 6 inches away from the main plant of any leaves which touch the ground. I leave alone all leaves with upward pointing stems. Start this process when plants are mostly mature & flowering. Removing ground touching leaves slows down powdery mildew & allows bees better access to the plants plus allows increased airflow. Plants will actually have a longer life cycle & pinched off stems & leaves do well in the mulch pile. Thanks to the posters who recommended dehydration chips & allowing a few end of season to "mature" into gourd type fruits which I can store for a few months. I will experiment doing both this year. I have 18 plants in my garden & am very popular with friends, relatives, neighbors.
Thanks for your videos, really appreciated! 🙏Will grow a paler squash version called Genovese, will se how that will work out! 😊 two will be in a mini polytunnel and two in cointainers! 😎
Courgette nightmare, I grew about 10 from seed untill about 2 inches high but they all went limp and died off. Watered sufficiently but wondering if it just wasn't warm enough for them yet. It's mud April now so I'll try again and hope for warmer weather. They were grown in my poly tunnel.
I've accidentally not sown back to one plant now I have 10 little bushes with 2-3 plants each. They are growing great and producing but I am just wondering if they would produce more if they were spaced properly.
Yes, they would perform better as separate plants, properly spaced. I would either try and separate them apart to plant at the right spacings, or pinch out/remove the weakest plants so the ones left have plenty of room to grow properly.
If one escape and grows too big, my grandma in Italy used to slice them thinly, salt them and let them sweat a bit, pat dry them, flour and fry. Yum! Another yummy recipe for the flowers is to stuff them with mozzarella, breadcrumbs and chopped ham (or bacon), lay them in the baking tray, cover them with more breadcrumbs, olive oil,salt and pepper and bake till crispy. Can you tell they are one of my favourite veg?
Just stumble on this video and seems very useful❣️... and have just planted 2 zucchinis, my very 1st hoping it won’t get vine borers as what happened to my butter nut squash every year.
If you do miss a zucchini until it is a little large for stove-top cooking, you can always clean out the seeds in the center ( dry and save the seeds for next year), then stuff the zucchini halves with a meatloaf mixture and bake in the oven in a water filled pan 350° for 35-45 minutes.
I have get powerdy mildew every year on my plants and it takes them out every time. I only plant 2 because of this. And still it is a problem. How about the asprin treatment? Or does that only work on tomatoes? BTW- I love the garden planner. I sat today, and planned my enitre garden. What a treat to have it laid out, and seeds ready to go. The usual stress is gone... Thank you!! 😃😃
Hey K. P. So pleased you like the Garden Planner! To be honest, all squash and zucchini/courgettes get powdery mildew. It usually happens towards the end of the season. The best thing to do is make sure plants have plenty of air around them (don't cram them in) and that plants aren't left too wet - water in the morning so the leaves dry out during the course of the day. You can often find mildew-resistant varieties too.
Last season I planted 2-3 zucchini and summer squash on small mounds. They started out great with lots of fruit and flowers but as the plants got bigger they toppled over. The larger leaves died off and fragile stems bent. The plants regrew and did the same thing several times but no more fruits, only leaves. The plants ended up trailing further away from the mound and shading out other vegetables. I think that the main problem was wind. I picked a new spot with large bushes nearby to shelter from the wind for this season. Any other suggestions? Thanks for another excellent video.
It could potentially have been that the soil was quite high in nitrogen, encouraging leafy growth over flowers and fruits. You might get this with recently manured ground, for example. Make sure you also feed plants a tomato feed or similar to encourage them to flower and fruit. The sheltered spot you've given them this year should also help to calm the air around plants, so bees can get in and out of the flowers.
Zucchini is green, squashes are yellow - Southeast USA. Ask someone what a courgette is, most will have never heard of it, even though there is such a thing as a yellow courgette/zucchini. :)
I finely diced zucchini and replace half the ground meat in a recipe to increase vegetables. Also thin cooked slices in place of lasagna noodles. Saute with tomatoes garlic and topped with parmesan is one of my favorites!
My seeds went right into ground and the plants are doing well. Should have a few zucchini in a few days. I assuming you live in England, if so where abouts? I was born in Surrey and my parents brought my sister and I to the USA when I was 4. I now live in California.
I've had some problems with my squash and courgette seeds going mouldy after I sow them, do you have any tips for how to avoid that? My other seeds are usually fine, germinate well and don't get mouldy.
