When to plant zucchini
Zucchini is a summer squash: frost-tender, fast and productive. Sow seed directly one to three weeks after your last frost, when soil is at least 65°F, and expect the first fruit about 45–60 days later.
Two or three plants feed most households. A second sowing in early summer replaces tired plants and dodges the peak of squash vine borer activity.
ZucchiniCucurbita pepo
- Optional: start indoors in pots
- 2–3 weeks before last frost
- Sow seed outside
- 1–3 weeks after last frost
- Last sowing for a fall crop
- 8–10 weeks before first fall frost
- Frost
- Frost-tender: killed at 32°F
- Soil temp
- 65°F (18°C) or warmer
- Depth
- 1 in
- Spacing
- 30 in apart, rows 48 in
- Harvest
- 45–60 days
Your dates for zucchini
Tips for growing zucchini
- Pick fruit at 6–8 inches; plants slow down if fruit is left to grow into marrows.
- Hand-pollinate with a small brush if fruit shrivels at the tip: move pollen from male to female flowers in the morning.
- Mulch to keep soil moist and fruit off the ground.
Choosing neighbours? See companion plants for zucchini. Working out how many fit? Use the spacing calculator.
Zucchini: common timing questions
How late can I plant zucchini?
Up to about eight to ten weeks before your first fall frost, since fruit starts in under two months.
How many zucchini plants do I need?
Two to three for a family of four. Each healthy plant can produce several fruits a week at peak.