Zucchini is known to be staggeringly productive. But there are some pitfalls such as poor pollination and pests to avoid if you wish to have a prolific harvest. In our growing guide, we’ll cover planting through harvesting and also share tips and tricks to sidestep common problems.
Note that squash is generally divided into two categories: summer squash (harvest in summer) and winter squash (harvested in autumn). The skin of summer squash is edible, unlike the skin of winter squash. Most summer squash now come in bush varieties, which take up less space, whereas winter squash are vining plants that need more space.
This guide focuses on summer squash. Summer squash varieties include zucchini, yellow squash (straightneck squash), and crookneck squash. Note: All types of summer squash require very similar care, so even though we mainly refer to zucchini on this page, consider it to be applicable to whatever summer squash variety you’re growing!
Zucchini is a vigorous grower. While each plant will produce several squash during peak season, you’ll typically find that one or two zucchini plants will produce a “bumper” (unusually large) crop, leaving you to give the squash away to neighbors or bake lots of zucchini bread!
For more information on how to grow Squash click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Squash.
For other resources please click on Cornell Universities Squash link or click on Gardening Know How's Squash link.
Winter Squash requires some patience, but this garden vegetable is well worth the wait—and most varieties have a long shelf life after harvest. From butternut squash to acorn squash, learn how to plant, grow, harvest, and cure winter squash in your home garden!
Because winter squash requires a long growing season (generally from 75 to 100 frost-free days), the seeds are generally planted by late May in northern locations to early July in extremely southern states. See your local frost dates and length of growing season.
Winter squash are harvested in late summer or autumn, just before or after their fruits reach full maturity. Squash have a relatively long shelf life. Some varieties will keep through winter, hence the name winter squash. Varieties include acorn, butternut, delicata, Hubbard, pumpkin, and spaghetti.
Despite the great diversity of squash, most commonly grown cultivated varieties belong to one of three species:
Over several generations, these plants have been cultivated to produce fruit in all kinds of shapes, colors, and flavors.
For more information on how to grow Winter Squash click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Winter Squash.
For other resources please click on Cornell Universities Winter Squash and Zucchini links or click on Gardening Know How's Gourds or Zucchini links.
Summer Squash Seeds, Bennings Green Tint Scallop:
Description: Colorful, light green, scallop-shaped fruit; tender, with excellent yields, and easy to grow. We have grown this variety for many years; in fact, it was the first squash Jere ever grew at age 3! Scalloped “patty pan” varieties have a long history of being grown on the East Coast of America by Native Americans and in Europe tracing back to the 16th century. Benning’s Green Tint Scallop was developed by Charles N. Farr, who selected for its uniform scallop-shaped fruit and a “greenish cream” color at the early stages of fruiting. The variety was introduced in 1914.
Description: All America Selections winner in 1949. Here’s an early bush cocozelle type, popular in Italy where they favor a rich, full-flavored zucchini. Fruit is slightly club-shaped with mottled striping in olive-green and darker green. Can reach a fairly large size and still be quite tender and delicious as a summer squash.
Description: We grew these out at the Baker Creek trial garden and were extremely impressed by how quickly the small bush-type plants started to flower and produce loads of yummy squash. In taste tests in the Baker Creek restaurant, guests overwhelmingly appreciated the nutty, rich flavor of this summer squash that is a hit in India. It produces loads of round baseball-size fruit that is great to use as you would any zucchini! A really amazing vegetable and so easy to grow. One of Joseph Simcox’s favorite finds in summer squash in years!
Summer Squash Seeds, Gelber Englischer Custard:
Description: Incredible flavor! A favorite in the kitchen! Clear lemon yellow fruit is a patty pan type, but with a bizarre twist. Fruit is oddly flattened—impossible to describe. Productive bush plants yield over a long season if kept picked. Recommended for cooler climates like the Pacific Northwest. This unique variety originated in Gatersleben, Germany. Described in Amy Goldman’s book The Complete Squash. Matures orange in color.
Summer Squash Seeds, Kamo Kamo:
Description: The delicious heirloom squash of the Maori people of New Zealand; it is also known as Kumi Kumi pumpkin. New Zealanders say this is the best of all squash, for the young fruit can be boiled, fried or baked, and has a rich, nutty flavor that is quite delicious. Let the green speckled squash ripen, and it is good as a winter squash. It has become rare even in New Zealand. Very ornamental.
Description: The shape, size and color of a lemon, it grows great in our Missouri gardens, with huge yields and the best resistance to insects we have seen in a summer squash. Very tasty, great fried! A favorite, this is a superb market variety and very attractive. Our most popular summer squash.
Description: Vining type summer squash. This beautiful sage-colored summer squash hails from the fertile valleys near Odessa, Ukraine. The thin skin and ultra-creamy flesh make this a next-level gourmet treat, ideal for everything from frying to making zoodles (raw zucchini noodles). This tender and tasty variety is very near and dear to Jere Gettle’s heart, as his great-grandfather farmed in the Odessa region generations ago. Plants make vines reaching an average of 10 feet long.
