Sue writes:
Some book I read said they need about 4 gallons a week.

That depends on how fast the soil drains, day temperatures, whether it's
windy, etc. A hot wind really dries out the plant. Poke your finger into
the soil, if it's damp then the plant doesn't need watering that day.

Sprinklers? Sprinklers are a recipe for mildew on curcubits.
Curcubits??? As far as I can tell I don't have mildew.

Most gardeners find that it's a progressive takeover by mildew that ends
the life of zucchini plants. The leaves turn white with mildew, but the
plant valiantly struggles on, bearing new flowers right to the last.

I've just been using a slow running hose now. Maybe drip next year.

A slow hose is fine. I pictured a sprinkler dowsing the whole plant.

Zucchinis are melt-in-your-mouth tasty if you pick them one or two DAYS
after their open-flower stage (yes, break off the flower!), rather than
leaving them to grow for WEEKS.

Break off the flower when it doesn't open anymore? I didn't know that
either. My ignorance is obviously huge. How can you keep track of
which ones are ready to have the flowers picked off?

Let's back up a bit. The zucchini fruit can be picked and cooked the day
its flower opens or any days later. If you pick them at the just-flowered
stage it really doesn't matter whether that particular flower has been
pollinated or not: by the time the plant realizes that that flower has
not been pollinated and prepares to abort that tiny fruit it discovers IT
IS TOO LATE---you've already picked and eaten the youngster! It is only
if you want the fruit to develop to a bigger size that you'll need to
pollinate it. In this regard the zucchini stands out from all others in
the curcubit family--you can harvest a good crop from your plants even if
you don't have bees and don't hand pollinate--provided you pick the tiny
zucchinis just after the flower has finished. The flower opens in the
early morning and lasts just one day, by the next day that flower is limp
and starting to wither. That's the best stage to harvest it, and after
a few minutes steaming add a dash of butter and a sprinkling of pepper!
Did you know the open flower is edible, too? I've seen mention of cooking
it in batter, but we'd just throw the flower over the fence for our pet
sheep. Shake any bees out first.

Pick them small and the plant will produce
dozens more;

How small would you say?

The day after the flower has fully opened. At this stage they are about
the length of your index finger. Maybe leave it for one more day, try it
and see.

leave any to grow large and you will have far fewer and they
are not anywhere near as tasty.

Sometimes they hide and get away from me. (

Yes, they are well camouflaged for concealment among the foliage. Pick
any big ones immediately you spy them, to encourage the plant to go on
producing more flowers. Best to note where the flowers are each day and
search that spot the following day. The yellow flowers themselves are
definitely not camouflaged!

The plants grow quickly and start bearing early in their life, so they
don't need anywhere near the long growing season of pumpkins, etc., where
you have to let the fruit reach maturity. You can probably stagger some
plantings throughout summer.

I'm in Australia.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)