Seeds (Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica)

Alexandrani zucchini is the pale-green, slightly tapering summer squash that defines Egyptian home cooking. Its skin is a soft, light green with faint paler speckling, and the flesh is fine, tender and mild, so it soaks up flavour beautifully. Picked young, it is the classic choice for the stuffed "kousa mahshi", for stews and for quick sautes, where its delicate texture and gentle taste shine far more than the darker, firmer zucchini types.

Planting

This is a warm-season, frost-sensitive crop, so sow only once all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. The seed needs warmth to wake up: aim for a soil temperature of about 21°C at 5 cm depth, and 18-21°C is ideal for germination, which is rapid in warm soil at roughly 5-7 days. Sow about 1.3-2.5 cm deep, around 1.3 cm in pots and up to 2.5 cm when sowing directly outdoors. You can also start indoors about three weeks before transplanting in 7.5 cm containers, hardening off the young plants before they go out. In Egypt the frost risk is minimal across most of the Nile Valley and Delta, so the real aim is to catch warm-but-not-extreme temperatures. In the Delta and Lower Egypt, sow a main spring crop in February-March as the soil warms past about 15-18°C, and an autumn crop in August-September for an October-November harvest. In the warmer south, such as Luxor and Aswan, shift earlier to a January-February sowing, and prefer a September sowing for a cooler-season crop, avoiding the peak heat of June-August when fruit set suffers. Give plants room, as they grow large and vigorous: space them about 90 cm apart, or 45-60 cm apart in rows roughly 1.8 m apart. Sow a few seeds per spot, then thin to the strongest plant, leaving about 20-30 cm between seedlings and cutting the extras with scissors rather than pulling, to avoid disturbing the roots. Choose a position in full sun, ideally 8-10 hours of direct light a day and at least 6, with shelter from wind.

Fertilizing

Plant into fertile, well-drained soil and work in compost or fertilizer before planting. The plant prefers a slightly acidic soil, around pH 6.0-6.5. Side-dress with nitrogen as the vines begin to spread, or when the female flowers start to appear. Plants growing in good ground generally do not need extra feeding, but container plants benefit from a high-potash liquid feed every 10-14 days once the first fruits begin to swell.

Care

Zucchini is a thirsty, heavy drinker. Provide about 2.5 cm of water per week from rainfall or irrigation, and keep the soil consistently moist; in hot Egyptian weather plants may need watering every day. Use drip lines or soaker hoses and keep the foliage dry, which helps limit powdery mildew, the main fungal problem, along with downy mildew, viruses and bacterial wilt. Watch for squash vine borers, squash bugs and striped or spotted cucumber beetles, which can also spread bacterial wilt, as well as slugs and snails on young plants. The crop matures fast, about 50-65 days from transplant. Harvest the fruits young and tender, before the seeds enlarge and the skin hardens, picking at around 10-12.5 cm or up to 15-20 cm long. Pick frequently, two to three times a week, to keep the plants productive.