{"id":21702,"date":"2024-10-26T09:07:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T16:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/?p=21702"},"modified":"2024-10-26T09:08:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T16:08:00","slug":"growing-zucchini-in-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-zucchini-in-southern-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing zucchini in Southern California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My job is to grow food for my family. Some crops I grow because we all love to eat them (Cara Cara oranges, for example), some crops I grow because just one of us is a big fan. My wife needs her zucchini so I&#8217;ve learned to sow, plant, water, and harvest them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Varieties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While we don&#8217;t have a single favorite zucchini variety, to grow or to eat, I&#8217;ve grown many that I like, including <a href=\"https:\/\/territorialseed.com\/products\/squash-summer-desert\">Desert<\/a> (normal, uniformly dark green type), Clarimore (pale green type), and Cocozelle types (striped). The one that has performed very well for me this summer is a seedling that I bought at a nursery whose tag was just labelled &#8220;zucchini,&#8221; but it&#8217;s as good as any I&#8217;ve ever grown. It looks like the classic Black Beauty variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sowing and planting, timing and spacing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first zucchini seeds of the year can be sown as early as February. A heat mat can help the seeds germinate at that chilly time. It is said that zucchini seeds sprout most readily at <a href=\"https:\/\/anrcatalog.ucanr.edu\/pdf\/7245.pdf\">70 degrees or higher<\/a>, and I have seen this myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These first zucchinis planted out in March or April can grow well but are vulnerable to pillbugs, earwigs, and other critters that like to eat their leaves. Because of this, I pot up my first zucchini plants of the year until they&#8217;re in a one-gallon container so the plants are bigger and can handle some bug munching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, I wrote about <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/an-extraordinary-zucchini-plant\/\">one particular Desert zucchini plant<\/a> that I sowed on March 1 and planted out on April 9. Here it was, still producing in the fall of that year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-fruit-November-13.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-fruit-November-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16120\" style=\"width:461px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-fruit-November-13.jpg 700w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-fruit-November-13-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 700px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Desert zucchini from 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, my best zucchini plants are usually those I plant in the middle of summer. The dirt is warm then, the bugs are fewer, and the plants grow rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, for example, I planted a zucchini on August 14 at a four-inch pot size. The plant rocketed in growth immediately, saw no bug damage, and is still happily producing today (almost Halloween).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In September, this plant took a heat wave like a champion. It was 100-plus for nine days straight. One day was 114 degrees. Zucchini is said to grow optimally at <a href=\"https:\/\/anrcatalog.ucanr.edu\/pdf\/7245.pdf\">65-75 degrees<\/a>, but that&#8217;s not what I&#8217;ve seen. I&#8217;ve seen zucchini in my yard supremely happy and productive at far higher temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-harvested-Sep-24-2024.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-harvested-Sep-24-2024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21791\" style=\"width:554px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-harvested-Sep-24-2024.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-harvested-Sep-24-2024-480x310.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Zucchini harvested September 24, 2024, after a period of triple-digit heat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I sometimes grow two or three zucchini plants per year, replacing early plants if they become unhealthy. But I never grow more than one at a time. I can&#8217;t see how a family, let alone an individual, would need more zucchini than one plant will provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zucchini plants get bigger than most other vegetables, about five feet wide, so you must allow for that much garden space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Planting location and root knot nematodes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In part, it is because of this spacing need that I often place my zucchini plants among my fruit trees rather than within my vegetable beds. I just make sure to place them south of trees so that they get full sun, all day long, which they love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-beside-avocado-tree-Sep-12-2021.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"899\" height=\"745\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-beside-avocado-tree-Sep-12-2021.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21796\" style=\"width:443px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-beside-avocado-tree-Sep-12-2021.jpg 899w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-beside-avocado-tree-Sep-12-2021-480x398.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 899px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Zucchini growing on southeast side of avocado tree, September 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The roots of zucchini plants are hospitable to root knot nematodes. Because I have these tiny pests in my garden dirt, I have to plant zucchini where I haven&#8217;t grown it or another plant that hosts RKN for at least a year or two or else the zucchini plant will be short lived and not very productive. If you&#8217;ve had zucchini plants become unhealthy after their first few weeks in the ground, you ought to look into whether it&#8217;s because of root knot nematodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(See my posts, <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/what-are-root-knot-nematodes\/\">&#8220;What are root knot nematodes?&#8221;<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/dealing-with-root-knot-nematodes-in-a-vegetable-garden\/\">&#8220;Dealing with root knot nematodes.&#8221;<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One way around root knot nematodes in your garden dirt is to grow in containers with a &#8220;clean&#8221; soil mix. Can you grow zucchini in a pot? Sure. You can grow anything in a pot, as long as the pot is big enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-in-pot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-in-pot.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21794\" style=\"width:457px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-in-pot.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-in-pot-480x397.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Zucchini fruiting in a pot, September 29, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Flowering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every flower on a zucchini plant turns into a zucchini fruit. That&#8217;s not your fault. Some flowers are male and some are female, and only the females make fruit. (Just like humans!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the male flowers do have a purpose. They provide pollen for the female flowers. Here is how to distinguish between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The male flowers have long, skinny stems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/male-zucchini-flower.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"889\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/male-zucchini-flower.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21774\" style=\"width:282px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/male-zucchini-flower.jpg 600w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/male-zucchini-flower-480x711.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">See how long and skinny the stem is on that male flower?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The female flowers have short, fat stems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/female-zucchini-flowers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"632\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/female-zucchini-flowers.