Zuchinni problem

[Mel]

This year when my zucchini get about 6 inches long they turn black on both ends and get soft. What could be causing this?

[b&k]

I have seen blossom end rot on zucchini - it appears to be a common problem caused by inconsistent watering and/or calcium deficiency in the soil. Try adding lime to the soil. I buy it at the garden centre - usually in a pellet form.

[Dwayne]

Use the pellet form if you want to imporve next years crop. It will work too slow for much help this year. Powdered might be faster.

Dwayne

[Andrew McMichael]

My thoughts exactly. I have about 30 zucchini and yellow squash plants, and I've been picking the zuccs when they're about 4-7 inches. With all the rain we've been getting the zuccs actually spurt juice when I cut them.

Here they are in a picture from mid-to-late June, and we're in Kentucky, USA.

Zuccs on the left, yellows on the right. The barren-looking area "above" the squash is herbs. To the left are various peppers, below are cucumbers, and above the peppers is a squash that turns orange when it matures. The grassy areas are left growing, and occasionally sprayed with weed killer in order to mark out paths so that my 4-year-old will know where to walk. Total garden size is 65 ft x 65 ft.

More pics at

leads me to a question. This year, instead of doing a bunch of poles for my beans, I did only a few, but planted beans next to my corn, letting the runners go up the corn. and and else had success with this? It was an old Indian method of planting. The Native Americans would also then plant squash between the corn rows, and the three root systems would feed each other.

Andrew

[John Savage]

Both ends? No idea.

But if that is the case, I suggest that you pick them when they are

5 inches long, if that can get around the trouble. The smaller you pick the fruit, the tastier they are -- and the more you will get off each plant, too.