When to plant seedlings of zucchini in 2022 according to the lunar calendar

For the middle lane, and even more so for the territories beyond the Urals, it is often advised to choose early-ripening varieties of vegetables, since the summer in these regions is short, it is important that the crop has time to ripen before the first autumn frosts. But with zucchini, you don’t have to think about it, because they are eaten in an unripe form. And even in late varieties, the first fruits appear after 55 – 65 days (1). That is, when sown immediately in the garden at the end of May, the harvest will be in early August. And for the early ones – in July. So you can safely buy any variety.

But we must remember that zucchini are thermophilic, they do not tolerate spring frosts, so they should be sent to the beds no earlier than the end of May. Can be sown with seeds. But if there is a desire to get a harvest already in June, then it is necessary to use the seedling method – in this case, the fruits can be harvested not at the end of July, but a month earlier – at the end of June. Let’s find out when to plant zucchini seedlings in 2022 according to the lunar calendar.

How to determine landing dates in your area

The timing of sowing seeds and planting depends on how you plan to grow zucchini. For the middle band they are:

• sowing in pots for seedlings – at the end of April;
• sowing seeds immediately in the garden – the end of May.

For the Urals and Siberia, the terms are slightly different:

• for seedlings – the first decade of May;
• immediately to the beds – the first days of June.

If weather forecasters predict a warm spring, you can sow zucchini 2 weeks earlier.

How to prepare seeds for sowing

“Zucchini seeds do not require any special preparation, they can be safely sown dry,” says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. – When sowing seedlings, they can be soaked for a day in warm water or germinated by wrapping them in a damp cloth. After that – sow in pots.

It is possible to germinate seeds when sown in open ground, but in this case it is important to ensure that the soil is always moist until germination. If the earth dries up, and at the end of May there is often heat, the seeds that have hatched may die.

Tips for caring for zucchini seedlings

Zucchini is unpretentious not only in adulthood – seedlings also grow beautifully, without making any special demands.

Shine. This, perhaps, is the only thing she needs – zucchini loves the sun.

“But they can also grow in partial shade, so seedlings can be kept on any window, not even the northern one, and without additional lighting,” agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova assures.

Temperature. Zucchini are thermophilic, the optimum temperature for seed germination is 26–27 °С, for plant growth – 18–25 °С (2).

“As long as they have enough light.” If the seedlings stand on the northern or western window, then it is better to provide cooler conditions, about 15 – 18 ° C, Svetlana Mikhailova recommends. – Otherwise, the zucchini will begin to stretch, the seedlings will outgrow. This is a very simple rule that applies to all seedling crops: a lot of light – high temperature, little – low.

Watering. Water the seedlings of zucchini should be moderate – the earth in the pot should dry out between waterings. Excess moisture can provoke fungal diseases.

Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse

Zucchini ripen very quickly, so you should not rush to sow seeds for seedlings – the end of April – the beginning of May is the time, since the optimal age of zucchini seedlings is 30 – 40 days (3), and it is planted in late May – early June.

Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse: 13 – 15, 21 – 22 April, 1 – 4, 7 – 15 May.

Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground

Since zucchini is thermophilic, it is possible to plant seedlings or sow seeds in open ground in the middle lane after May 25 – at this time there are usually no frosts. Beyond the Urals, it is better to move these dates to the beginning of June.

Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground: 1 – 15, 31 May, 1 – 12 June.

Popular questions and answers

We asked the agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova the most pressing questions about growing zucchini.

Sources of

1. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
2. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 – 416 p.
3. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.