A little seed. A new beginning.
Seeds In A Cup®A LITTLE SEED. A NEW BEGINNING.

GROW SOMETHING WONDERFUL

Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

Your guide to planting, growing, and getting to know this plant.

THE PLANT NOTEBOOK

Zucchini care, from seed onward.

Botanical name
Cucurbita pepo
Common names
Courgette, Summer Squash
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Species
C. pepo
01

Start growing

Plant in sun. Harvest when 6-8 inches long for best flavor.

02

Growing with your kit

Zucchini are fast! Watch the huge, prehistoric-looking leaves unfold in the Seeds In A Cup® greenhouse.

03

Propagation

By seed.

04

Seasonal growth & harvest

Fast: 45-55 days. Once producing, harvest daily; fruit can double in size in 24 hours.

05

Growing conditions

Sun-drenched gardens, rich compost-heavy soil.

06

Weather & tolerances

Heat tolerant; very frost sensitive.

07

Pests & plant health

Squash bug and vine borer.

08

Plant safety

Safe; rare plants can develop 'Toxic Squash Syndrome' (bitter cucurbitacins), discard if bitter.

09

Botanical features

Bushy annual vine producing rapid cylindrical green/yellow fruit.

10

Varieties

‘Black Beauty’, ‘Gray Zucchini’, ‘Round de Nice’.

11

Garden & everyday uses

Baked, grilled, noodles (Zoodles). Flowers are an Italian delicacy

12

Native range & distribution

Origins in the Americas; perfected in 19th-century Italy.

13

Conservation

Common.

14

Name origins

Italian ‘zucchina’ (little squash/gourd).

15

History

Developed in Milan in the late 1800s from American squash seeds.

Grow zucchini in a cup.