Q. My zucchini plants are thriving, but I am recalling their usual pattern of developing powdery mildew in late summer. Would a second seeding work to replace those plants as they decline? A.
Every summer I make a second seeding, usually indoors in July for transplants to set out in early August. This timing gives me young zucchini to harvest in September and October, when spring-sown zucchini plants are coming down with powdery mildew on their older leaves. Exactly when in July you seed, outdoors or indoors, will depend upon the earliness of the variety or varieties you are growing, and your garden’s conditions.
Seed packages indicate a “days to maturity” number. That number gives a relative indication of the time it will take from planting to harvest. For zucchini, the number is from transplanting.
Among zucchini varieties, it’s a good idea, for the July seeding, to select an early variety. My garden, which is partly shaded by tall trees, does not yield the speedy growth typical of fully open sites with all-day sun exposure. For that reason I seed indoors in the early part of July.
For fully sunny locations, the seeding could be done later in July and still provide young zucchinis from late summer to mid-autumn. Because the summer-sown plants bear mainly young leaves, they have always remained mildew-free in my garden. It’s the older leaves on zucchini and other squash plants that are prone to developing powdery mildew.
Q. What is the best time for taking cuttings.
