It is the beginning of summer here in my growing zone 6 and it’s time to harvest some zucchini. Being an active gardener and seeing many new gardeners frequently asking questions regarding when they should harvest their zucchini, I decided to take a picture and write an article on how to tell when your zucchini is ready to be picked. I hope this article will be of great and practical help to you and other home gardeners.
You can tell zucchini is ready to be picked when it is about 6 inches long. The fruit of that length is well developed and tasty with gentle flavor and soft skin. In fact, zucchini is ready to be picked at any stage after the fruit has been pollinated and the flower petals have fallen off the fruit. Thus, being said, zucchini can be picked at any preferred length. One can choose small-size zucchini and medium or large-sized ones. However, if the fruit is left on the vine for too long, the zucchini might develop a bitter flavor and tougher skin which is unpalatable.
TIP: I follow a simple rule regarding when I pick my veggies. I like to pick any of my vegetables when it is of a usable size to me. Sometimes I pick my produce small, sometimes very large, so it depends on what I use it for. For zucchini, I start picking when it is about 6 inches long. However, when I plan to make zucchini bread, I leave zucchini on the vine longer so I have more of it. When I want to roast it, I pick them when the skin is still soft, and flavor mild at about 6 inches long. I apply the same rule to all my other vegetables like potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, and more. The rule I use is this: I pick my veggies when they are of a usable size to me.
How do I know when to pick zucchini?
Pick zucchini when it is about 6 inches long and the fruit is still firm with soft skin and mild flavor. If you wish to harvest larger, more mature zucchini for canning, shredding, zucchini bread or to make flour from zucchini, leave it on the vine till it reaches the desirable size to you, the skin starts to toughen up, but it still has the color it should have. If the zucchini is left on the vine for too long, the taste might be compromised and become bitter, and the skin too tough, The skin color might start to turn orange-yellow and will start to produce seeds on the inside.
TIP: Once my garden starts producing and the vegetables are of a usable size to me, I stop buying those veggies from the store. This allows me to use my garden and save the money. For example, it is July and my garlic is of medium size, but it is already of a usable size to me, therefore I stopped buying from the store and used my own. I pull a head of garlic as needed and leave the rest in the ground for another couple of weeks to grow more. The same goes for potatoes. I stopped buying potatoes from the store and dug out my own. They are of medium and small size, and I dig out as much as I need for that day and leave the rest still growing. The same goes for cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, cabbage, and whatever my garden produces that is of a usable size for me to harvest and use. This way, I save the money and ensure that I actually use what I have grown and nothing goes to waste. For this reason, it is essential to only grow what you like to eat and never grow what you would not eat anyway.
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How big should you let zucchini get before you pick it?
In general, most gardeners and home cooks like to pick their zucchini when it is about 6 inches long. For a round zucchini, pick them when the fruit is about the of a billiard ball. Zucchini can be picked even at larger sizes than 6 inches, and it is still edible. Some gardeners and home cooks like to use larger-sized fruit to make zucchini bread and shredded zucchini to get more volume off of one fruit.
For half of this growing season of 2023, I used this liquid fertilizer. This is an all-purpose, all veggies and fruit concentrate feed that needs to be diluted in water. This is a 1-gallon bottle, so it goes a long way. However, by the end of the first half of the growing season, I learned that a liquid feed needs to be applied every week or every two weeks, depending on how rainy it is, and how much feed my plants need. I do not have an irrigation therefore applying liquid feed by hand every week or two creates a tremendous workload for me. It took me sometimes two days to have my whole garden fertilized, all by hand. It involved measuring and mixing the fertilizer with water in a watering can and then pouring the mixture onto my plants. And if it rained heavily for the next couple of days, I felt like all my effort and feed washed out. I would recommend this liquid fertilizer for small gardens, indoor gardens, or gardens with irrigation if you can feed your plants using irrigation lines. I would also recommend this liquid feed if your plants need immediate help and a quick boost. I would recommend it for seedlings too, as you can be in control and adjust how gentle or how strong you want your feed to be. It has no smell to it, which is nice, especially if you grow food indoors, or on a patio and balcony. I will still keep this liquid fertilizer in my stash but will use it only occasionally on an as-needed basis.
To free myself from a tremendous workload when it comes to fertilizing, I switched to this slow-release fertilizer. This one is to be applied once a month. I apply 3 TBS around the base of each plant. This way I only fertilize once a month compared to the previous weekly or bi-weekly liquid feed. I do not have to worry about heavy rain washing my fertilizer out like the liquid one would be washed out. I know I apply it and it stays. I would recommend this slow-release fertilizer for gardens of any size, especially for medium to large gardens. It does have a smell to it, so you will have to get used to it. It smells similar to freshly applied mulch but much lighter. The smell, however, goes away after two or three days. The smell might not be very pleasant for a couple of days, especially if you have your garden right next to the house, but it goes away after a couple of days and I know I only have to fertilize once a month, so I am OK with that. The smell is not that bad! I also apply this fertilizer by mixing 3 TBS with the soil, when I plant my seedlings into their permanent spot.
What happens if you wait too long to pick zucchini?
If you wait too long to pick zucchini, the skin will change its texture and become too tough, the rind will harden and the seeds become large and hard. The flavor will also be compromised at that stage and become unpalatable. Though some zucchini can grow over 1 foot long and still taste good, it is better to pick the fruit off of zucchini before it reaches the hard skin stage. The more often the fruit is picked off of the plant, the more the plant produces as the production is hastened. If the fruit is left on the plant for too long, the fruit will start to produce seeds and the energy of the plant will go into the seed production rather than into more fruit production.
A GOOD READ: How to tell male from female blossoms on zucchini, pumpkins, melons
How do you pick a zucchini off the vine?
Pick zucchini off of the vine by cutting the stem of the fruit with a sharp knife, or one can twist the fruit and pull at which the stem of the fruit will snap and break off the vine. Some prefer harvesting using the knife method, and some like to twist and pull to break the stem off of the vine. Both methods are used by home gardeners.
I usually just twist and pull when harvesting my zucchini. It is easier for me and I do not have to carry any sharp objects with me. I can also harvest it anytime I pass it just using my bare hands. When I twist and pull the fruit off of the vine, I am careful not to break the main stem of the plant so it keeps on producing. For this reason, I do not use any jerky or fast motion when twisting and pulling. The stem of the fruit usually breaks off easily at its weakest spot, with no problem and no damage to the rest of the plant.
A GOOD READ: How can you tell if you have powdery mildew on leaves?
What does an over-ripe zucchini look like?
An over-ripe zucchini has tough and yellowing skin, it is oversized and has an unpalatable flavor. On the inside, the rind and the seeds are hard, and the seeds are large.
TIP: If you wish to save the seeds off of your zucchini, then let the fruit mature on the vine completely, until the skin takes on an orange color, becomes very hard, and the seeds grow large, hard, and mature on the inside. The rind will also become very hard and tough to cut into. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, harvest the seeds, rinse them, and dry them completely. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place to be sowed next growing season.
Should you refrigerate the zucchini after picking it?
It is best to refrigerate zucchini after picking when the zucchini is still young with soft skin. If the zucchini was left to mature on the vine for longer and the skin has toughened up, the zucchini then can be stored in a cool storage space for a couple of days even weeks. Check the stored zucchini periodically and use it before it goes bad.
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