Question
QUESTION: i am residing in east bay,San francisco.can i grow zucchinis in containers? i have a small deck so if the plant has too many vines and rambles a lot i might not be able to grow them.and if i am able to,can i start indoors now and transplant later? thanks for all your help.
ANSWER: I have had simular questions about melon vines, and cucumber vines. Yes, these vines will grow in containers. The problem is, they get very large. They will not get as robust, as they would if they were planted in the ground, because their roots are restricted in the container, but the soil, and moisture, can be much better controlled, in the container.
So, there are two ways that the size can be delt with.
One, is to prune the vine, which will reduce the production.
Or two, train the vine to grow vertical up a support. A very strong support. No wimpy trellis. This serves two purposes. It gets the vine out of your way on the deck, and it gets the vine up in the sunlight, thus giving you more zucchinis. It makes havesting easier as well.

So get some good, strong lumber, and attach it solidly to the deck. Face it so that the plant will get the maximum sun light. Put ONE plant in a very large container, that has good drainage. Use very good potting soil that contains fertilizer and moisture control, plus mix in some composted manure, and peatmoss. Water every morning on sunny days. Tie the vines with somethiing that will stretch. I use panty hose, or rubberbands. It prevents the vines from getting damaged as they swell, and grow.

bakerplanter

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: can i start the zucchini seeds indoors now and transplant later or plant it outdoors right away?we do get 2-3 hrs of good sun now.thanks for the advice.

Answer
You can start them indoors, but when you transfer them outside, they will go through a sort of "restart" period, where they don't grow much, while they are adjusting to being outside. So, you don't gain much. I would just plant them in the container. You don't get freezing weather there, so it will be fine. Zuchini grow very fast, so even if you wait for a while, they will have a long enough growing period to produce. It would be better if you had a full day of sun. They like as much sun as possible.

(Sorry I missed that part of your question the first time.  I remembered after I had aready sent it.)

bakerplanter