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Grow Oodles of Summer Squash
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If
Summer Squash weren't so productive and easy to grow, it would probably be considered more of a delicacy. In our kitchen, it's as highly regarded as
Eggplant and
Asparagus. That's because we pick our
Summer Squash young, when the skin is soft, the flesh is tender and before the seeds have formed. It makes all the difference!
We adore all sizes, shapes and colors of Summer Squash.
Commonly known as Zucchini or Courgette, Summer Squash belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. This versatile, mild-flavored veggie easily unleashes the ingenious inner chef inside each of us. We can make it into whatever we want, savory or sweet, and take comfort in the fact that it is low in calories with beneficial folate, potassium and Vitamin A.
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Planting Secrets for Summer Squash
You can start
Summer Squash
seeds indoors about a month before planting outdoors, but if you just wait until the soil warms up, you can direct-sow the seeds into the garden and the plants will quickly catch up.
Summer Squash
won't tolerate frost or cold temperatures, so wait until all danger of frost has passed. (Find the Frost-Free Date for your garden
HERE
.
)
Most Summer Squash varieties have a compact, bushy habit, but some are as sprawling as Pumpkins, so it's important to follow seed packet spacing directions. Typically, two or three seeds are planted in a group 4" to 5" apart. Groups should be spaced 3 feet apart. Covering newly planted seeds with floating row covers will speed germination, keep young plants cozy, and minimize damage from cucumber beetles, squash bugs and vine borers.
Want to know more? Get all the information you need to grow a bountiful crop HERE.
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More useful Tips
1. To ensure the highest quality fruit, make sure your plants receive plenty of water. In very hot weather, it's normal for the leaves to wilt. They'll revive when the sun goes down.
2. Make sure your plants don't run out of food by adding plenty of compost or rotted manure to the planting area along with a slow-release granular fertilizer. During the growing season, apply a liquid fertilizer once or twice a month.
3. Once your Summer Squash plants begin producing, harvest several times a week. The fruits can be picked when very small but are more typically harvested when 4" to 6" long or 3" to 5" in diameter.
4. Mulching around the plants with straw or shredded leaves will smother weeds and reduce moisture loss.
5. Summer Squash plants produce both male flowers and female flowers. The males appear first and have a long stem and no "bump" at the base. These can be picked and eaten (try them battered and deep fried!), but always leave a few male flowers for pollination.
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So Many Great Summer Squashes!
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40-45 days. Cucurbita pepo. Green Tigress produces uniform, smooth, long, cylindrical fruit that holds its fine texture and quality up to 8" long. Disease-resistant and vigorous, it is reliable in cool, damp weather and has an extremely early maturity date. (F1.)
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50 days. Cucurbita pepo. This Mediterranean-type Squash has a smooth Zucchini shape with shiny, light green skin and smooth flesh with a sweet, slightly nutty flavor. Self-pollinating Cavili has upright bushes with large, mottled silver leaves. Best picked when 5" to 7" long. (F1.)
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40-50 days. Cucurbita pepo. An extremely early variety to set fruit, Milano produces large quantities of swarthy Zucchini over a long season on vigorous dwarf bushes. This variety grows quickly. It is best picked no longer than 8" long, when it is shiny, sweet and most flavorful. (OP.)
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50 days. Cucurbita pepo. This classic Zucchini has smooth, glossy, dark green skin and nutty-sweet flesh. A Cavili sibling, parthenocarpic Partenon doesn't require bees for pollination. Its upright bushes produce loads of Squash, best picked when just 5" to 7" long. (F1.)
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50-60 days. Cucurbita pepo. Not a variety you are likely to find at the market, Striato d'talia features medium green color with lighter stripes and slight vertical ridging. When sliced, the Zucchini is semi-scalloped at the edges. Lots of lovely fruits grow on big, bushy open plants for optimal harvest not larger than 8" long. (OP.)
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50-55 days. Cucurbita pepo. These stocky plants need a sunny 3' in all directions, but you won't begrudge them the space once you've experienced this French heirloom. Each plant yields many jade-colored Zucchini over a long period. Harvest Ronde de Nice from golf ball to softball size, while still pale and milky green. (OP.)
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50 days. Cucurbita pepo. This productive plant keeps yielding smooth, shiny Squash as long as they are picked routinely. Its tasty, uniform fruits have thick, break-resistant curved necks yet softer stems for easy picking when they are 6" to 8" long~the best size. (F1.)
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42-56 days. Cucurbita pepo. Easy to grow, this sun-yellow, bumpy-skinned heirloom produces scads of yummy, straight necked Squash. Harvest no larger than 6" long for the most tender and succulent taste and for optimum production through the summer. (OP.)
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50-55 days. Cucurbita pepo. Bennings Green-Tint is a Pattypan-type also known as Scallop Squash due to its round, flattened and scallop-edged shape. The bush grows 3' to 4' tall with a high yield of glistening, pale green-skinned Pattypan. Its pale green flesh matures to creamy white with an excellent flavor, a hint of sweetness and a tender, yet meaty, texture when picked at 2" to 3" in diameter. (OP.)
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60 days. Lagenaria siceraria. AKA the
Snake Gourd or
Longissima, this pale green Italian Gourd is a long thin Squash that could grow over 3" wide and about 18" long. Yet it is best picked when 8" long and 2" in diameter while its white flesh is still tender and sweet. Support its vines with a tall trellis, netting or strings to keep the fruit on the straight and narrow. Enjoy as you would Zucchini. (OP).
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55 days. Cucurbita pepo. AKA
Calabacita, a
Little Pumpkin patch looks like multitudinous striped green baseballs strung on 8' to 10' rambling vines. In a category all by itself, this round Mexican native has striped green skin with more flavor and firmer flesh than regular yellow summer Squash. (OP.)
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60-80 days. Cucurbita moschata. This heirloom is from Italy. Trombolina is borne on vines which scramble to 8' long or more. When supported, the Squash can straighten out to a length of 3' feet! Optimum size, however, is 12" to 15". This Squash is virtually seedless and has a firm texture. (OP.)
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Need Recipes for Your Harvest?
Summer Squash can be enjoyed raw in salads or in crudité platters with creamy herb dips. It can be coated with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and roasted into tasty crisp coins, or cubed and combined with
Eggplant,
Red Onions,
Sweet Potatoes,
Fennel and
Carrots and roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.
It is brilliant quickly sautéed or sliced ½" thick lengthwise and grilled (first slather with Italian salad dressing). Once grilled and pliable, it can be served as is or spread with tangy goat cheese and pesto and rolled up. Grilled
Zucchini can also be used instead of pasta in lasagna, and dipped in batter for tempura extravaganzas.
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It's Never Too Late to Sow Some Seeds!
If you never got around to pulling your seed trays and grow lights out of the basement this spring, don't despair! There are lots and lots of veggies and flowers that you can sow directly into the garden. To get started, check out some of our wonderful discounted Direct-Sow collections, including:
These and many other collections are up to 25% off! Find them all HERE.
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We share our best-of-the-best
recipes
in our online cookbook so you can feed your family and friends well without feeling frenzied, and practical, hands-on
Horticultural Tips
to demystify gardening with seeds. It's not tricky or difficult: it's more like easy magic.
If you need help with anything, our office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can email us at
[email protected]
or call us at (860) 567-6086. Lance Frazon, our seed specialist, is happy to help you in any way possible. He loves to talk seeds.
23 Tulip Drive * PO Box 638 * Bantam, CT 06750
Phone: (860) 567-6086 * Fax: (860) 567-5323
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