Zucchini 'Gold Rush' F1 (Cucurbita pepo) is a golden skinned hybrid that crops as heavily as any green zucchini and is far easier to spot under the leaves at picking time. As a first generation hybrid it is bred for vigour, uniform fruit and yield, with strong disease resistance behind it.
What it does
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Golden fruit that shows itself. Bright skin stands out against the foliage, so fruit is much less likely to be missed and left to swell into a marrow.
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Hybrid vigour. The F1 breeding is what produces the even fruit, the consistent yield and the disease resistance this variety is grown for.
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Smooth, tender texture. It holds together grilled or roasted, and is just as good raw in fresh dishes.
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Undemanding in good soil. Planted into healthy ground it grows strongly without mulching or added fertiliser.
How to use it
Sow through spring and summer in most of the country, or year round where the soil stays warm. Give it full sun and fertile, well drained soil, sow at the depth printed on the packet, and keep the bed moist until seedlings emerge.
Set plants 60 to 80cm apart. That spacing keeps air moving between the leaves, and a few more plants at a generous distance out yield the same number packed tight. Pick at 15 to 20cm and pick often: the first fruit is usually ready 6 to 8 weeks from planting, and every one taken young keeps the next set forming.
What it suits
Summer food gardens. A warm season crop that carries through the hottest months, and the golden colour is a real point of difference next to a green variety.
Raised bed growing. Beds warm earlier in spring, which brings the first pick forward, provided watering keeps pace with the faster drying.
Big pots on a sunny courtyard. One plant in a large, freely draining container performs well where there is no bed to give it. Seed is delivered Australia wide,.
Being a hybrid, seed saved from the fruit will not come true to type. Buy fresh seed each season rather than expecting the next generation to repeat it.
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