It's often recommended to sow them on their sides, so water doesn't collect on the seed, so perhaps try that. Also, they really do need warmth to germinate quickly, so start them off inside if it's quite cool.
Even the pigs don't like marrow-sized courgettes so while I try to harvest often you soon reach critical zucchini-mass with more than two or three plants, but if you have room so what - they keep the weeds down and courgette fritters are a lovely summer meal
First time dropping in. I am growing squash and they are already flowering but plants are short and small. I added some fish emulsion a few days ago. They have grown a little but not like big and bushy. I wish they were.
If you keep watering them and feeding them then they should eventually get to a bigger size. They can sometimes start flowering surprisingly early. I’m sure you’re doing just fine. Thanks for dropping in :-)
I do apologise. It's hard knowing how to call it - courgette (as that's what I call them) or zucchini so our North American friends understand. You won't like my 'ladybug' video!
Great tip for using a pot between for water. I’ve just planted loads inside I did half on their side and half planted flat, they’ve all grown, will it affect the plant when it grows further. ( I didn’t read the instructions first!)
Hi! I've just found this video and I really interested in using the garden planner. What app or program area you using? as I've had a look and some of them are very basic and don't even have the option of courgettes. Thank you in advance.
My courgettes were a disaster last year 😢 slugs demolished one plant and between the other 2 plants I only got 2 courgettes. I noticed that the plants were no longer producing male flowers, only female. Any ideas why this would happen?
Not sure why it would be that way round. But issues like these are definitely why it pays to grow a few courgettes together so they help to pollinate each other and there’s always a good mix of both male and female flowers in bloom. I hope this summer is more successful.
How do you prevent or deal with squash borers? I haven't grown zucchini in three years, and an trying a new section of garden in hoped they've gone away, but if they come, they sure dampen the joy!
I came here because my courgette plants have many flowers but no fruit. It has been raining non stop but the leaves are healthy. I read somewhere you have to cut the leaves to leave energy for the fruit. I don't know. One thing I do know is if I don't cut them the slugs will...
Definitely don't cut the foliage - this is the energy the plant needs to swell the fruits. I see you've seen the video on getting squash to fruit - I hope this has offered a few suggestions.
It depends on what variety you have. Some are light green in colour. I would be guided by the size of the fruit, not the colour. If it's reached a decent size then harvest it - it will still taste delicious I'm sure. :-)
These are great cut into chip style sizes, tossed in olive oil and the spice of your choice then air fried for about 10 to 12 minutes shaking halfway through. Yummy!
Hi thanks for the tips, I've heard if you cut the leaf's off the plant that are blocking access to the flower underneath you can increase your yield of fruit.
I planted my first zucchini this year. This morning I saw two female flowers and a couple of males, however there were also some closed flowers that had fallen beneath the plant. What would cause this? We did have several days of hard rains last week. Would that be the reason?
Yes, it could be. The flowers can sometimes drop off. Once the plant gets a bit bigger and more robust it should pump out those flowers and fruits no problem.
My grandparents lived in a small town where they didn’t lock their doors...except in August, ‘cuz people would give you zucchini!
One of the best garden series on UA-cam. Always happy when I get the notification 🤘🏻🌱🤘🏻.
Yeah man he’s awesome!
Cheers for that - hugely appreciated!
I use a lot of my zukes to make zucchini pancakes. I use 4 cups of grated zucchini, an egg or two, a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt and however much flour it takes to make a batter. I usually add some vegetable oil to the batter as well to discourage sticking. Once I have the basic batter, I can take it in a number of different directions: Italian, Mexican, Asian, sweet, etc. by adding spices and whatever else. The batter itself is very mild tasting and easily takes on whatever character you want to give it.
thanks, I love this idea. I'll definitely give it a try.
My grandmother used to make zucchini pancakes and it was a glorious day for all us kids when she did. They’re delicious!
This is great! Thanks for the idea!
Love this!
How delicious this sounds, thank you Peter.
The pot in the soil for watering is brilliant!
I've also burried empty plastic pop bottles with the bottoms out and small holes in the top (but bottom when. you invert it).
As a kid my grandpa had me put halfway in a coffee tin of chicken poop ,top it a inch of sand and have nail holes 1 inch from bottom in the sides of the can pointed towards three watermelon seeds and water daily.
A old Kentucky hills trick
Isn’t that technique called deep watering?
@@johnjude2685 That's genius. I've got to try that.
