Z is for Zucchini

When people say they are coming round to look at my garden, at this time of year they often hear me say, 'Oh, wait till it is cooler, there is not much in right now'. Although we eat freshly picked produce 6 days out of 7, I feel it all looks a bit barren. This year the summer has been particularly hot and the plants have suffered. Two years ago, I grew lettuce all summer long. I pulled this years cop out 6 weeks ago. I've tried umbrellas but coming home from an outing and seeing them speared in the garden next door, doesn't suggest it is a good idea at a time when the Easterlies can be pretty strong.

So, I've stuck with those that I know can survive - not exactly drought proof plants, but as near to cacti without the thorns -basil, malabar (climbing spinach), eggplant, peppers (sweet banana, green and chillies), tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, squash, herbs and flowers (I have multiples of each). And then there are the gaps where I have left the soil to recover before planting the autumn/winter vegetables once the other summer crops are finished. No pretty rows of perky veges lined up, just an assortment of stayers in various stages of development, like barflies before 'time' is called in a bar.

View from ground level bed across all three large raised beds

Ground level bed mainly containing pots.

Beds two and three.

One of two smaller beds against front wall of house.

Which takes me to that  hardy stayer that is known as a courgette or zucchini. These prickly stemmed plants produce quickly and prolifically  (the more you pick, the more that grow). Back in my uni days, I thought I knew every way of cooking them...you either steamed, fried or bread-crumbed and fried! Today I have masses of recipes and it has become a staple in our diet.  Easy to grow, it really only seems to have two problems, one being mould which I dealt with in Know Your Enemy and misshapen fruit or fruit that completely fails to grow at all. This season has seen about 30% of my missiles fail to launch. Initially I thought it was due to lack of water but on further reading I discovered another cause is a lack of pollinators.

Apparently there is a shortage of bees world wide, thought to be due to insecticides, a decline in flowering plants, air pollution and a spread of pests worldwide. Without bees and other insects to  pollinate the female flowers using the pollen from the males, the plant decides that the fruit is not viable and the result is misshapen or small fruit (thank you Sarah for being brave enough to keep bees, just sorry your suburb is a little too far from our garden)!

Female flowers now closed and fruit growing well.
Male stems can be seen with flowers closed.

Examples of underdeveloped zucchini

The plants need to be pollinated by multiple insects and the more that visit, the better the shape of the fruit. However, each flower is open for only one day, typically in the early morning (I even have photographic evidence to prove it!). So if the insects don't get their act together, the window of opportunity is literally closed.

I have had my fair share of odd looking fruit but luckily in the last two weeks, a bee hive has set up one street away in a hollow tree branch and I'd like to believe they are the cause of my new, perfectly shaped zucchinis.

Bee pollinating a female flower
- male flowers are in the background unopened

However, if you are suffering from dead fruits a couple of inches long, try to pollinate them yourself using a cotton bud. Having assisted in the mating of a stallion and mare back in my teenage years,  this process is a helluva lot easier and pleasanter to perform!

So, how to do it? Wait till the sun is shining and the flowers are open. Use a cotton bud to transfer pollen from the male flowers (they have the long skinny stem) to the females (short stubby stems). Or, pick off a male flower, remove the petals and then dab the centre onto the female stigma.

Finally, almost all you need to know about growing zucchini can be found on the Internet and in the smorgasboard of magazine offerings available but remember to read the 'fine print' such as :

1. Zucchini leaf stems contain zillions of fine hairlike translucent prickles so wear gloves when handling
2. The larger the fruit, the less flavour so winning the local prize for a supernaturally sized fruit doesn't mean it has a taste to match
3. Healthy coloured but misshapen fruit usually taste as good as the 'handsome' ones
4. Cut ripe fruit from the vine rather than breaking them off
5. Always water at ground level as damp leaves can cause powdery mildew (see Know Your Enemy post).

In the following weeks I will be sharing the following zucchini recipe ideas: Breadcrumbed Zucchini, Zucchini Slice and Zucchini Spaghetti.

Don't wear perfume in the garden - unless you want to be pollinated by bees. 

~Anne Raver