Square-foot gardening makes efficient use out of small garden spaces so you can enjoy a greater crop yield in less space. Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow and is worth the effort because a single plant yields up to 9 pounds of zucchinis. Mature zucchini plants can spread as much as 3 feet, taking up valuable space in the garden. While the zucchini leaves protect the fruits from intense sunlight, some larger leaves can be pruned as long as the fruits still receive shade. Avoid thinning too many leaves so plant health doesn't suffer.
Observe the plant daily after flowering begins, usually within 60 days of planting, to look for developing zucchini fruits that emerge where flowers grow. Wait until the plant has five or six small developing zucchini fruits before selecting the leaves to prune.
Push a large zucchini leaf down close to the ground to see if removing it will allow too much sunlight to reach the zucchini. Repeat with several of the leaves until you find a few leaves that will have the least effect on sunlight to the fruits, while allowing you to reduce the size of the plant. If possible, try to remove only leaves that grow under the developing flowers and fruits, which have no effect on shade.
Cut the leaves through the stem about 1 inch out from their points of origin on the stalk, using bypass pruners, scissors or a sharp knife.
Break the leaves into smaller pieces and dispose of them in your compost pile.
Things You Will Need
- Bypass pruners
- Sharp knife
- Some people like to tie their zucchini plants to stakes, thinning all the leaves that grow below the flowers.
- The crop yield might be reduced as a result of removing the leaves, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The energy that would go toward growing these leaves and fruits is instead diverting into making the fruits you do harvest even more flavorful.
- Harvest to Table: Zucchini Growing Problems: Troubleshooting
- The Old Farmer's Almanac: Squash & Zucchini
- The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Zucchini: A Treat in the Heat
- University of Minnesota Extension: Growing Zucchini and Summer Squash in Minnesota Home Gardens
- My Square Foot Garden: Pruning Zucchini
- Growing Taste: Pumpkins
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