When an occasional zucchini gets away from me and grows too large, I slice it in half lengthwise, remove the seeds from the center, and then stuff and bake it. Brown ground beef with some onion, salt, pepper, add tomato sauce and rice if you like, or a cheese sauce, top with shredded cheddar, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. Place in a baking dish, cover, bake @ 350 F about 45 minutes. Overgrown zucchini can also be shredded, packed 2 cups at a time into zip-lock bags, and frozen to be used in recipes (zucchini bread) through the winter.
Sounds yummy!
I recommend the UA-cam documentary "Land of hope and glory" on how beef is produced in the UK, it's really surprising
That is how my mom always did zucchini. I never knew to pick them small until I was grown. I still let one or two get big so I can stuff them.
I put shredded overgrown zucchini in my sourdough bread and then reduce the water added. A little olive oil and rosemary makes for a fabulous savory loaf.
I will try this! I'm doing a sourdough starter, will be ready when those zuchs start to pop!
What a great or should I say grate 😂😂😂 idea. I must try this.
Sounds illegal
@@MamboDogFace yuuuyyyy yet ash ôiyq
Thanks for checking on us
Love these videos. Also, putting the small glass jar over the seed is a great idea. Thanks!
"Just a few plants ... small family ..."
Yup, I totally don't have 12 of the buggers and just 2 People to feed. This is gonna be fiiiiiine :D
Ae Norist We have four human bipeds in our immediate family PLUS 5 livestock guardian dogs, 4 mouser cats, 4 bunnies and 236 chickens’ mouths to feed! All except the cats LOVE all summer squash. We grow 40 plants and it’s never enough!!! 😁
Same haha
Ae Norist I have 24 thriving, healty tomatoe plants. Trying to persuade husband for a pollytunnel but he’s not giving in 😆
Oh wow - you must have a lot if space!
Remember to pick them very often and while they are still young. I often cut them when they are just four inches/10cm long. Just be sure to head out daily and pick the ones you see.
A few years ago I was having a problem with polination with the zucchini. I did some investigation and found out that if you cut some of the larger leaves off a plant, it makes it much easier for the insects to do their thing. I tried it and it worked great.
Great tip!
Thank you, I’m going to try that today. I did think how on Earth can the bees get to the flowers for some of mine.
I do that with my tomato plants, sometimes the flowers are hidden the bees can’t reach.
I’ve only discovered your channel this spring. Retired and getting into vegetable gardening after serious illness. So well presented and comprehensive info. Thank you.
Pat
Thanks Pat - I hope you continue to enjoy our videos. :-)
Absolutely growing zucchini. I grate my excess and freeze in plastic freezer bags in 2 Cup quantities. I add the defrosted zucchini to soups, casseroles, lasagne, spaghetti sauce and so many more dishes all winter long. It adds vitamins, sweetness and thickens. And of course I bake them into zucchini walnut muffins. My boyfriend doesn’t eat zucchini if he can see it but happily consumes all the grated zucchini he does not know about.
What a brilliant idea!
This is great info 👌
I make Zucchini cake - essentially using a carrot cake recipe and substituting zucchini for carrots. Fabulous! Thanks for your fabulous videos.
I do the same! Only I add grated cheese for a more savory taste.
What my mom and I usually do is direct sow them into the garden soil when it is warm enough and after the last frost. In our garden they grow like weeds! LOL We ALWAYS end up with the monster Zucchinis! IT NEVER Fails!! One day we will go out and check them and they will be too small to pick. Next day still too small. So we wait 2 days and suddenly they have grown to MONSTER Size!! LOL
As to what/how we use Zucchini: We usually shred up, measure out and then freeze some of the Zucchini in containers that are sized just right for most of the recipes that we use the Zucchini in. We use the Zucchini to make Zucchini bread or Zucchini cake.
Thanks for those ideas Matthew. You know the solution to your monster zucchini problem - check plants EVERY day!!
Matthew Groff We cook ours outside on the grill. They’re delicious in “goulash” with onions, peppers, tomatoes, okra, yellow squash. 😋
One tip for using zucchinis is to slice them fairly thin and dry the slices. They taste lovely dried! You can add a bit of spice, but too much and they will get very intense as it concentrates as they dry. This works with oversized fruit, if its not too big!
It never dawned on me to hand pollinate courgette I will defiantly try this year I normally grow three plants to give the bees a better chance, but I really only need two. Thanks for the top tip!
I love them sliced and roasted with olive oil/ salt drizzled across the top. Delicious!
