I've found the following to be true about cucumbers and zucchini:

1) They don't like heat.
2) They like multiple waterings every day.
3) They like a rich soil which holds the water content pretty well
(might mean putting some small wood chips into the soil).
Composted soil seems to work very well. You probably can mix
your clay with soil and let it compost, maybe 2 parts soil to 1 part
clay. I'm not familiar with growing things in clay so you'll just have
to make a best guess at it unless someone else comes along and
suggests something else.
4) The hotter it is, the more water they need.
5) They grow well in 90% shade here in Florida where they only
get some direct sunshine in the morning (about 1 to 1.5 hours
worth at most, the rest of the shade comes from an avacado tree).

Hope that helps.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"Sue" wrote:
On Mon, 23 May 2005 22:30:56 +0000, pineapple
wrote:


BenGman Wrote:
heres my problem: I just planted a zucchini and cuccumber plant, both
of which have some holes in their leaves and are just down-right weak
looking. If the holes are due to bugs, please list some good poisens
that won't go into my plants and how to make my plants stronger.
Another good thing to give your plants is water lots of it, and
plenty of tomatoe plant feed, or if you can get it, sulphate of potash.
It feeds the plants and will make them stronger and more resistant to
pests. Check that it isn't slugs or snails eating your plants, the best
time to get them is at night. spray with mild detergent and water if you
think you need an insecticide. Chemical insecticides mean your plants
will no longer be 'organic' and they are also bad for the environment
and nature. Happy Gardening.

I'm having zucchini problems, too. When the zucchini fruit starts to
come out they are yellow, get to about an inch long and start to rot.
Sigh. Same problem last year. My soil is very much clay so I dig in
commercial top soil. Other than that I've never given them anything
special. I don't know if that's the problem or if this is a watering
problem.
Sue