Zucchini - Crookneck

DESCRIPTION

Crookneck zucchini have an unusual shape and a delicious nutty flavour. Best picked when about 30cm long, this large variety of zucchini adds a beautiful splash of yellow to almost any savoury dish.

POT CARE AND PLANTING

Plants in the cucurbit family (zucchini, cucumber, squash, and pumpkin) usually cannot be grown in a pot long term, as they have vigorous and extensive root systems and need a lot of water. They're best planted into a clear space in the garden that's at least 2m by 2m, or into a very large pot, leaving some room for the large stems to trail - transplant into a larger pot or a garden bed within 7 days. Soil level can be varied, but should be well below any actively growing leaves or flowers - planting a zucchini in the ground slightly deeper than it is in the pot causes more roots to sprout from that part of the stem, which can make the plant stronger. Zucchini in pots do best when set up on the grass or bare dirt so the roots can extend into the ground below.

WATERING

Zucchini are heavy water consumers, and one of the few vegetables that you may want to water twice a day during very hot weather - water them a lot longer than other plants in your garden (early morning and/or late afternoon is best in summer). It's very hard to rot the roots of a zucchini plant, unless it's in a pot with a saucer or on a surface that doesn't allow drainage. Always point your hose or watering can at the base of the plant, avoiding getting the leaves wet - splashing water spreads diseases that zucchini are vulnerable to, like fungus. If any leaves start looking mottled yellow-grey, cut them off and throw them in the bin, trying not to touch any healthy parts of the plant while you do it. Be sure to wash your hands with soap when you're done, to stop the fungus spreading to any other plants you touch. Lower leaves often get fungus, which splashes up from the soil - so it's not a bad idea to keep the lower part of the plant clear of leaves and new branches all the time, to reduce the chances of infection moving up the plant. If the whole plant remains wet for a long period of time, the larger and healthier leaves may start to turn white or grey - you won't want to cut them all off, because they can be fixed: make a cup of chamomile tea with 1/3 milk. Put this liquid into a spray bottle and dilute it to 1-2L. Spray this medicine onto the affected leaves - this is another type of fungus, and the chamomile and the milk both work to kill it off very effectively. If you don't have both, diluting one or the other in water and spraying that solution is also effective.

SUN EXPOSURE

Zucchini need as much sunlight as possible to flourish. I recommend planting this in an open and sunny area of the garden, on an easy to access edge of your plot, because you'll want to harvest from it frequently to encourage more fruit.

COMPANION PLANTING

Crookneck zucchini plants get about 2m wide and 1m tall. They can be used to shade other vegetables in the garden that need some shelter from the sun, and will grow well about 1m away from most things, as long as they aren't going to be shaded too much by this rapidly expanding plant. Two plant families that can be planted close to zucchini are maize and legumes, an ancient combination invented by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and referred to as the 'Three Sisters'. In this tradition, squash (and other cucurbits) shade the soil underneath corn, while beans (and other legumes) climb the cornstalks. The three support each other to produce more food than each could on its own, and zucchini can be part of this relationship - sunflowers can also be added in place of some of the corn stalks. Avoid planting this gregarious plant too close to potatoes, as these vegetables compete strongly at the same level above and below the ground and don't play well together. Get the tastiest fruit by encouraging pollinators with any flowers, but especially yellow and orange flowers that resemble the cucurbit flowers, like nasturtium, tansy, and chrysanthemum - asters and apiums are great companions.

HARVESTING AND EATING

Zucchini are easy to harvest - simply cut them off the vine when they're a good size for your recipe - approximately 30cm is recommended for the best flavour, but it's best if you let the plant get quite big before trying to produce fruit this large. Very versatile, you can slice them up and saute them, add them to stir fried and stewed dishes, or grate them up as the base ingredient for zucchini slices and hidden vegetable cakes. Zucchini has a high water content and doesn't really hold its shape when well cooked, which makes it a great vegetable to add to the pan grated when cooking for fussy kids, but not so great for roasting. While the plant is young you should pick often to encourage more fruit production, and you can harvest both male flowers and smaller zucchinis with the flower still attached. These are delicious when stuffed with a cheesy filling, twisted closed, and either battered and fried, or brushed with oil and roasted in the oven - just clear out the internal parts of the flower first because the pollen tastes bitter.

SEED SAVING AND PROPAGATION

Save a few fruits from your harvest to collect seeds from by letting a couple grow to their maximum size towards the start of autumn, when the plant is strong and you've enjoyed plenty of fruit. You'll know that it's ready because it will start to resist any of its skin being scratched off with a fingernail. Cut these seed zucchini off before it gets frosty and slice them lengthwise. The seeds should be large and hard now, although covered in a slippery gel. You remove this by fermenting the seeds - use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a jar, and put it on a shelf in your shed or somewhere that the smell won't bother you for 3 days, lid off. After that, dump the contents of the jar into an old strainer and rinse thoroughly to reveal the clean zucchini seeds. Air dry these in a paper bag before storing them in an airtight container - cucurbit seeds are some of the longest lasting vegetable seeds, good for up to 10 years. Don't sow these seeds again until next year when the risk of frost has almost passed - you can start them inside in late October, but you'll need to wait until the very start of November to plant them outside, or the leaves will curl during the cold nights. Time your sowing carefully - they need to be moved out of seedling pots after no more than 3 weeks. Cover the seeds with 15mm of soil and keep moist and warm - cucumbers will germinate after about a week. In Armidale, experienced gardeners know that frost tender veggies can't be planted outside until Melbourne Cup Day. Heavy frosts return here at Easter time, so your zucchini will be done by that time each year. Note: if there are other cucurbits growing nearby, the seeds you'll collect here may result in fruits with a slightly different look, texture or taste. This isn't harmful, and it's safe to try them. If you want to prevent this, there are techniques you can learn for breeding cucurbits 'true to type'.