Zucchini & Summer Squash Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Harvesting | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Recipes | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts

🌱 How & Where to Grow Zucchini:

• Direct sow when soil reaches 60°F or start indoors 3-4 weeks early.
• Space plants 3-4 feet apart – they need room to sprawl!
• Plant 2-3 seeds per hill, thin to strongest seedling.
• Sunlight: Full sun (6-8 hours) for best production.
• Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil with pH 6.0-7.5.
• Soil Amendment: Add generous compost – zucchini are heavy feeders

One healthy zucchini plant can feed a family – two plants will have you begging neighbors to take them!

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Wait for consistent 60°F soil. Ideal 70-85°F. Use black plastic.

• Planting: Minimum 60°F soil, 70°F is ideal.
• Growing: Thrives in 70-85°F temperatures.
• Very frost sensitive – even light frost kills plants.
• Cool nights below 50°F slow growth significantly.

Michigan tip: Late May to early June planting avoids cold soil and vine borer peak!

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: Essential for continuous production.
• Watering: 1-2 inches weekly at soil level – avoid wetting leaves.
• Mulch: Heavy mulch suppresses weeds and retains moisture.
• Fertilizer: Side-dress monthly with compost or balanced fertilizer.
• Pollination: Hand-pollinate if fruit drops – transfer pollen with brush.

📏 Harvest Signs:

6-8 inches long, tender skin. Daily harvest crucial!

• Check plants EVERY DAY during peak season – they grow incredibly fast!
• Best size: 6-8 inches long, 2 inches diameter.
• Skin should be glossy and easily pierced with fingernail.
• Oversized zucchini become watery and seedy.

That 8-inch zucchini will be baseball bat-sized in 2 days – harvest often!

🧺 Harvesting:

Cut stem with knife. Check under leaves. Harvest young for best flavor.

• Always cut, don’t twist – twisting damages vines.
• Leave 1-inch stem on fruit for better storage.
• Check carefully – zucchini hide under huge leaves.
• Harvest blossoms too – male flowers are edible delicacies!
• Regular harvesting keeps plants producing all season.

✂️ Pruning:

Remove lower leaves. Cut damaged foliage. Optional: limit fruits.

• Remove lower leaves touching ground to prevent disease.
• Cut out any powdery mildew affected leaves promptly.
• Hollow stems make great hiding spots for squash bugs – remove old stems.
• For larger fruit: Limit to 3-4 fruits per plant.
• Improve airflow by removing some interior leaves in humid weather.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Vine borers (plant after June 15), squash bugs, cucumber beetles.

• Squash vine borers – most devastating! Plant after June 15 to avoid.
• Squash bugs – check for bronze eggs under leaves, destroy immediately.
• Cucumber beetles – spread bacterial wilt. Use row covers early.
• Powdery mildew – inevitable by late summer. Plant resistant varieties.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Nasturtiums, marigolds, beans, radishes. Avoid other cucurbits.

• Nasturtiums act as trap crop for aphids and beetles.
• Radishes repel cucumber beetles when planted nearby.
• Beans fix nitrogen for heavy-feeding squash.
• Marigolds help deter various pests.
• Avoid planting near other squash family members – shared pests.

🥒 Varieties:

‘Black Beauty’, ‘Costata Romanesco’, ‘Golden Glory’.

• ‘Black Beauty’: 50 days, classic dark green, heavy producer.
• ‘Costata Romanesco’: 52 days, Italian heirloom, ribbed, nutty flavor.
• ‘Golden Glory’: 50 days, bright yellow, easier to spot for harvest!
• ‘Eight Ball’: 40 days, round fruit perfect for stuffing.
• ‘Defender’: 57 days, powdery mildew resistant.

🫙 Preservation:

Freeze blanched slices. Grate and freeze. Dehydrate. Pickle.

• Freezing slices: Blanch 3 minutes, freeze on trays, then bag.
• Grated: Freeze in measured portions for winter baking.
• Dehydrated: Make zucchini chips or powder for soups.
• Pickled: Bread and butter pickles using zucchini!
• Canned: Only in tested relish or pickle recipes.
• Fresh: Stores only 1 week – use quickly!

🧑🏽‍🍳 Recipes:

Zucchini bread, chocolate muffins, fritters, carpaccio.

• Classic zucchini bread – uses 2 cups grated zucchini.
• Chocolate zucchini muffins – kids never know!
• Zucchini fritters with herbs and feta.
• Raw zucchini ribbons for “pasta” or salads.
• Stuffed zucchini boats with quinoa or rice.

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Plant after June 15 to avoid vine borers.
• Use row covers until flowering.
• Succession plant every 2 weeks through July.
• Choose powdery mildew resistant varieties.
• Hill planting improves drainage in clay soil.
• Late planting (July) extends harvest into fall.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Flowers edible.
• One plant produces 6-10 pounds.
• World record 69+ pounds!
• Zucchini is Italian for “little squash” – only called this in North America.
• Botanically a fruit, legally a vegetable.
• Dark green varieties have more nutrients than light.
• August 8th is “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day”!
• Zucchini wasn’t popular in the US until the 1920s when Italian immigrants introduced it.