Black Beauty Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo 'Black Beauty'

vegetable

Black Beauty is a classic dark-green zucchini, a bush-type summer squash bearing glossy, slender fruit with tender, creamy flesh that is endlessly versatile in the kitchen. The plants are famously prolific, producing more than most families can keep up with from about 50 to 60 days, with fruit ready to pick just days after the blossoms open.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Nasturtium — Deters squash bugs and traps aphids
• Borage — Attracts pollinators and predatory wasps
• Marigold — Repels nematodes and some beetles
• Dill — Brings in lacewings and parasitic wasps

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Squash vine borer →

  Wrap stem bases with foil or row cover early; mound soil over vines to root at the nodes; remove and destroy infested stems

• Squash bugs →

  Clean up debris, hand-pick adults, and crush bronze egg clusters on leaf undersides

• Powdery mildew →

  Water at the base, space for airflow, and remove old leaves

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick zucchini young and tender at about 6 to 8 inches long, when the skin is glossy and a fingernail dents it easily, cutting the fruit with a short stem. Harvest every day or two at the peak, since fruit left on the plant quickly grows into giant, seedy, watery marrows and slows further production.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Zucchini is very low in calories and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium, with fiber and antioxidants concentrated in the tender skin, which is eaten along with the flesh.