# How and When To Pick Zucchini



## Melissa_Hedwall

Hi  My zucchini looked like it was getting ready to be picked. Google took me to your blog post and it answered my questions thoroughly. Thank you!


----------



## Bethany

Thanks for these tips. This summer was the first time I grew zucchini and some of the leaves were looking yellow (not enough water, too much?) so I picked off those leaves to let in sunlight and free up some space. Is this okay to do? Should I just let nature take its course? Thanks!


----------



## Janice

I really enjoyed this helpful and fun description! Thank you - I needed help...and I've got a zucchini that I think may be getting a bit carried away in size - becoming the dreaded behemoth you mentioned!


----------



## suemo

Thank you so much for your wonderful information. The pictures are also very helpful. Please keep the information coming.


----------



## Tammy_Lockhart

I just want to thank you for you website. My husband and I just recently purchased a new home that had a wonderful garden plot. It was my first time ever planting a garden and I am totally awed by the growth. Thank you for proving answers that I despertly needed!


----------



## Karen3

Thank you for your post about this... I have a behemoth zucchini that needs to be picked... I swear it grew a foot overnight!


----------



## Regina1

Thank you thank you! I'm a first time gardener and your website was extremely helpful. I loved the pictures. I didn't realize the zucchini would take over so much. They swallowed my green peppers. I'm thinking about digging them(the peppers) and replanting, but will it disrupt the plant since I have blossoms? Thanks again I can't wait to grill my zucchini. Found my first one yesterday.


----------



## Ellen1

I have the same issue.. I picked them off as well.. How do you know what to do with the flowers? do they just fall off when the zucchini is ready?


----------



## Bob2

Thank you for this quick "how to"! I was a bit leery of hurting my plant trying to get this monster off, but after reading this article, it was a breeze.

We've been posting updates about our own garden on our blog


----------



## Tee

Hi Ellen - Yes, the flowers will rot away once the zucchini begins growing.


----------



## Tee

You are welcome Regina. I'm glad you found the info helpful


----------



## Debra1

What I wanted to know when I clicked on the site, was should I pick the zucchini in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Will it affect the plant or the amount of bitterness in the fruit?


----------



## Tee

Hi Debra - First, thank you for visiting! I have never experienced any difference in taste depending on when I have picked zucchini, or any other vegetable so I don't think it really matters. However, it is a good idea to pick vegetables during the cooler hours of morning and evening. Harvesting heavily can stress a plant (not to mention the harvester) when done in the heat of the day. 

Thanks for your question and have a great day.


----------



## Nichole1

Are the huge zucchinis you talk about still good to eat if it's firm? We were on vacation and came home to a couple huge ones!


----------



## Tee

Hi Nichole - It depends on how big the zucchini gets. If it look like something that resembles a caveman club then it will probably be not that tasty. The seeds will be very big and the fruit will have a mealy, woody kind of taste.


----------



## Gary3

I have a zuchinni, I think it is zucchini but it is about the size of a large pumpkin but it is green and is the same color as a zucchini. It is about twelve inches or more in diameter. Don't know when to pick it or if I should.


----------



## Tee

Hi Gary - If it's that large you should pick it.


----------



## jon_johnson

i have pick a couple of huge zucchini that look like caveman clubs and had no problem with the taste of the zucchini, i am still waiting on my tomatoes to ripen have 8 plants ou tof the eight plants five of them are heirlooms cant wait ffor them to ripen


----------



## James1

Is it watermelon?


----------



## Diane1

It is so funny that your website was the first I chose while searching for info on picking my zucchini because yesterday I was getting frustrated that none of them looked ready to pick and I lifted a big leaf and there was a monster zucchini under it! I'm so excited! This is my first year having a successful garden and I'm TOTALLY hooked. Now if I can just get rid of the worms on my tomato plants. It seems like I could spend all day picking them off!


