If you have ever grown Zucchini Squash you know how much space in your garden 1 plant can take up, to address this problem you can grow them vertically to reduce the space they take up.
This way of growing zucchini can also reduce pest damage to the zucchini keeping them off the ground.
As you can see by growing the Zucchini vertically I have now planted companion plants around it using Tomatoes, and Cucumbers and the cucumbers are on teepe to grow vertically as well.
Growing Zucchini Squash Vertically
When you first dig the hole to place the zucchini plant you should place a stake in the ground deep enough to support the plant as it grows.
The stake should be long enough that you can pound it in 1-2 feet to support the plant and all the fruit, the stake should be 3-4 feet above the ground so that the zucchini can be strapped to the stake as it grows.
Add a handful of organic fertilizer in the hole and mix it into the soil, add water mucking in the plant so that the roots can get off to a good start.
You will not need to stake the plant immediately since it will take a while for the plant’s main stem to grow long enough to strap it to the stake so do not be concerned.
Having the stake in when you plant the zucchini makes sure you do not disturb the roots of the plant later.
Here is a good strapping material to use throughout your garden.
Be sure to keep feeding your zucchini since they are heavy feeders and keep harvesting so that the plant continues to set on more fruit.
Here are some of my favorite zucchini to grow each year.
Cubes of Butter
This is a great-tasting yellow summer squash that is very tender and produces a huge crop of yellow straight squash.
Romanesco
This zucchini has a unique shape and lighter color than your typical green zucchini and the flavor is sweet and tender.
Green Zucchini
This is a standard zucchini that has that great zucchini flavor, and texture. It produces a huge crop that will keep you well-supplied all summer.
Now that you have all the information for growing Growing Zucchini Squash Vertically you will now have room to plant other vegetables and companion plants in your garden.
Pollination and Flowers
In the picture above you can see small zucchini that have already been pollinated, a zucchini female bud with a small zucchini formed behind the female bud, and a male bud with no zucchini behind the bud. This is a great example for you to see all 3.
Zucchini have both male and female flowers on the same plant. Usually, the male flowers will appear before the female flowers appear.
If your Zucchini need help to pollinate the female flowers I will use a Qtip to poke gently inside the male flower and transfer pollen to the female flower.
If your zucchini’s are hollow on part of it or have a much narrower end it is most likely that it did not get pollinated well.
By Growing Zucchini Squash vertically you can get the large plants growing vertically providing more space for other plants and it also gets the plants off the ground allowing better air circulation and reducing the chance of pests eating your crop and diseases.
