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Vegetable · Easy to grow

Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo · also Courgette

The easiest summer vegetable in Adelaide: one or two plants feed a family from midsummer to autumn. Sow or plant once the soil is warm. Pick fruit small, every day or two, before they become marrows.

When to plant where you live

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Planting times for other areas

Varieties (4)

  • BlackjackDark green, compact bush; heavy cropper
  • Gold RushBright yellow fruit, easy to find among the leaves
  • LebanesePale green, tender and mild; very productive
  • TromboncinoClimbing Italian type (a different species) that resists mildew and borers; grow up a trellis

Neighbours

Grows well with

From seed to plate

  1. Plant

    90 cm apart, seed 25 mm deep. Full sun.

  2. Water

    Deep water at the base.

  3. Feed

    Compost-rich soil.

  4. Pick, from about 8 weeks

    Pick at 15–20 cm, every couple of days.

Good to know

  • Sow a second plant in midsummer to replace mildew-worn plants for autumn
  • The flowers are edible; pick male flowers (on thin stems) to stuff

Common problems

  • Powdery mildewwater at the base, space for airflow; remove worst leaves; milk spray or a registered product following label directions
  • Small fruit rotting at the tippoor pollination; attract bees or hand pollinate with a male flower
  • Pumpkin beetle and aphidshand pick beetles in the morning; hose off aphids

If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.

Ask the garden helper about zucchiniAny question, answered from the plant libraryHow others are growing zucchiniQuestions, tips and harvests from the community

Guides

Where this information comes from

Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.