Donna Ohanian On the grill too! 😋
Mix the yellow and green with sliced/quartered onion, olive oil or butter, salt/pepper and a dash of oregano. Saute to desired doneness. Makes very pretty side dish and onion sweetens the squash even further. Optionally quarter tomatoes and add at end just to warm. Even more colorful. Very Italian vibe.
Note: This is actually best sauteed in margarine, but hydrogenated oils are another story.
My dad is 92 years old, & has planted a garden every year for over 50 years. He makes a little hill when planting our zucchini & yellow squash. We have straight & crookneck. Also eggplant, okra, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans (Roma) strawberries (bearing now) green onions, kale, parsley, basil, mint, dill, & rosemary. 30’ rows. Thanks for your tips.
Why does he hill them?
He is Gordon Ramsay of home gardening because of words he use to describe stuff
I've never grown anything before, and this video was really helpful! Thank you! I'm excited to give growing my own food a try.
Get growing - it's the best thing you'll ever do!
This video was my first view of your channel. I loved your spirit. You made me smile and you made me happy for you being so good at doing the video. Subscribing. Thank you.
Thanks so much Martin - and a very warm welcome to the channel! :-)
I grow them every year! I pick them small but I always leave a few to get large by the end of the season to use in my zucchini relish and salsa! The flesh simmers up perfectly and tastes delicious! Thanks for the awesome video! :)
You know Eric there's another name for oversized courgettes, it's vegetable marrow! and they are great stuffed with a savoury mince mixture.
Very Informative!Thank You&Happy Gardening To You!
Whete have you been all my youtube life!? At last a great presenter I can listen to & learn from!
I love courgettes! This is my first time growing them. I have 8 seeds beginning to germinate. Thanks for all your videos. I just bought your book!!
Thanks for your support Louise. I agree, courgettes are awesome!
Thank you. Your video was helpful to a beginner gardener. ☺️
I second chocolate chip zucchini cake, one quart of shredded zucchini per recipe, same amount for zucchini bread and zucchini pizza crust. Shredded raw zucchini dries in 5 or 6 hours in a dehydrator and is great in homemade backpacking hot water only dinners, plus throw a couple handfuls in winter soups. We have squash bugs. The romanesco variety is less tasty to these destructive insects, and stays edible for people even when it gets large. Surrounding the vines with calendula also helps keep the hugs away. Just one plant per garden, one year we got 16 foot long vines. Watch out for zucchini surprise, we have found a few 24 pounders lurking that were not there the day before.
Mmmm... sounds tasty.
Thanks enjoyed the show! 😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😀😁😘😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
Excellent video. I can’t recommend your channel enough! Thank you so much from the Missouri Ozarks!
Great advice about popping in a plant pot to hold onto water to be directed to the roots rather than run off. Also, the organic matter around the plant to avoid a hard crust 😊
I'm growing mine in tubs this year. One plant per large tub.
Me too!
Me too after losing my first batch to the slugs 🙁
not gonna lie your channel is by far the most useful for guides and stuff. you focus of what people are asking for in a simple way and show it all on camera making it clear. the sections of the videos are managed well and consistent and never repeats... every video has new information and you are my favourite gardening channel! keep it up and thanks for all the tips and guides! 😁
Thanks for those kind comments - really pleased our videos are useful.
Awesome video! I live in Ontario, Canada. I've just planted some zucchini two weeks ago, the beginning of July. Let's see what happens until October.
Hope you get a good harvest!
Thank you so much You answered all my questions
I’m new to growing vegetables so I need a lot of advice Thank You
So please this helped. 😀
Great video. The bugs and borers get them every year. Do a video on them.
I finally saw the eggs for the first time! They are little red specks on the stem or leaves.
Check out our squash pests guides: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/plant-problems/squash-pests-identification/
My father grew a huge garden with great success. We lived in a colder climate and the deep freeze killed many pests. However, I live in a warmer climate and remember the excitement of my first garden. We were so looking forward to squash and zucchini and cucumbers and eggplant. Well, the vine borer put an end to that. I’ve had farmers tell me that they are in the soil. I waited 4 years and still the vine borer. I’ve cut them out and tried regrowing roots. I’ve covered them with row covering and their roots with foil. Beautiful plant one day, wilted one the next. Any suggestions?
@@GrowVeg The chipmuks eat all mine. Trying bird netting around the top of the container this year.
In addition to zucchini muffins, cakes, and breads, I add shredded zucchini to spaghetti sauce, zucchini, soup, etc. They are also yummy grilled.
