All About Cocozelle Zucchini Squash, Squash Bugs, and Hand Pollination! | Texas Gardening

Italian Heirloom. Bush type heirloom zucchini decorated with dark and light green stripes. Tender, flavorful, and firm greenish white flesh is best picked under 12”. In Italy, it is eaten when only 1-2” long. Great for the small garden or container planting and also good for freezing and canning.
Cucurbita pepo
Germination: 4-10 days
Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 70-85ºF
Seed Sowing Depth: 1/2-1" deep
Sowing Indoors: 3-4 weeks before last frost. Provide 70-85ºF soil temperature. Sow 2-3 seeds per cell/pot. Sowing into individual biodegradable peat/cow pots reduces root damage when transplanting. Transplant 36-48" apart after last frost.
Sowing Outdoors: Sow after last frost when soil temperature is over 70ºF. Sow a few seeds every 36-48".
Harvest: Check and harvest a few times a week. Cut or kindly twist off fruit, starting at a 3-4”.
Tips: Plant in fertile soil, amended with compost or well rotted manure and keep well watered. They benefit from growing on black plastic and by using row covers for weed, insect control, and more rapid growth.

[@Mazianali]

Thank you so much! Just got these seeds super excited

[@lynetteledoux2845]

My garden so resembles yours!!! I have the purple amaranth too - as lures for the pest/bugs to go there rather than my zukes and such.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Yes they are great for that!

[@smallspaceswithGloria]

I love this squash😊

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Yes it’s yummy!

[@lysmalls658]

I like your Garden

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Thank you so much

[@valerie4975]

I will try that variety next year - you can try Bossa Nova too - it's doing good against the borers this year. I love that you hand squash the squash bugs lol. I will do that to the nymphs but adults I drop into a glass of soapy water.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Smart tip about the soapy water lol will make it so much easier to just throw them into a soapy dish

[@Jessica-ir8pw]

A cocozelle isn't like a zucchini, it is a type of zucchini. The best infact!

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

You’re so right !

[@LifewithBlindaandChuck]

Seems to be a very prolific variety. I need to start pollinating mine.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

It’s been great for us!

[@dblr2606]

Great video. For some reason, I have mostly male flowers, only received three squash. They are large, though, very large. And have yellow tinge. Have you ever seen this before? I will send you a picture, but I’m not sure how to do that on this forum.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Try to keep them about medium size for better eating, if they get to large I would just use them for Zuchini bread. Your female flowers are coming! You can also eat the blossoms, fried in batter, or stuffed :)

[@myurbangarden7695]

I am growing PUMPKINS. I have many of these same issues. Just waiting on the FEMALE flowers.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

That’s the hardest part, the beginning when it’s just females or just males lol

[@bensmith3600]

What are those red plants you have growing with the squash? Have you tried any other vine bore resistant varieties?

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Those are Red Amaranth! A great grain option, and the leaves are similar to spinach. Blue Hubbard Squash, and Tromboncino Squash are good hardy varieties! But vine borers are rough lol

[@pcngo1]

1st time growing cocozelle and set 2 plants per sq ft according to the seed packet having 4 plants total. Have about 5-7 leaves on each and starting to crowd so I'm leaning to prune 1-2 old leaves to increase circulation and prevent disease but feel it may be too early even though I'm going to stake and grow them vertically. Any thoughts or advice?

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

As long as you have strong leaves there it should be fine :) pruning 1-2 old leaves isn’t to big of a deal :)

[@myurbangarden7695]

I use DIATOMACEOUS EARTH or a volcanic rock dust. Its not perfect but it prevents the larva.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Girl I have tried so much! I just slaughter them now 😂

[@angelsilva7230]

I guess the bug is called squash bug because they like to be squashed 😂

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

I’m not quite sure if they enjoy it 😂 but I do

[@angelsilva7230]

@@JesusLovingHomesteader 😆 🤣

[@HotRod53-o3g]

Wouldn't those be squashed bugs. Ha! Good looking zukes

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Yes! No mercy for squashed bugs lol

[@kg89808]

U can eat the bulb of the male flower. There's almost a honey like taste at the base of the bulb.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Squash and pumpkin blossoms are huge in cooking in many countries! We fried some last year! Yumm

[@containingmygarden]

Thanks for sharing. I hope I don't see many of them they are so gross uggguuhh.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

They multiply so quickly! I’m convinced that all they do is mate 😂

[@butterflyj685]

My Cocozelle didn't do well here in Georgia. The bores & sqaush bugs ripped right through them. I had better success with the Italian Cucuzzi Squash/ Gourd.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

These borers and bugs are becoming bionic lol

[@theresevanvleet1678]

Have you tried covering your plants with kaolin clay??? Insects don't like the clay.

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

I’ve actually heard about this! I haven’t tried it yet, we have so many plants that I just didn’t want to spend the money this year trying it