----------



## JEANNINE

TEE, I AM THRILLED TO HAVE FOUND YOUR WEB SITE! FINALLY I CAN SHARE MY PASSION WITH FELLOW VEGIE GARDENERS. THANKYOU! SINCERELY, OCALA


----------



## Elizabeth1

I really appreciate your advice about growing and picking zucchini! I went out yesterday and picked our very first harvest!! It was so exciting. I have a question that I hope you can answer. Before I knew the leaves were going to grow sooo big, I planted some younger yellow summer squash in a row beside the zucchini. Well they havent reached full height yet and the zucchini leaves are kinda covering them and not letting them get much exposure to the sun. They seem to be growing fine but I was wondering if I could trim off some of the stalks and leaves from the zucchini to allow the yellow squash more sunlight? or should I just leave them be?


----------



## Carrie2

My zucchini are only about 4 inches, but after that they turn yellow and rot. Do I just have small zucchini or is there a problem? Thanks for the great tips!


----------



## Kelly4

I planted yellow squash in my garden. One of the plants produced an odd looking "squash." After some online research I discovered that this was a Limelight Hybrid Zucchini. I suppose a seed was inadvertently mixed in with the packet I sowed. It is producing beautiful zucchini unlike any I have seen before. Does anyone have recipies for this beauty?


----------



## Laura_P

I like to let a few get huge then shred them and freeze them so that we can have yummy zucchini bread in the winter. I cant much tell the difference between big and small zucchini when it is in the bread.


----------



## Laura_P

A little bit of cigarette tobacco (maybe the amount used to roll a cigarette) mixed in about a gallon of water over night. In the morning strain it out through a coffee filter or panty hose. put it in a spray bottle and mist plants. A friend told me about it and it actually seemed to keep the worms at bay. also save your egg shells crush them and put around the the plants. this works also with a bonus of having the nutrients from the shells leach into the soil.


----------



## JoeM

Carrie

Sounds to me like you have a soil issue. Too much or too little of the wrong fertilizer? Also, consider how you are watering.


----------



## Charlie1

I live in sunny southern California, and I planted about six zuchinni plants in my garden in early April, and once they started producing there has been no stopping them. You're right about how fast they grow. I am providing fresh zuchinnis to all of my friends and neighbors. I use my leatherman to cut the zuchinni off the stems, leaving about a half inch of stem attached, and I find this to work well. On another note I've found that my arms and legs seem to be sensitive to the prickly underside of the leaves. So now when harvesting I am sure to where my jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I guess that's just the plants natural defense mechanism. Happy Gardening!


----------



## Jay1

Great website Tee, I started growing all my "Vine" plants melons, cucs, Zucs etc on my hills instead of in my garden and they seem to be growing much bigger and better.


----------



## DickH

large Zucc - a friend this past w/end prepared one that everyone loved. She cut lengthwise, scooped out the seeds and prepared a meat and sausage filling baked with a marina sauce. It was excellent. Google for a recipe - it should be easy to find something similar.


----------



## Michelle1

Thank you for your advise! This is the 1st year i have grown any vegetables an am so excited to see them sprout! Cant wait to eat them!


----------



## Sara1

I started planting zucchini this year and have a few getting big. One looked like it was growing good and the flower wilted offf, but now it's started to turn yellow. Is that bad?


----------



## Mary5

Instead of twisting it off, can I snip it off with a pair of scissors?


----------



## Brent_Myers

Pumpkins are green (about the color of zucchini) while growing. The plants also resemble the zucchini plant. It could be a pumpkin.


----------



## Sue

Hello Tee -
I have some zucchini I planted in a pot. They have started growing, but some grow for a while and than start turning yellow and die. What am I doing wrong?? Is it not good to put in a pot. Thank you, love your site.


----------



## ThePopp

Sprinkle plain flour, like used to make bread, on your tomatoes. The worms will eat the plant, flour and all, only to make a glue/paste in their throats and choke the little bast...ds. They will die before you even notice them and you'll never see a big hornworm again.


----------



## Cathy1

Thank for the tips.


----------



## rick_howard

didn't know zucchini grew so fast, mine coming so fast ,giving them away. Only like bread made with them. Have put pecans & blueberries in yhe bread , then freeze , eat later. Enjoy the pointers, 2nd year growing them, bupper crop. 1st year planting acorn squaush plants loaded. Love them baked in oven with brown sugar & butter , then eat out of shell.


----------

