Balcony Courgettes: Hand Pollination and Picking Young

Zucchini is one of the most productive crops in the urban garden: a single well-cared-for plant can give you zucchini for weeks. It needs a big pot and sun, but it's rewarding and grows at a surprising speed.

Fact	Zucchini in pots
Pot size	8-10 gallons per plant
Light	Full sun (6+ h)
Watering	Abundant and steady
Pollination	By hand if no bees
Harvest	6-8 inch fruits, in 45-60 days
Difficulty	Medium

How to grow it, point by point

Pot and variety

• A large pot: 8-10 gallons minimum per plant (powerful roots).
• Choose compact or bush varieties (not giant vining ones), ideal for pots and balconies.

Sun and soil

It wants lots of sun (6+ hours) and a soil rich in compost with good drainage. It's hungry: it appreciates a potassium-rich feed from flowering.

Watering

Abundant, steady watering (the plant is big and drinks a lot), especially in summer and while fruit is setting. Water the base, not the leaves, to prevent powdery mildew, to which it's very prone.

Pollination: the key trick

Zucchini has separate male and female flowers. The female has a tiny zucchini at its base. If there are no bees (enclosed balcony), pollinate by hand:

1. Take a male flower (no fruit at the base).
2. Rub its center against the center of a female flower in the morning.

Why baby zucchini drop off

If little fruits grow for a few days then rot or fall, it's almost always lack of pollination. Hand-pollinate and it'll be fixed.

Harvest

Pick zucchini young (6-8 inches): they're more tender and the plant keeps producing. Leave a giant one and the plant reads it as having "set seed" and slows down new fruit production. In peak season you'll be harvesting every 2-3 days, because they grow before your eyes. Cut with a knife or scissors leaving a bit of stalk, rather than pulling, so you don't damage the plant.

Common pests and problems

• Powdery mildew (white powder on the leaves): its signature problem, encouraged by heat and wetting the leaves. Always water the base, improve airflow and treat with baking soda or sulfur; the details are in our powdery mildew guide.
• Fruit rotting at the tip and dropping: lack of pollination (hand-pollinate) or, if the tip goes brown and leathery, a calcium shortage and irregular watering.
• Aphids and spider mites: check the undersides in hot, dry spells.

Varieties for pots

Choose compact bush varieties over the giant vining garden types: 'Black Beauty', 'Ronde de Nice' (round, very decorative) or any "patio" or "compact" hybrid. They take up less room and produce just as well in 8-10 gallons.

With sun, a big pot, plenty of water and pollination, you'll have zucchini to spare. Your plant looking off? Try the AI diagnosis.