If you get some giant ones, scoop out the seeds and they still work fine for recipes calling for shredded zucchini, plus you can roast and eat the seeds like pumpkin seeds... Very nutty and delicious to add to your zucchini bread of you want.
Ever tried BBQ courgettes /Zucchini? Split them lengthwise into two halves. BBQ lightly. Delicious.
They are indeed aren't they!
When I discover those hidden *monsters* in my zuchs (how do they get that huge so fast??) my favorite recipe is for Zucchini Boats. One plant serves two, and make a few more, they're delicious as a cold lunch too!
So very useful 👍🙂 Now, I enjoy to watching this video and eating fruits 🤗🍓🍊🥥
Growing 4 zucchinis in pots. They look good. One is a slower starter.
Thank you, I am trying to grow some yellow ones as they are not easy to buy in the supermarkets, for ratatouille. These tips will help.
This is the first year that I've grown 95% of my garden from seed, it's been an interesting adventure. Like riding a roller coaster, lots of highs and lows.
That's a great way to describe it!
Thanks for these videos! Love zucchini and started growing it this year. Looking forward to stuffed squash blossoms. Also, just created a vegan alternative to cheese enchiladas using zucchini as the filling. Very tasty!
Love the sound of vegan enchiladas. Great stuff!
Thank you i learned a lot, I’m currently growing courgettes and your tips probably saved my crop, thanks again great video as usual, keep up the hard work
You are a teaser and envy you because in the usa we get that zucchini worm very difficult to control.
I think i will plant my courgettes out this morning. I absolutley love your channel and consult it whenever I need to do something with my garden veg :)
I always let a few grow baseball bat size for my zucchini relish. :)
Thanks for this video,great advice, cheers from Vancouver Canada.
Can’t wait I just planted my courgettes today so happy I found this channel!
Go plant!
I feed my Zucchini with liquid seawed every week ,they love it
Love zucchini chocolate sour cream Bundt cake!!
I always grow them. I love zucchini Parmesan the gluten free way. I also love zucchini in pasta and soup.
Their cousin the yellow crookneck is good too. Yellow buttery summer squash is good in a tempura. It’s good just steamed with a bit of butter.
Never, never, never? Never let you zucchini grow too large? Oh yes do it, esp. if you have had an abundant harvest already and don't know how to store them as the freezer gets crowded with all kinds of vegetables and you're out off jars (and time?) for canning. If you have baked, sautéed, stuffed, and grilled about as much as you can stand, here is the trick: Let them grow and ripen (yes, zucchinis are actually pumpkins and usually we pick and use them unripe). Fully ripened they can be stored for months in a pantry/storage room. OK, you will have to peel them and handle the fully grown seeds before using. But it's such an easy way of preservation and cheap (no time and energie for canning, no plastic freezer bags needed). If you're not sure about it, give it a try with one fruit you might have missed to pick on time anyway.
@GrowVeg: No hard feelings, it's a lovely video and as usual made with lots of know-how and ❤️ I'm looking forward to the next 🙂
I'm gonna try this with 1 per plant this season. I have 18 yellow & green plants growing.
That's very true - at the end of the season especially. Glad you enjoy the videos :-)
@@GrowVeg Yep ;)
I will be growing Zucchini for the first time this season.
Thank you for your great video!
Best of luck!
Hello! I need advice. I got too excited and started my seeds today. I'm 8 weeks away from last frost. How screwed am I with my squash? Will they be massive at 8 weeks? I checked my forecast and think I can harden them and plant them outside at 6.5 weeks with a frost blanket. Will this work?🤞🌱💚
Hope to hear from you! Thanks.
I think you'll be fine. It's worth chancing it as the bigger they are when they go outside, the more further along you'll be. Just watch the weather forecast and be prepared to cover them when it's cold. You can always sow again too.
I know them as courgette, I believe that word is of French origin ( I could be wrong) therefore I shall now call them Zukes ( @Peter Bergel for that great word ) simply because I'm Briton.
Everything I grow in my garden is either dwarf varieties , small bush or columnar.
I'm gonna give bush zukes a little space if I find a variety suitable for my garden, probably in a large pot as none seem suited to SFG.
Oh!, PS.
had a go at your garden planner, the SFG planner does not understand dwarf varieties and does not allow me to place misunderstood item into a single square.
yes I was gonna have a recurring annual subscription, the features take out all of the headache, such as crop rotation, planting time in my own area, pest alerts, email and text notifications ... all great stuff.
