I've never grown this vegetable but have two small plants in my garden now.

They're only about 2 foot but look as if they're a creeper (like a pumpkin or watermelon maybe?) but the stalks seem extremely fine and delicate at present. There's no way I could even tie them to anything right now.

For that reason I wonder how the plant supports the weight of the fruit? They also appear to be very fast growing which looks as if it may be a problem and at the rate they're growing I'm going to have a herb garden and LAWN filled with zucchini plant. Which would be fine if I had somewhere to walk.

I've checked heaps of garden sites online but have varying information. Maybe it depends on the type of zucchini. ?

Should I be growing them on a trellis of some type or what? Some sites say yes, and some say no.

mine grow very fast. That sounds like what they are.

Thanks.

I'll let everyone know if they start to remind me of Day of the Triffids. It's starting to feel that way already.

They are planted right near my front door and headed my way.

I believe they spread along the ground way out just like cucumbers do. They will take over if they do not have room. Our cucumbers even went out of the fence we had. So we took up that part of the fence and let them go.

We plant them where they have LOTS of space to ramble. The joke around here is "Don't leave your car doors unlocked during zucchini season!" Because theoretically, people with baskets of extra zucchini will sneak around leaving them in cars.

At our house, there's no such thing as "extra" squash. When the zukes are small, I slice them thin and sautee them in butter, oil, or even non-stick pan spray. Sometimes with onions. Yum.

I don't do much baking/cooking anymore, but I used to make zucchini bread, cake, muffins from them, or chop them up and cook them with tomatoes, rice and ground beef, etc.

And when we end up with more than we can eat, the chickens LOVE them! So none go to waste.

OK then. I'm in serious trouble!

So tomorrow morning I'll be moving the young ones into a different area.

If I change my mind and tie them up to a trellis, I'll let you know. I just don't want them to touch the ground when they mature.