How to Grow Zucchini in Pots

Container gardens offer the chance to grow a vegetable garden without the need for a high-maintenance garden bed. Zucchini is one of many vegetable varieties that thrives in pots. In garden beds, zucchini often is left to sprawl, but in a pot it can be staked to take up less space. Look for hybrid varieties such as Black Magic and Jackpot, that are bred specifically for pot growing.

Pot

Potting soil

Fertilizer

Seeds or transplants

Tomato cage

Plant ties

Fill a 5-gallon or larger pot with a moist, quality potting mixture to within 2 inches of the pot's rim. Make sure the pots and planters have drainage holes in the bottom.

Mix a slow-release, balanced fertilizer with the potting mixture, following label instructions for exact application amounts.

Plant one zucchini seedling or two to three seeds per pot. Plant seedlings at the same depth they were at in their nursery pots and plant seeds to a depth twice that of their width.

Water the potting mixture after planting until the excess begins to drain from the bottom of the pot. Water the zucchini again when the soil surface begins to dry, which may be daily during hot, dry weather.

Place the containers in an area that receives at least eight hours of sunlight daily.

Place a tomato cage on top of the soil in the pot. Guide the zucchini vines through the inside of the cage as they grow. Tie the vines in place loosely with cloth or plastic plant ties. Allow the vines drape over the outside of the cage when they reach the top.

Start zucchini in outside in pots after all danger of frost has passed in spring.

Seeds germinate within seven to 14 days of planting.

Harvest the zucchini when they reach the desired size. Generally, this is 4 to 6 inches for dwarf varieties and 6 to 10 inches for regular varieties.

Zucchini does not transplant well. Purchase seedlings in peat pots to eliminate the chance of transplant shock.