Zucchini and Peppers

[maskedsonnet]

Ended the old 24 XL garden and started over! One side is Cavili Zucchini, to replace the cucumber experiment. The other side is 4 different types of peppers, finally getting back into my favorite hobby!! Super hots!!! Yellow 7-pot, Carolina Reaper, Red Savina Habanero, and Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper).

[waterphoenix]

Can't wait to see how it turns out! Has anyone successfully grown squash/zukes in an AG? I recall a few older threads but don't believe I ended up seeing fruit.

[maskedsonnet]

Jan 25, 2022 8:08:38 GMT -5 waterphoenix said:

Can't wait to see how it turns out! Has anyone successfully grown squash/zukes in an AG? I recall a few older threads but don't believe I ended up seeing fruit.

Not that I recall - I’ll have to run a search when I’m back on my computer instead of phone. The problem with things like zucchini, squash, and cucumber is that most types have gendered flowers that tend to bloom at different times. For this and the previous cucumber experiment I chose varieties that are parthenocarpic so I don’t have to worry about saving pollen from the males and pollinating the females. It worked great with the cukes, here’s hoping it also works great with zucchini!

[waterphoenix]

Smart! I didn't realize there were zucchini varieties that did not require pollination..

[maskedsonnet]

I've been poking around Google a lot, looking for parthenocarpic varieties of several different vegetables, because I'd love to slowly expand my hydroponic projects to grow all my own veggies without having to rely on grocery stores and cooperation from the weather. Cucumbers were the ones I was most excited about, because I could probably eat them every day and never get tired of them. Zucchini is very close behind that, I love cooking with it!! There weren't a ton of varieties to choose from - I've got the Cavili here, plus an Easy Pick Gold to try out when I finish with the Cavili. I haven't been able to find an actual yellow squash variety, just the golden zucchini, but that's what I want to experiment with when I finish with the zucchini runs!

I've also been thinking, since cucumber and squash plants in general get so LARGE and it seems such a shame to use a 12-pod machine for just one plant, that next I'll probably experiment with 5-gallon Kratky buckets for them. The cucumber drank surprisingly little for such a long vine and the number of fruit it set for me, so I think a 5-gallon bucket wouldn't require much more effort than an AG. I like to run "can I grow it at all" experiments with the AG first though, because it's more or less "set it and forget it".

[maskedsonnet]

The Zucchini is up!

Had to pull his little seed cap off the leaves, and I think I waited too long - there's a bit of browning. But hopefully having some air will let it rebound nicely!

[lynnee]

Like you, maskedsonnet, I'd like to get enough production from my AG veggies to eliminate the need to buy them at retail. In particular I want a steady supply of cherry tomatoes, but they take a long time to set fruit and the fruit takes a long time to ripen. So far the harvested quantities are limited.

My Mini Munch cuke drinks quite a bit of water. I have high hopes for the production, as I want to eat the cukes from the vine. My retail cukes tend to get lost in the bottom of the fridge.

I love your little zucchini. They're supposed to be very prolific, so it'll be fun to watch its progress.

[maskedsonnet]

The zucchini seems to get bigger every day! I love how fast zucchinis grow

On the other side, the only pepper up so far is the habanero:

[Sher]

I do, too!  Good luck, maskedsonnet!

[waterphoenix]

Look at those big leaves! Once zucchini gets going, it really gets going..

[Shawn]

Id say, large leaves

[maskedsonnet]

These are still doing good!!

Habanero

The Ghost Pepper is up!

The other two peppers are too, but too deep in the pod to photograph

And the zucchini plant!!

[Sher]

I am crossing my fingers that the zucchini thrives and is very productive! 

[Shawn]

Look at that zuke plant

[maskedsonnet]

He's getting big!!

The reaper is up:

Ghost pepper and habanero:

I see some green down in the 7-pot pod, but the plant's not all the way up yet!!

[lynnee]

What do you do with those extra-extra-extra-extra hot peppers? A habanero is way too hot for me. A Carolina Reaper would probably put me in the hospital!

Your plants look great.

[maskedsonnet]

I cook with habaneros, I love those. They make great poppers! But the other hots I either dry and grind into Chili Powder or make into hot sauce. I also keep some and hand them out to coworkers, who also like to make them into hot sauce.

[lynnee]

Okay, hot sauce makes sense.

[maskedsonnet]

I've had to raise the lights on the zucchini twice now, he's coming along nicely!! The leaves are huge

[Sher]

It is so exciting to watch that big boy grow!!!