Home News

How can you tell a well-ripe zucchini?

Radek Štěpán 04. 07. 2025 1 views

Your garden is definitely turning lush green these days and many types of fruits and vegetables are ripening. The one vegetable that is really getting ready for harvest is zucchini. This wonderful vegetable was originally bred in Italy and they grow it in large quantities. To make harvesting easier, it is a good idea to know which zucchini is ripe enough and which is not. You should only collect fully-ripe zucchinis, otherwise you are missing on the taste.

Which zucchinis are ready for harvesting?

If zucchinis are between 7 and 15 centimetres long then you got the right size. Zucchinis are fragile and taste great, if ripe enough. The best way to harvest is to cut off the entire fruit together with a small piece of stem. This will prevent zucchini from losing its juice and it can easily last for several weeks, if stored in a cold room. The time of harvest is also important, which should not be a problem in the summer, but during the fall when the temperature drops below 4 °C the fruit will suffer and you may end up with zucchinis with damaged skin. A good idea is to protect zucchinis with a white fabric and harvest in time.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Do not let zucchini grow too long

You must harvest zucchini in time. Do not let them overgrow. Young zucchinis are best because they did not develop seeds yet and you do not need to get rid of them. The skin is edible so, you do not need to peel. If you want seeds for next year, let one zucchini ripe completely and you will have plenty of seeds.

Photo: Pixabay

A simple zucchini test

Nothing complicated. Just push your fingernail into the fruit. If it feels soft, you can use it for barbecuing or for other uses that do not require intense cooking. If you have harder zucchini, use them on buns or fry them. If your zucchinis have grown too big, you need to remove seeds and make porridge or pancakes cukeťák nebo placky či kaši.