Summer Squash Seeds, Patisson Golden Marbre Scallop:
Description: A unique French scallop squash. Fruit is a beautiful bright golden-orange color. Young fruit is very tender and well flavored! Also makes good winter squash. Tall bush plants are very attractive, and yields are good. A favorite of ours.
Summer Squash Seeds, Pineapple:
Description: Young fruit are delicious as summer squash and mature fruit make incredible stuffed squash. In 1884, the Burpees catalog introduced the Pineapple squash with much excitement. Burpees hailed it as one of the most fine-grained squashes around, well suited to cooking as an immature summer squash or as a mature winter squash. We have to agree! Countless seedsman who offered Pineapple squash in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cream colored, fluted, acorn-type fruits have about ten finger-like ribs that protrude from the sides of each squash. Also makes an excellent ornamental type for fall decoration. In 1885 by James J.H. Gregory’s Retail Catalogue, which said, “A peculiar, striking-looking variety... Very fine grained and smooth to the taste.”
Summer Squash Seeds, Ronde De Nice:
Description: 50 days. This is a delicious French heirloom variety. The flesh of this round, green zucchini is very tender and fine-flavored, making it an ideal squash for stuffing. A popular variety for home gardens and specialty growers. Vigorous, quick-growing plants.
Summer Squash Seeds, Rugosa Friulana:
Description: Supreme flavor, this productive variety has taste that is hard to beat, being rich, floral and succulent. Common in northeastern Italy, and nearly the only variety seen in the Venetian shops and markets. The name means “wrinkled of Friuli,” but the light yellow fruit is wrinkled, being fantastically warted even when very young. Rich and full flavored, as Italian varieties usually are. An all-time favorite!
Summer Squash Seeds, Tondo Scuro Di Piacenza:
Description: Forget the new “Eight Ball” hybrid. There already was an heirloom version. These are a rich, dark-green color, round-shaped and very flavorful; perfect for home or markets. Vigorous plants produce well. Italian seed.
Summer Squash Seeds, White Scallop:
Description: A very ancient Native American heirloom squash, grown by the Northern tribes for hundreds of years. This type was depicted by Europeans back to 1591, and is one of the best-tasting and highest-yielding varieties still around today! Great fried or baked. Flat fruit with scalloped edges--beautiful!
Summer Squash Seeds, Zapallito Del Tronco:
Description: This Argentinian heirloom squash has a creamy, buttery soft flesh and an edible rind. It is also called avocado squash, due to the low moisture content of the flesh, making it creamy in consistency. A semi-bush habit and very productive with relative squash bug resistance and excellent heat tolerance.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Black Beauty:
Description: Bush. The classic dark-green summer squash that has made modern zucchini of this type popular. Introduced into the U.S. markets in the 1920s, and seed companies started listing it in the 1930s. Delicious fried or baked; best picked young.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Crookneck Early Golden:
Description: An old favorite heirloom, this is one of the oldest types of squash dating back to pre-Columbus times, and it has been popular ever since. Easy to grow and good tasting.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Early Prolific Straight neck:
Description: AAS Winner from 1938, developed in Detroit Mich. Uniform lemon-yellow, club-shaped fruit of excellent quality. Tender and delicious.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Golden:
Description: Slender fruit is bright golden-yellow. It is as delicious as it is attractive; bush plants. Customers love the fine flavor and pretty fruit.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Gray:
Description: Great-tasting, high-quality, gray zucchini squash. Yields are very good; flesh is firm, mild, and very tasty. We have been getting favorable reports from customers about this squash. A real favorite.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Long White of Palermo:
Description: The famed treasure of Sicilian cooking! A gourmet traditional heirloom from Palermo, Sicily, that is highly regarded across Italian cuisine. Fruit average 12-15 inches and are a unique sage green color with faint speckles. This buttery textured variety is instrumental in a number of dishes from zucchini parmesan to salads and pastas. We love to create tasty dishes of all kinds, playing on the nutty sweet flavor and tender texture. Wonderfully productive and flavorsome!
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchini Nimba:
Description: This early and hardy zucchini comes from Poland; nice medium-green color. Great for cool, short-season areas and anyone who wants early squash. Tasty fried. Great yields.
Summer Squash Seeds, Zucchino Rampicante:
Description: The famous Italian heirloom vining zucchini and pumpkin; long slender 15-inch fruit has a flat bulb at the bottom. It is one of the best eating summer squash: very tender, mild and sweet tasting. The flavor is superb! This squash is also great as winter squash. The Italians use it for stuffing in gnocchi and ravioli; the flesh is rich and flavorful, great for baking and pies! The vines produce good yields of this great all-purpose squash. The mature fruit grow very long. This one is in very high demand at specialty markets.
Winter Squash Seeds, Dark Green Yuxi Jiang Bing Gua:
Description: 70 days. An incredible, delicious treasure of old China! Hailing from southwest China. This heirloom has stellar flavor. This squash is most popular in the city of Yuxi, where the fruit is harvested when young and tender and used as a summer squash. Or let it mature into a delicious and sweet winter squash. The young fruit is tender with a nutty flavor and buttery texture, while the mature fruit is delectable, creamy, with sweet, deep orange flesh.
