Plant record

Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

Zucchini starts polite and then takes the room. Plan for its confidence.

Rankspeciesderived
GenusCucurbitaCucurbitaceae
Species anchorCucurbita pepoThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score77/100strong garden record

Garden timing

Direct sow after frost in warm soil.

Transplant only when warm and settled.

Space-saving method: grow with hill support.

Plant intelligence

Reserve multiple squares or an edge where it can sprawl without taking over.

foodvertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: sprawling

Record score

77/100strong garden record
Taxonomy confidence94Cucurbita pepo in Cucurbitaceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness86multi-square crop with hill support.
Timing and care depth842 planting windows, 60F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down400 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence70Food crop with companion context.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificCucurbita pepoFamilyCucurbitaceaeLookup namesZucchini, Cucurbita pepo

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit4 squares per plant
86Reserve multiple squares or an edge where it can sprawl without taking over. Support: hill.
Season behaviortender
84Direct sow. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadheavy water
58Needs more than one square foot. Watch squash bugs and powdery mildew. Soil minimum 60F.
Bed ecosystem rolefood, vertical
70Food-first crop with companion context.
Variety depth0 options
40Choose variety by mature habit first, then flavor or bloom.

Companions

nasturtium, radish, dill, bean

Cautions

Needs more than one square foot.

Watch squash bugs and powdery mildew.

External enrichment

Cached name: Cucurbita pepo. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

Michigan State University Extension

Michigan vegetable-garden timing, frost awareness, and practical garden planning.

Source reference

Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides

Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.

Source reference

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