Zucchini trellis?

[sunnychooks]

Will I need a trellis for my zucchini plants? I remember reading somewhere that if they don't have a trellis the zucchini will rot on the ground. Is that true?
Does anyone have a picture of a zucchini trellis they could post?
If I use a trellis, will I be able to plant them closer than 12" apart as recommended by several websites?
Thanks!

 

[Tutter]

I am sure that people have had success with that, but I can't imagine having to anything special for a zuchinni. Here we plant them, and stand back!

(Thus the joke that if you go somewhere during zuke season, you'll find your car filled with zuchinni's when you go back to it! Actually, we know someone that happened to!)

Honestly, it might be true about the rot, but in my conditions, it's never happened to me, and the kids always just let theirs run wherever they wished. Some they picked small to eat, and some they allowed to get large, just to compete for the largest one.

 

[Reinbeau]

Zucchinis don't climb, at all, they're a huge rosette, so I don't know how you'd trellis them. You could mulch beneath them to keep the fruits off the ground, but if you pick them when they're young and tender they won't have time to rot.

 

[sunnychooks]

Thanks so much for the quick responses! Those were the answers I was hoping for!!!

 

[GardenGirl]

I was told to put newspaper under the plants as they crawled so it will help keep the weeds down and keep the Zukes off the dirt. Gotta love double duty tips! Plus a good way to recycle! Also, they seem to be sweeter when they are picked small. At least that's what I thought growing up.

 

[nccountrygirl]

You can let some get really big and feed them to your chooks. Thats what I plan to do.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Newspaper does work well, as does cardboard to keep them off the ground.

Ann is right though, they shouldn't last that long on the ground to rot. We usually wait out in the garden with a knife ready to pick them as they ripe.

 

[silkiechicken]

My zucchini only start to "trail" at the very very end of the season here... however... our season is short and I JUST planted the seeds. I don't trelis because there's no point. It's usually pretty wet out here and I never have rot problems till day temps are back in the low 50's and 40's. I plant about 2-3 feet apart because the leaves get huge on the plants. Like 18 inches across each huge. But the huge leaves may be due to the wet weather and the fact I plant them in about 4-6 inches of last year's chicken tractor floor litter and poo.

 

[sunnychooks]

You can let some get really big and feed them to your chooks. Thats what I plan to do.

I just finished planting 8 of them. Since it's only my DH and me, I'm sure that's what I'll be doing, too!

The cardboard and newpapers ideas are great!

The soil here is so sandy, drainage isn't a problem, so I'm hoping 12" apart is okay. I didn't think the leaves were that big! Anyway, I've resigned myself to the fact that this is my "learning year". I'm keeping a journal of everything I do (and do wrong). I think I may have gone a little overboard with the zucchini because everyone says it's so easy to grow. It was probably an unconscious attempt at success!!!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Zucchini tend to be one of those easy to grow plants. The biggest thing that does trouble them is powdery mildew and blossom end rot. Which can be usually avoided by keeping the leaves dry by watering in the am and water at the base of the plant.

12" apart may be a little too close but it should be okay. We usually set ours about 18" apart and they seem to do fine.

Good luck!