What Do Yellow Flowers on a Zucchini Plant Mean?

Planting

• Zucchini grows best in well-drained soil that has been amended with compost. Set out seeds or plants in the spring after the last expected frost date for your area. Set seeds or plants 2 to 3 feet apart, and keep the soil moist. Keep weeds from your vegetable garden. Plant zucchini in early spring, and again in early summer to provide harvest through fall. Zucchini can produce a bountiful harvest, so only one or two plants should provide plenty of squash for your family.

Harvest

• If kept watered and fertilized, zucchini is almost guaranteed to provide a harvest of squash. Once the yellow flowers develop, the harvest quickly follows. Zucchini plants produce male and female flowers. The male flowers produce pollen that fertilizes the female flowers, but do not develop into zucchini. Most varieties of zucchini should be picked when they are 6 to 8 inches long. If they are allowed to grow beyond this, the squash is over-mature, and does not have the best taste and texture.

Problems

• Zucchini is susceptible to several diseases and pests. Powdery mildew, botrytis blight and yellow mosaic virus can infect the zucchini plant. All are difficult to treat but easy to prevent by growing zucchini in optimum conditions, including watering at soil level to avoid wetting the leaves, and spacing plants for good air circulation. Cut worms, squash bugs, vine borers and cucumber beetles are insect pests that dine on squash vines. Watch for signs of pests on the leaves, stems or in the yellow flowers. You may treat them with insecticide that is formulated to be used on vegetables.

Flowers

• The yellow flowers of the zucchini vine are edible, and according to the University of Illinois, are tasty when dipped in batter and fried. You also may stuff the blossoms with breadcrumbs and cheese, then fry them in oil. For the best taste, pick the flowers when they have just bloomed, and remove the stamen and pistols from the center of the blossom. Wash them to remove any dirt or pollen, then prepare the flowers to your liking.