About this time of summer people start bombarding their family and friends with ridiculous amounts of zucchini. I'm already seeing posts joking about how prolific easy-to-grow zucchini plants are. My favorite one so far is Robin, the Garden Examiner's "Top 10 Signs You Have Too Much Zucchini". I love number 8!
Well as far as I'm concerned these too-much-zucchini stories are myths! I've had the worst time ever with this plant. Read all about the horror here.
But if I'm not mistaken the little cutie in the picture above might be a baby yellow zucchini! I have several plants but this is the only one that even resembles something that might turn edible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Oh how I long for people to curse me for bringing them too much zucchini!
How's your zucchini doing?
Ooooh, cute! I never did get zucchini in this year, as I had a heck of a time with it last year--lost it to powdery mildew, eventually. So I am hoping to find someone like Robin who has way too much...
ReplyDeleteOh this is too funny, I have the same problem. And we LOVE zuchinii. It just never seems to grow for us. Even in our community plots everyone else has great big zuchinniis, and mine, well they keep falling off! Somewhere I have to find a roadside stand, giving it away for free.
ReplyDeleteJen
Got a late start on my garden this year, and my plants are still pretty small.
ReplyDeleteLast year though, I had very few zucchini. I think maybe the plants were too close together, and the flowers couldn't get pollinated properly. Someone told me to pollinate them myself with a q-tip. Haven't tried that out yet though.
My zucchini are CRAP. Far, far worse than yours... honest.
ReplyDeleteMy zucchini are on death watch. If it's not squash vine borer, then it's powdery mildew or that wilt that cucumber beetles spread. I have 8 plants going though, so hopefully I'll get my fill of fresh zukes before all the plants die. I'm having the same experience with my cucumbers. 3 plants and so far 1 cuke.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten quite a bit of squash so far but it is all coming to a quick end as the squash vine borers have arrived.
ReplyDeleteOh, well, I got some, enough to give some away.
But I am overrun with cucumbers!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I have my first zucchini almost ready now...I will not plant Ambassador again as this is the second year it wasn't great for me (slow learner). At least my assistant keeps bringing me her extra!
ReplyDeleteMy zucchini are doing crappy! I actually came across your blog searching for info on borers! It's my first year gardening and I planted a lot of zucchini thinking everyone talks like it's so easy to grow, so if nothing else works that should be fine right? Oh well. I did a lot of borer removal surgeries last night and covered up the stems with dirt. Thank goodness for the tomatoes and the bush beans, they give me hope!
ReplyDeletekim - it seems like the squash Gods are confused, huh? Some people have way too many and others (me and you) have nothing. It's unfair!
ReplyDeleteMBD - thanks for stopping by. I'm sorry you are having problems but glad to know there are people out there in the same boat!
jeff - thanks for visiting! I did the hand pollination with my watermelon last year. It was very creepy! I wrote a post about it called "i'm my watermelon's pimp". ha
soilman - have you gotten any at all? cuz if you have even one you are still winning!
heather - there are more of us than I thought. we should start a support group!
carol - you are one of the ones I was referring to, missy!
leslie - does your assistant have enough for me???
jana - thanks for visiting my blog! that's cool that it came up while you were searching for info on this topic. I'd LOVE to hear more about your surgery. I find this whole thing absolutely disgusting!
Gina, I just read something you might be interested in. I can't vouch for the veracity of the information but I'm trying it next year. I read that to keep squash vine borers away you plant potatoes around your squash. Don't expect a potato harvest because they will be too shaded, but supposedly they will keep the bugs away.
ReplyDeleteI read to plant radishes around the zucchini plants because cucumber beetles hate the smell of radishes.
ReplyDeleteI tried to grow 12 seeds, and could only get four viable transplants. Three have taken over my garden, I ridiculously underestimated the amount of space they need. The fourth seems to possibly have powdery mildew, but not positive yet. I picked a zucchini yesterday and one today, I'm seeing the writing on the wall...
It looks like a healthy plant to me. You just give it plenty of water and have patients. 1st comes the flower then you notice the stem getting thicker and before you know it squash galore. They always seem to struggle with the
ReplyDelete1st zuchini then then they grow like wild flowers. Good luck.