Prepare the cold frame
Is this Cold frame Set up in a sunny location, the floor must be well insulated. To do this, you spread manure on a layer of leaves and cover the whole thing with leaves and approx. 20 cm soil. This creates a fermentation process that heats the floor in the cold frame.
also read
- Storage and preservation of zucchini
- Notes for growing zucchini
- Zucchini - an undemanding vegetable for the garden
The sowing
Zucchini sowing can begin as early as the beginning of April. Put 3 - 4 seeds about 3 cm deep into each planting hole and cover them with soil. Don't forget to pour on. The first seedlings will appear after about a week.
If several seeds have sprouted in one place, the plants must be pricked out. To do this, you pull the weaker ones out of the ground so that only the strongest plant remains at each point.
Care in the cold frame
If the sun shines through the glass or foil of the cold frame, it is heated in a similar way to a greenhouse. At the same time, the covers act as wind protection. To ensure that the cold frame is well ventilated, you should open the lid regularly.
Further maintenance measures are:
- If the temperature is warm, leave the lid open for a long time
- however, be sure to close in the evening
- Cover with bubble wrap to protect against frost
- shade with dark foil if the sunlight is too strong
- water regularly
- Protect plants from snails
Will the zucchini stay in the cold frame or is it better to plant it out?
If you don't need the cold frame to grow more plants, you can leave your zucchini plant where it is. It is important that the plants can also spread well in the cold frame. After all, they have a space requirement of one to two square meters per plant.
If you can no longer use the cold frame, the young plants will be moved to a sunny place Location in the vegetable or flower bed planted. The time to plant out is from mid-May. With Garden fleece or a hat you protect the plants from possible night frosts.
Tips & Tricks
You can build a cold frame yourself from a wooden construction that is bevelled towards the front and a transparent film. It is important to have a transparent lid that lets in sunlight and provides fresh air when it is open.