3 – MAINTENANCE
Squash requires some special care to grow well and bear fruit:
- Water once a week (more in case of extreme heat) to wet the soil deeply.
- Avoid wetting the foliage.
- When 5-6 fruits begin to develop, cut off the other small ones that appear so that the plant concentrates its energy on the plants already growing.
- Cut the stems above the 3rd or 4th leaf to stimulate the plant’s development and obtain production.
- If there are not many pollinating insects, no fruit may develop. It is then necessary to carry out manual pollination: we start by differentiating the male flowers (which are usually erect at the end of a long peduncle) and the female flowers (which are lying closer to the ground and at the base of which we can observe a minifruit.) The technique consists of delicately taking pollen from a male flower, with a clean brush or cotton swab, then depositing it on the stamens of a female flower. For a more detailed explanation: Hand-pollinate squash.
4 – WHEN TO HARVEST ZUCCHINI?
The harvest takes place two to three months after sowing: the zucchini are picked young, tender, when they measure between 15 and 25 cm in length. Harvest the zucchini as they develop and as needed without letting them get too big.
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