How to grow zucchini
Frost-tender · Squash family
When to sow and plant
- Sow outdoors 6–20 May
- Plant out 20–27 May
Frost-tender: everything 17 days later, so it only goes outside once there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years.
Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May
Planting calendar for your areaWhere the dates come from
The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.
- Sow outdoors: 0–2 weeks after the last frost (University of Maryland Extension: Growing Summer Squash (Zucchini) in a Home Garden)
- Plant out: 2–3 weeks after the last frost (Cornell Garden-Based Learning: Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (Factsheet, 2015))
Good and bad neighbours
Crop rotation
After the squash family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).
- The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
- Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
- Heavy feeders two years in a row on the same bed are not a mistake, but they take more out of the soil.
At a glance
- Family
- Squash family (Cucurbitaceae)
- Nutrient needs
- Heavy feeder
- Frost
- Tender to frost
- Spacing (row × plant)
- 80 × 80 cm (31 × 31 in)
- Plants per m²
- 1.6
- Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
- 1 plant per 9 squares
- Life cycle
- Annual
- Harvest
- After 50–65 days from planting
Spacing according to Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018). Other sources: 122–183 × 61 cm (48–72 × 24 in) (USU Extension: How to Grow Summer and Winter Squash in Your Garden); – × 90 cm (– × 35 in) (RHS: How to grow courgettes).
Questions and answers
When can I plant out zucchini?
Plant out, average for Germany: 20–27 May. That is the date after which there is no frost in 9 out of 10 years. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.
How far apart should I plant zucchini?
80 × 80 cm (31 × 31 in) (row × plant), according to Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018).
What grows well next to zucchini?
Onion: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D) and Pole bean: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D).
How long a break do zucchini need in the same bed?
After the squash family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
More from the squash family
Sources
Show 11 sources
- Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
- RHS: How to grow courgettes
- University of Maryland Extension: Growing Summer Squash (Zucchini) in a Home Garden
- Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG): Sä- und Pflanztermine auf einen Blick (2018)
- USU Extension: How to Grow Summer and Winter Squash in Your Garden
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: Square Foot Gardening Guide (2020)
- Cornell Garden-Based Learning: Indoor Vegetable Seed Starting (Factsheet, 2015)
- Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
- BUND: Mischkultur – Gute und schlechte Nachbarn (August 2026)
- Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz (DLR): Übersicht – Kultur verschiedener Gemüsearten im Hausgarten (o. J.)
Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.