Squash, Summer, Organic (Straightneck)

Botanical Interests Organic Early Prolific Straightneck Summer Squash Seeds

This All-America Selections award winner is still a favorite and for good reason! Thick, firm, fine-grained delicious squash is ready to harvest in just 45 days! Versatile summer squash can be eaten raw, pickled, or cooked in innumerable ways, including in sweet breads. Best picked at 4"–7", or smaller for "baby" size. If left on the vine, it may grow so big that it would take two people to carry it!

Sowing Information:

• Light: Full Sun
• When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when the soil temperature is 70°–85°F.
• When to Start Inside: Not recommended except in very short growing seasons, 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date. Roots are sensitive to disturbance; sow in 4" biodegradable pots that can be planted directly into the ground. Transplant when the soil temperature is at least 60°F.
• Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
• Seed Depth: 1/2 - 1 inch
• Seed Spacing: 2–3 seeds per mound
• Row Spacing: 4–6 feet
• Thinning: When seedlings grow 3 inch leaves, thin to 1–2 plants per mound.
• Days to Maturity: 45 days

Growing Notes:

• Harvesting: Harvest frequently to increase yield; squash seem to get monstrous overnight. While edible at almost any size, seeds are less developed in young fruit, therefore more tender. Using a knife or clippers, cut squash off including some of the stem. By including stem, the fruit is sealed and less likely to mold or dry out. Harvesting Blossoms: Look for male, non-fruit producing flowers that have long stems and harvest just before use (female flowers have a swollen mini-squash at the base of the flower and are on shorter stems).
• Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
• Plant Dimensions: Vines up to 2' form a 3'–4' bush-type plant.
• Variety Information: Pick when 4"–7" long. Fruit is lemon yellow, club-shaped.
• Type: Bush Squash, Summer Squash