Pear-shaped zucchini

Zucchini is probably the most popular vegetable in gardens. Our gardeners love them very much for their unpretentiousness, plentiful harvests and the opportunity to consume fresh vegetables from their garden already in June. Zucchini are famous for their diversity. There are varieties that differ in terms of ripening, and in color, and in shape. Zucchini are white, yellow, green, striped, serpentine, almost round, thin, thick, there is even a pear-shaped zucchini and spaghetti zucchini.

Pear-shaped zucchini

A bit of history

And what, in principle, is this vegetable? Zucchini belongs to the pumpkin family, an annual, heat-loving plant. It has large, powerful leaves, increased vegetative mass, active and very strong root system. America is considered his homeland.

People began to grow zucchini in ancient times, about four thousand years ago. And it reached Europe only in the middle of the XNUMXth century. In those days, this plant was considered decorative because of its beautiful, large, bright flowers. In Our Country, zucchini appeared in the eighteenth century, and then because of the admiration of the then bohemia for everything Italian. Trying to be like the Italians in everything, in rich houses they began to serve dishes from young, week-old greens, the use of which is still popular, because the larger the zucchini, the coarser its flesh.

Pear-shaped zucchini

Description

Zucchini belongs to the species of herbaceous bush or climbing plants, with a powerful erect or creeping stem, which has clearly defined edges. The leaves are very large, hard, shaped like a paw print of an animal of unprecedented size with five fingers. Both on the leaves and on the thick petioles there is a prickly thorn-like edge. Pollination in zucchini is cross-pollinated. Flowers of extraordinary beauty, bright yellow, in the form of a large bell. They are of the same sex – if the pedicel is long, then the flower is male, if it is short, it is female.

Zucchini fruits usually have an elongated cylindrical or oval shape, with white or creamy flesh. There is also a pear-shaped squash, depending on which variety is sown. Young, unripe zucchini have a tender, sweetish flesh and thin skin, testicles have a hard skin and a coarser and already unsweetened pulp.

Pear-shaped zucchini

Pear-shaped zucchini

The pear-shaped zucchini has an early ripening period, the fruiting period is quite long (from July to the end of September). The shape of the fruit is interesting – pear-shaped, the fruits are not too large from 800 grams to 1,3 kg, the usual length is about 25 cm. The pulp of the pear-shaped zucchini is rich orange in color, with a pleasant aroma. An important difference between pear-shaped zucchini and other varieties: even after long storage, the skin of pear-shaped zucchini does not coarsen and is easy to cut with a knife. This variety is stored very well and for a long time. A photo of a pear-shaped zucchini can be seen below.

Pear-shaped zucchini

This beautiful pear-shaped fruit has a rich chemical composition, which includes various vitamins, trace elements and mineral salts. In addition, pear-shaped zucchini contains pectins and antioxidants, which will undoubtedly bring great health benefits. And if you add here its low calorie content (270 kcal / kg), then you can safely call this vegetable simply indispensable on the diet table. Many housewives especially like pear-shaped zucchini pancakes. In terms of aroma and beautiful orange color, they simply have no equal!

What are the benefits of pear-shaped zucchini

  • removes radionuclides from the body;
  • participates in skin rejuvenation and lightening;
  • restores metabolism;
  • lowers cholesterol in the blood;
  • strengthens the cardiovascular system, due to the high content of magnesium and potassium;
  • restores hemoglobin to normal;
  • gently removes excess fluid from the body;
  • has a positive effect on the liver;
  • due to the content of natural sugar, it is indicated for use by patients with diabetes mellitus.

Pear-shaped zucchini tend to digest quickly, besides, they do not cause allergies, so they are well suited for eating sick people and children. You can also use squash flowers for food. They are added to soups, salads, baked in the oven. Since the antioxidants contained in zucchini are destroyed during heat treatment, it is best to cook dishes from such a wonderful vegetable as pear-shaped zucchini in an oven or microwave.

The greatest value of pear-shaped zucchini is in the high content of beta-carotene, so the benefits of eating these zucchini are really priceless.

Pear-shaped zucchini

Growing zucchini

If there is a desire to get an earlier harvest of pear-shaped zucchini, then, of course, it is better to plant them in open ground through seedlings.

How to grow seedlings

Sowing seeds of pear-shaped zucchini is carried out in the twentieth of April, maximum in the first days of May for growing in an open garden, and for a greenhouse – in the last days of February, since seedlings can be planted in a greenhouse as early as April.

For growing seedlings of pear-shaped zucchini, containers of about 10 or 12 cm in diameter are best suited. These can be plastic glasses, sour cream glasses, cut milk bags, etc. In one glass, you need to plant two or three squash seeds to a depth of about 1-1,5 cm in order to choose the strongest sprout after germination, and delete the rest.

Pear-shaped zucchini

Important! When planting seeds, the container should be filled with earth only up to half.

10-12 days after planting, when the growth of the stem becomes slow, moist soil should be added, while twisting the stem with a screw until only the leaves of the cotyledons remain above the surface.

If pots with seedlings are on windows facing south, then additional lighting is not required. In other cases, it is desirable to organize additional lighting so that the seedlings do not stretch.

Seed germination of pear-shaped zucchini begins at a rather low temperature (+13+16°C), after emergence, it is necessary to raise the ambient temperature to +20+25°C.

Advice! After 7-10 days after germination, it is necessary to feed the seedlings with a complex mineral fertilizer, repeat feeding after another 7-10 days.

Planting seedlings in open ground

It is possible to plant seedlings of pear-shaped zucchini on an open bed already in late May or early June, when its age reaches 25-30 days. It must be borne in mind that the squash bush is quite voluminous and takes up a lot of space. Therefore, between the sprouts of pear-shaped zucchini, the distance should be at least a meter. It is advisable to fertilize the holes in which the seedlings will sit with two kilograms of humus or compost and pour it well with warm water.

Pear-shaped zucchini

Attention! About a week before the proposed landing on the garden, it is necessary to harden the seedlings of pear-shaped zucchini, lowering the temperature to + 14 + 16 ° С.

This can be done by taking pots with seedlings to a greenhouse or senets for several hours.

Reviews of gardeners about pear-shaped zucchini

Lidia Ivanova, 53 years old, Kaluga
This year I decided to plant a pear-shaped zucchini again, because I am very pleased with last year’s harvest and the taste of these wonderful zucchini. It was not difficult to grow pear-shaped zucchini, but it is provided with delicious fruits for the whole winter!
Ivan Sergeevich Dolgikh, 67 years old, Neryungri
I did not even expect that in our harsh conditions you can get such a good crop of zucchini. Pear-shaped zucchini was especially pleased. Firstly, it is beautiful, and secondly, pear-shaped zucchini are very well stored, and most importantly, they do not get stale! I advise everyone.
Growing zucchini, zucchini and squash in a tricky way

Leave a Reply