Please fix the resize to a single foot square for plants it does not understand.
Thanks for sharing this. Will take a look and forward this to our development team. :-)
That’s so wonderful, I transplanted my zucchini and it didn’t fruit because of no pollinators and the hot weather was blistering it was 115F and since they are in pots they easily dried so I will put them in a tower pots or make my watering frequently. Thanks for the video 👩🌾👍🥰
Wow - that's very warm!
I have had a hard time with zucchini. When I lived in Indiana (USA) I could grow them easily. Now I live in Texas and have had strange experiences. A year ago I had plants with only male blossoms. No fruit. This summer I was invaded by little white caterpillars. I spent 2 hours hand picking them off of my plants only to go out the next day to find them completely devoured by them. No leafs. So in August I replanted and they are doing fabulous. The plants a huge and have many fruits to eat. Go figure. 👍🏻
Glad you got some fruits in the end Joanne.
Hi. I have a problem with my zucchini. The female flowers open, but some days after it the fruits start to get little yellowish and thinner. Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong?
My balcony has some few hours of sun in the morning and in the evening. I give water each day or all two days depending if the humus is humid/wet or dry. One plant is in a pot filled 22cm high and 30cm in diameter. Filled as follows; 2cm sand, 2cm decomposing material, 14cm mix of humus and sand in a ratio 4:1 and the last 4cm are only humus.
I think what you're describing is poor pollination. The fruits often go soft at the blossom end, yellow and then thin. It may help to hand-pollinate the flowers. Check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/4Baj4vUXFMA/v-deo.html
Last question I’m finally seeing fruit They are yellow and about 5-6 inches Will they turn green? Do I wait to pick them and where do I snip them off the plant
It depends what variety you are growing. Some varieties are just yellow. In which case it won’t turn green. Check the variety description to be sure. But if they have reached 5 to 6 inches and are still yellow, then I am pretty confident it is a yellow variety. I would pick them around about now. And I would cut them just at the neck where the stem connect to the fruit
So I planted gold rush zucchinis from a local nursery - flowers are developing but so far I have had 2 female flowers bloom, but no male ones!! Dad has pumpkin plants next door with plenty of male flowers though so i collected some pollens from them - would that work for them to develop the zucchinis further? I imagine the actual seeds would be non viable though
This could potentially work - it's certainly worth a try. This video may offer a few extra tips also: ua-cam.com/video/4Baj4vUXFMA/v-deo.html
We make zucchini bread mix then freeze for later use
I love ALL your videos. I have a question about the squash bug that destroys the squash plants so quickly. I don't know the name of it. I don't want to use harmful pesticides. Do you know of an organic way of taking care of these pests? I have been picking them off but they are so invasive, I don't get them all. I have had terrible fruit production. The first summer they destroyed all squash and melon plants overnight. Last year, almost all. I miss have squash from the garden. I look forward to your response PS. I live in Virginia.
Check out our pest guide on squash bugs, which should hopefully offer a few more tips: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/squash-bug/
I grow in Louisiana, have no problem with slugs/snails in my raised garden beds but use a method for controlling non-vine type plants. I once had a mildew problem, to solve this I began pinching off all stems leaving 3 to 6 inches away from the main plant of any leaves which touch the ground. I leave alone all leaves with upward pointing stems. Start this process when plants are mostly mature & flowering. Removing ground touching leaves slows down powdery mildew & allows bees better access to the plants plus allows increased airflow. Plants will actually have a longer life cycle & pinched off stems & leaves do well in the mulch pile.
Thanks to the posters who recommended dehydration chips & allowing a few end of season to "mature" into gourd type fruits which I can store for a few months. I will experiment doing both this year. I have 18 plants in my garden & am very popular with friends, relatives, neighbors.
Great tip there, thank you.
Thank you, I will try that!
Thanks for your videos, really appreciated! 🙏Will grow a paler squash version called Genovese, will se how that will work out! 😊 two will be in a mini polytunnel and two in cointainers! 😎
Good luck with them - here's to a bumper crop!
Courgette nightmare, I grew about 10 from seed untill about 2 inches high but they all went limp and died off. Watered sufficiently but wondering if it just wasn't warm enough for them yet. It's mud April now so I'll try again and hope for warmer weather. They were grown in my poly tunnel.
Possibly cold weather may have hampered them. At least there’s plenty of time to sow again.
