We learned something spectacular today: we’ve been growing zucchini the wrong way for decades. Fortunately, dear Karen Bertelsen—the genius behind The Art of Doing Stuff —has shown us the light!
Zukes Need to be Staked!
Seriously, we had no idea. We were all raised with summer squashes sprawling across our backyard lawns. The fruits would inevitably lie on the earth, nearby leaves absolutely frosted with powdery mildew.
But no more.
To quote directly from the article:
Zucchini need to be pruned and staked. For real. Like a tomato.
Zucchini can be planted VERY close together. 1 per square foot.
Powdery Mildew CAN be halted. O.K., maybe not entirely halted but slowed wayyyyy down.
I know, right? We were blown away too. Apparently not only do staked zucchinis grow up all beautiful and healthy, but you can prune off any leaves below the fruits. This prevents them from getting all mildewy!
Check out their full article, as it’s full of helpful tips on how to stake and prune (!!!) your zucchini plants, as well as how to treat that dreaded powdery mildew we all hate so much.
Thank you, Karen, for showing us the way. ❤
farmtheworld.org 
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