Plant Care Library

Group/Class:  Heirloom

Description:

The standard summer squash with a large non-vining bushy habit, perfect for containers and gardens; produces long dark green, almost black, zucchinis with creamy white flesh; mild flavored, great for salads, soups and stews; excellent freezing qualities

Edible Qualities

Black Beauty Zucchini is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark green long fruit with black overtones and creamy white flesh which can be harvested at any point. The fruits have a mild taste and a firm texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Baking
• Freezing

Planting & Growing

Black Beauty Zucchini will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 24 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Black Beauty Zucchini is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.