I've accidentally not sown back to one plant now I have 10 little bushes with 2-3 plants each. They are growing great and producing but I am just wondering if they would produce more if they were spaced properly.
Yes, they would perform better as separate plants, properly spaced. I would either try and separate them apart to plant at the right spacings, or pinch out/remove the weakest plants so the ones left have plenty of room to grow properly.
If one escape and grows too big, my grandma in Italy used to slice them thinly, salt them and let them sweat a bit, pat dry them, flour and fry. Yum! Another yummy recipe for the flowers is to stuff them with mozzarella, breadcrumbs and chopped ham (or bacon), lay them in the baking tray, cover them with more breadcrumbs, olive oil,salt and pepper and bake till crispy. Can you tell they are one of my favourite veg?
They are fantastic aren't they - so versatile!
Just stumble on this video and seems very useful❣️... and have just planted 2 zucchinis, my very 1st hoping it won’t get vine borers as what happened to my butter nut squash every year.
Keeping fingers crossed for you. :-)
If you do miss a zucchini until it is a little large for stove-top cooking, you can always clean out the seeds in the center ( dry and save the seeds for next year), then stuff the zucchini halves with a meatloaf mixture and bake in the oven in a water filled pan 350° for 35-45 minutes.
I have get powerdy mildew every year on my plants and it takes them out every time. I only plant 2 because of this. And still it is a problem. How about the asprin treatment? Or does that only work on tomatoes? BTW- I love the garden planner. I sat today, and planned my enitre garden. What a treat to have it laid out, and seeds ready to go. The usual stress is gone... Thank you!! 😃😃
Hey K. P. So pleased you like the Garden Planner! To be honest, all squash and zucchini/courgettes get powdery mildew. It usually happens towards the end of the season. The best thing to do is make sure plants have plenty of air around them (don't cram them in) and that plants aren't left too wet - water in the morning so the leaves dry out during the course of the day. You can often find mildew-resistant varieties too.
Aubergine can you do a video on them please
Thanks for the suggestion Karen. We'll add that to our list of suggestions to consider at our next planning meeting.
Great video tyfs 😁👏🏽 I'm Container growing Zucchini 1st time direct from seed they were the 1st ones to pop through the soil im so excited 😁
Good luck with them Cynthia - I hope you get a bumper crop!
I watched quite a few videos in the past few days about growing zucchini and this is the best by far.
Thank you for the helpful video. Can I sow directly in a large pot (to stay in) now (June) UK please?
If you get on and sow as soon as possible, then you should still get a crop this summer, yes. But hurry!
Last season I planted 2-3 zucchini and summer squash on small mounds. They started out great with lots of fruit and flowers but as the plants got bigger they toppled over. The larger leaves died off and fragile stems bent. The plants regrew and did the same thing several times but no more fruits, only leaves. The plants ended up trailing further away from the mound and shading out other vegetables. I think that the main problem was wind. I picked a new spot with large bushes nearby to shelter from the wind for this season. Any other suggestions?
Thanks for another excellent video.
It could potentially have been that the soil was quite high in nitrogen, encouraging leafy growth over flowers and fruits. You might get this with recently manured ground, for example. Make sure you also feed plants a tomato feed or similar to encourage them to flower and fruit. The sheltered spot you've given them this year should also help to calm the air around plants, so bees can get in and out of the flowers.
Zucchini is green, squashes are yellow - Southeast USA. Ask someone what a courgette is, most will have never heard of it, even though there is such a thing as a yellow courgette/zucchini. :)
That's helpful to know, thanks. I'm always trying to understand the nuances of American English and has genuinely helped!
Another fab video 👍👍👍 thank u 😊
Thanks so much. :-)
I finely diced zucchini and replace half the ground meat in a recipe to increase vegetables. Also thin cooked slices in place of lasagna noodles. Saute with tomatoes garlic and topped with parmesan is one of my favorites!
Yum!
My seeds went right into ground and the plants are doing well. Should have a few zucchini in a few days. I assuming you live in England, if so where abouts? I was born in Surrey and my parents brought my sister and I to the USA when I was 4. I now live in California.
Hi John, I'm in north-west Oxfordshire in the Cotswolds. I used to live in Surrey - in Godalming, near Guildford.
I've had some problems with my squash and courgette seeds going mouldy after I sow them, do you have any tips for how to avoid that? My other seeds are usually fine, germinate well and don't get mouldy.
