Growing summer squash

• Squash is a warm season crop and needs plenty of sun.

• Raised beds and or plastic mulch help to keep the roots warm.

• Space individual plants 3 feet apart.

• Before planting, add some general purpose fertilizer and compost to the soil.

• Keep the soil evenly moist.

• It can be beneficial to prune older, damaged, or very crowded leaves from squash plants. This allows bees easier access to the flowers. If you have ever had small shriveled squash fruit that do not develop, the reason is likely lack of pollination. Planting flowers nearby that are attractive to bees will also help.

• Regular harvesting when the fruits are young will keep the plants productive. The flowers are also edible. Blossoms have a mild, squash-like flavor and are great stuffed and fried, or sliced for use soups, omelets, salads, and pasta dishes

  PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
  You can do one of the following:
  1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
  -OR (as I do)-
  2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

2026

(Descriptions and photos are from the seed company websites unless otherwise noted.)

Lemon

(Cucurbita pepo). 50-60 days. 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. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Zapallito Del Tronco

(Cucurbita maxima). 50-60 days to maturity for summer squash; 90-100 for winter squash.
This Argentinian heirloom squash has a creamy, buttery soft flesh and an edible rind. It is also called avocado squash, due to its low moisture content and creamy consistency. A semi-bush habit and very productive with relative squash bug resistance and excellent heat tolerance. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Patisson Golden Marker Scallop

(Cucurbita pepo). 55-65 days. 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. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Ronde De Nice

(Cucurbita pepo). 45-55 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. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Inizia

(Cucurbita pepo). 50-60 days. Named for the Italian word meaning “it begins,” Inizia launches your season with vigor and grace. From robust, open plants emerge sleek, extra-dark fruit that outshines any modern hybrid in uniformity and beauty. Remarkably early, Inizia sets large squash even before the flower opens, making them ideal for harvesting baby zucchini complete with their blossoms. With plants that keep pushing fresh young leaves alongside each picking, you’ll enjoy a steady, generous yield of long, slender, glossy-skinned squash perfect for stuffing, slicing, or simply grilling. Dependable, elegant, and endlessly productive, this is zucchini at its very best. Open pollinated variety. (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Below are varieties offered in 2025. Some may also be available this year. I’m still working on updating the site.

Astia

38 days. Kick off zucchini season early with this gorgeous, deep green squash. Eager to produce, it wastes no time bearing fruit that are best picked at 6–7 inches long. While other squash are greedy with space, Astia maintains a compact 30 inches across, so it’s well suited for containers and smaller gardens. With an open habit, spotting the fruit is easy for quick harvest. Unrivaled powdery mildew resistance means the plants stay healthy and productive late into the season. That, coupled with its early ripening, gives you a maximized harvest window. (Territorial Seeds)

Sophy

New! Costata Romanesco-type hybrid with modern conveniences.
Improved yields and added virus resistance, particularly helpful for the American South. Very reduced spines and more open plant architecture than others of this type. Compared to Pantheon, which it replaces, Sophy's plants are higher yielding, more upright, and mostly spineless. Excellent for harvest at small size with blossoms attached. F1 hybrid.
(Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Rheinau Gold

50 days. These glowing, sunny yellow zucchini have dense, rich, smooth white flesh and a mild flavor. Vigorous, productive, bush-habit plants will produce an occasional green fruit, which are just as tender and flavorful as those with golden skin. Open pollinated. (Territorial Seeds)

Bush Baby

59 days. Considered a marrow type squash, Bush Baby’s striking fruit sport light and dark green stripes and have a wonderfully delicate, satisfying flavor. Bred to produce smaller fruit, their prime size for picking is 2 by 6 inches, but the non-stop plants deliver a higher than average overall harvest. Compact, bush type plants are right at home in the garden or a large container. F1 hybrid. (Territorial Seeds)

Pantheon

50 days. Costata with improved yield and plant habit. Classic Costata Romanesco appearance but superior uniformity, higher yielding, and easier to harvest. Improved upright bush habit with reduced spines. Firm flower attachment at marketable size and attractive, glossy fruit.
Edible flowers: Blossoms have a mild, squash-like flavor and are great stuffed and fried, or sliced for use soups, omelets, salads, and pasta dishes. F1 hybrid. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Zephyr

54 days. Unique appearance and great flavor. Distinctive, slender fruits are yellow with faint white stripes and light-green blossom ends. Harvest young at 4-6" for unusually delicious, nutty flavor and firm texture. Vigorous, high-yielding plants. NOTE: Under certain stressful situations, such as hot weather, Zephyr fruits can show some variability in the amount of green at the blossom ends. In addition, sometimes the first one or two fruits produced can be green-striped.  F1 hybrid. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)