Summer squash [Cucurbita pepo]

Summer squash

Zucchini is the most well-known summer squash, but are other types worth growing, such as crookneck squash. Useful, all-purpose vegetables, summer squash of all sorts are delightful sliced or chopped into salads of all kinds, including pasta salads. It adds a texture and crunch all its own. Or use summer squashes in soups, simmering lightly to preserve their texture. For a simple summer side dish, saute in olive oil, garlic, and oregano.

Summer squashes come in quite a variety. They can be long, straight, and thin like zucchini, have a swollen base and thin, bent top like crookneck squash, be round like a baseball, or even be shaped like a flying saucer. Grow bush types in hills 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 3 to 5 feet apart. Plants are notoriously prolific producers, so you may need only one or two to supply your needs.

Light:

    Sun

Plant Type:

    Vegetable

Plant Height:

    1-2 feet tall

Plant Width:

    3-10 feet wide

Top Varieties

'Black Beauty' zucchini

bears smooth, straight fruits on an open plant. 60 days

'Early Prolific Straightneck'

is an open-pollinated variety with light cream color fruits. The neck end is thinner than the blossom end. 48 days

'Early Summer Crookneck'

is an heirloom that has a bent neck and yellow fruits with bumpy skin. Use it as you would zucchini. 53 days

'Gold Rush' zucchini

offers uniform golden yellow, smooth, straight fruits that are a colorful contrast to green zucchini. 45 days

'Raven Hybrid' zucchini

produces dark green fruits in as few as 48 days from planting. The plant is a compact bush.

'Sunburst' pattypan squash

is a deep golden yellow flattened, rounded, summer squash with scalloped edges. The vigorous plant is quite productive. 50 days

Garden Plans An Eye-Catching Kitchen Garden Plan

Inspired by Italy Vegetable Garden Plan

Harvest Tips Zucchini, crookneck, and straightneck summer squashes are best when harvested at a small size, about 6 inches long. Pattypan or scallop squashes are best when they are 3 inches in diameter. Check plants daily because the squashes grow quickly in warm weather. If some escape detection, harvest them as soon as possible. The more you harvest, the more the plants will bear.