It's often recommended to sow them on their sides, so water doesn't collect on the seed, so perhaps try that. Also, they really do need warmth to germinate quickly, so start them off inside if it's quite cool.
Even the pigs don't like marrow-sized courgettes so while I try to harvest often you soon reach critical zucchini-mass with more than two or three plants, but if you have room so what - they keep the weeds down and courgette fritters are a lovely summer meal
They certainly are. :-)
First time dropping in. I am growing squash and they are already flowering but plants are short and small. I added some fish emulsion a few days ago. They have grown a little but not like big and bushy. I wish they were.
If you keep watering them and feeding them then they should eventually get to a bigger size. They can sometimes start flowering surprisingly early. I’m sure you’re doing just fine. Thanks for dropping in :-)
Thanks for the great videos they are so helpful… but.. the word zucchini grates on me for some reason 😵💫
I do apologise. It's hard knowing how to call it - courgette (as that's what I call them) or zucchini so our North American friends understand.
You won't like my 'ladybug' video!
I'm in the US Zone 7B trying to get any squash organically past the squash vine borer. Any tips?
I just saw the pest link. I'll try the cover this year.
Great tip for using a pot between for water. I’ve just planted loads inside I did half on their side and half planted flat, they’ve all grown, will it affect the plant when it grows further. ( I didn’t read the instructions first!)
No, once they've germinated you're good to go!
Hi! I've just found this video and I really interested in using the garden planner. What app or program area you using? as I've had a look and some of them are very basic and don't even have the option of courgettes. Thank you in advance.
Hi John. You can find out more about the Garden Planner at: www.growveg.com/garden-planner-intro.aspx
I love Zucchini - my fav thing to grow BUT the vine borers seem to be winning - and I have tired EVERYTHING
Check out our pest guide, hopefully there might be a few useful tips there: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/squash-vine-borer/
Oops when you've planted 10 not realising how big they get. This is my first growing season ever. You live and learn lol
My courgettes were a disaster last year 😢 slugs demolished one plant and between the other 2 plants I only got 2 courgettes. I noticed that the plants were no longer producing male flowers, only female. Any ideas why this would happen?
Not sure why it would be that way round. But issues like these are definitely why it pays to grow a few courgettes together so they help to pollinate each other and there’s always a good mix of both male and female flowers in bloom. I hope this summer is more successful.
How do you prevent or deal with squash borers? I haven't grown zucchini in three years, and an trying a new section of garden in hoped they've gone away, but if they come, they sure dampen the joy!
Check out our pest guide to squash borers: www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/squash-vine-borer/
I came here because my courgette plants have many flowers but no fruit. It has been raining non stop but the leaves are healthy.
I read somewhere you have to cut the leaves to leave energy for the fruit.
I don't know. One thing I do know is if I don't cut them the slugs will...
Definitely don't cut the foliage - this is the energy the plant needs to swell the fruits. I see you've seen the video on getting squash to fruit - I hope this has offered a few suggestions.
I’m growing zucchini for the first time this year. My zucchini is a light green. Will it darken?
It depends on what variety you have. Some are light green in colour. I would be guided by the size of the fruit, not the colour. If it's reached a decent size then harvest it - it will still taste delicious I'm sure. :-)
These are great cut into chip style sizes, tossed in olive oil and the spice of your choice then air fried for about 10 to 12 minutes shaking halfway through. Yummy!
Nice!
Hi thanks for the tips, I've heard if you cut the leaf's off the plant that are blocking access to the flower underneath you can increase your yield of fruit.
That makes sense - so all the flowers are well exposed to pollinators.
I planted my first zucchini this year. This morning I saw two female flowers and a couple of males, however there were also some closed flowers that had fallen beneath the plant. What would cause this? We did have several days of hard rains last week. Would that be the reason?
Yes, it could be. The flowers can sometimes drop off. Once the plant gets a bit bigger and more robust it should pump out those flowers and fruits no problem.
Zucchini's are so versatile We use them in bread, brownlies, guacamole, . salads, goulash casseroles, and more.
Mitchel Haas Also great grilled out.
This is my first garden. I am so excited and found your video quite enlightening
Thank you for your succinct and informative video! First time growing courgettes and this has made me more confident
So pleased to hear that. :-)
Thank you SO MUCH for the tip about watering in a pot nearby. My zukes happen to be in a slanted spot and this will be very helpful. You made my day!
That's great to hear Paula.
There's a recipe for zucchini lemon sorbet out on the web that's pretty good! ( I made mine without the mint.)