Dark Green Zucchini is an early-maturing bush variety that delivers prolific harvests in just 40 to 49 days. The fruits are striking: straight, smooth, and covered in dark green mottling that deepens as they mature. This cultivar thrives across hardiness zones 3 through 13, making it reliable almost everywhere, and grows as a compact annual that reaches just 24 to 30 inches tall. What gardeners love most is the sheer abundance, many growers end up with so much zucchini they're sharing it freely with neighbors and turning the surplus into bread and other preserves.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-13
30in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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The vigor and speed of Dark Green Zucchini separates it from slower varieties. Seedlings emerge quickly in warm soil, plants fill out fast, and fruits reach peak eating size at just 6 to 8 inches, tender, firm-fleshed, and pale greenish-white inside. Early, vigorous, heavy-yielding, and straightforward to grow, this variety rewards both market growers and home gardeners with an almost embarrassing abundance of harvest.
Dark Green Zucchini shines fresh in summer cooking, whether sliced thin for grilling, diced into pasta dishes, or shredded into zucchini bread. The firm, pale flesh holds up well during cooking without becoming mushy. When harvested at the ideal 6 to 8 inch size, it's tender enough for raw preparation in salads or slaws, yet substantial enough for roasting and baking.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost date in soil warmed to 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep soil consistently moist until germination, which typically occurs within 7 to 10 days. Thin seedlings to the strongest individual per pot.
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days before moving them outside. Transplant after all frost danger has passed and soil temperature reaches at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space transplants 36 inches apart in full sun.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after all frost danger passes and soil reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Push seeds about 1 inch deep into the soil, spacing them 36 inches apart. Thin seedlings to one plant per hill once they develop true leaves.
Harvest Dark Green Zucchini when fruits reach 6 to 8 inches long, when the skin is firm and glossy and the mottled dark green color is vibrant. Cut or snap fruits from the vine in the morning when they're cool and crisp. Check plants every 2 to 3 days during peak season, as zucchini grows quickly once it starts sizing up. Frequent harvesting encourages the plant to keep producing new flowers and fruits.
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