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21775\" style=\"width:463px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/female-zucchini-flowers.jpg 900w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/female-zucchini-flowers-480x337.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 900px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">See how much shorter and fatter the stems are on these two female flowers?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The short, fat stems on the female flowers enlarge to become the zucchini fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bees move pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers. Honey bees visit zucchini flowers but there are also native bees that visit zucchini flowers, and they&#8217;re called . . . wait for it . . . &#8220;Squash bees.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/squash-bees-in-zucchini-flower.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"776\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/squash-bees-in-zucchini-flower.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21783\" style=\"width:438px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/squash-bees-in-zucchini-flower.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/squash-bees-in-zucchini-flower-480x466.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Squash bees (not honey bees) inside one of my zucchini flowers in June 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Watering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the last handful of years, I have watered my zucchini plants with a single drip line with emitters spaced every nine inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon planting, I use only a single emitter but then add emitters as the zucchini plant grows until it gets three emitters at mature size. The emitters I use put out 0.5 gallons per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I run the drip emitters for as long as needed to give a mature zucchini plant about 10 gallons of water per week in the summer, a little more if it&#8217;s extra hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fertilizing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have never seen the need to treat soil fertility for zucchini differently than for other vegetables. So I add a couple gallons of my homemade chicken compost to the area at planting time and that&#8217;s it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(My post on the <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/fertilizing-vegetables-with-compost-pros-and-cons\/\">pros and cons of fertilizing vegetables with compost<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Harvesting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I prefer a knife with a straight (non-serrated) edge that is beveled on both sides for harvesting zucchini. Such a knife slices the stem easily and cleanly. I use my Opinel No.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I find that my hands and arms get more scratches from the bristly leaf stems on a zucchini plant if I harvest with pruning shears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no right or wrong as to when you harvest zucchini. Harvest at the size you like to eat. I like smaller, more tender zucchinis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/desert-zucchini-harvested-may-27-2021.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"698\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/desert-zucchini-harvested-may-27-2021.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21798\" style=\"width:434px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/desert-zucchini-harvested-may-27-2021.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/desert-zucchini-harvested-may-27-2021-480x419.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Small and tender &#8216;Desert&#8217; zucchini harvested May 27, 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If I don&#8217;t look at the plant for a day and a fruit gets bigger than ideal, I might grate it instead of using it in slices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-overgrown-August-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-overgrown-August-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21764\" style=\"width:517px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-overgrown-August-2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-overgrown-August-2-980x510.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Desert-zucchini-overgrown-August-2-480x250.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Overgrown zucchini from a few summers ago. We grated it and used it as filler in ground beef.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Powdery mildew<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The closer you live to the beach, the more humid your air, and the more powdery mildew you will get on the leaves of your zucchini plant. That&#8217;s the white fuzzy film on top of the leaves. There&#8217;s nothing you can do to stop it. Accept it as your tax for living in such a comfortable climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/zucchini-with-powdery-mildew-Carpinteria-August-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"544\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/zucchini-with-powdery-mildew-Carpinteria-August-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16123\" style=\"width:412px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/zucchini-with-powdery-mildew-Carpinteria-August-1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/zucchini-with-powdery-mildew-Carpinteria-August-1-480x373.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 700px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Zucchini plant with powdery mildew on older leaves at Carpinteria Community Garden, August 1, 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I get almost no powdery mildew on my zucchini plants these days, as I garden twenty miles inland. But I used to garden near the beach and had to tolerate more mildew. I don&#8217;t recommend wasting time and resources trying to fight it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The old leaves on a zucchini plant that are yellowing and may have powdery mildew can be removed. Doing so may make harvesting a little easier and makes the plant look a little healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-before-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-before-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21779\" style=\"width:458px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-before-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-before-remove-old-leaves-1-480x383.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Before removing old leaves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-after-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-after-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21780\" style=\"width:457px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-after-remove-old-leaves-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/zucchini-after-remove-old-leaves-1-480x392.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">After removing old leaves. Look healthier? Prettier?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I enjoy the tropical look of a zucchini plant&#8217;s large green leaves. Reminds me of taro. And its bright orange, star-shaped flowers add to the beauty. I might even grow zucchini if it didn&#8217;t make fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank your for <a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/supporting-the-yard-posts\/\">supporting<\/a> my Yard Posts and keeping the ads away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All Yard Posts are listed&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/list-of-yard-posts\/\">HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My job is to grow food for my family. Some crops I grow because we all love to eat them (Cara Cara oranges, for example), some crops I grow because just one of us is a big fan. My wife needs her zucchini so I&#8217;ve learned to sow, plant, water, and harvest them. Varieties While [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vegetables"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Growing zucchini in Southern California - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gregalder.com\/yardposts\/growing-zucchini-in-southern-california\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Growing zucchini in Southern California - Greg Alder&#039;s Yard Posts: Southern California food gardening\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My job is to grow food for my family. Some crops I grow because we all love to eat them (Cara Cara oranges, for example), some crops I grow because just one of us is a big fan. My wife needs her zucchini so I&#8217;ve learned to sow, plant, water, and harvest them. 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