% of people told us that this article helped them. Just a couple of months after planting, you can begin harvesting fresh zucchini. Crops will continue to grow until the first frosts if they established well during spring. What Is the Life Expectancy of Zucchini Plants? Once … If you want more tender, baby zucchini, you can harvest them when they are smaller, which could move your harvest time up a couple of days. Some have very mild stripes/spots, this is normal and should not be concerning. Thanks for the useful information. You can do this to several flowers or just a few, depending on the amount of time you have and the growth you’re trying to promote. If your zucchini flowers do not see enough bee activity for pollination, you should hand-pollinate them with a cotton swab. Zucchini is great stuffed, added to pasta sauce, and turned into soups. ", "The pollination step was helpful. University of California Master Gardener Cooperative Extension: Summer Squash, Missouri Botanical Garden: Cucurbita Pepo, How to Distinguish Between Male & Female Zucchini Flowers. This time includes blooming and pollination of the flowers. Once zucchini fruit start to set, the time isn't far from harvesting, giving young gardeners a thrill. After the flowers set fruit, it takes just days for the zucchini to be ready for harvest because zucchini can grow up to 1 inch in length per day. Zucchini plants need a minimum of six to eight hours of full sun per day. Zucchini, like all summer squash, grow quickly. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. ", "Great help to first-time zucchini planter. For tips on how to harvest your zucchini, keep reading! ", "Learned a lot of useful tips. Depending on the variety, you may be able to harvest the plants anywhere from 42 to 52 days after planting. Occasionally, your flowers may not produce fruit within the expected time frame. Many thanks. Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) is an annual that has a short growing season during warm weather. I plan to grow my own this year. As the seedlings grow, cucumber seedlings tend … You can remove a male flower and pollinate the female flowers by hand to ensure that this is not a problem. Growth Stages. ", "The tip about how to pollinate really helped. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. I was given several zucchinis, but they were hard as a rock. I found out I need to pollinate my zucchini, and you showed exactly how to do it. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Just a few days is all it takes before you will be ready to harvest your veggies, depending on the size you want the squash to be when you pick it. However, I learned an easy way to pollinate using a male flower. I, "Very helpful. A week before transplanting, harden off seedlings by cutting back on water and lowering the nighttime temperature to 65°F. Flowers Not Producing Fruit. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Grow-Zucchini-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Zucchini-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a4\/Grow-Zucchini-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1224781-v4-728px-Grow-Zucchini-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"