Vegetable Gardening (53 page)

‘Sweet Beauty':
This AAS-winning, oval-shaped, red, seedless variety features 5- to 6-pound fruits that mature in 80 days.

‘Yellow Doll':
This hybrid, oval-shaped, yellow-fleshed watermelon produces 4- to 8-pound fruits in 70 days.

Seedless watermelon varieties may germinate more slowly than other varieties, especially in cool soils (below 65 degrees Fahrenheit). So wait until the soil is warm before seeding and give them a few more days than the other watermelon varieties to germinate.

Unearthing the Humble Squash

Squash may not be as glamorous as their melon cousins, but boy can they produce. Whether you're growing summer squash or winter squash, they'll produce an abundance of fruit and flowers with seemingly little attention. Just ask any gardener friend who has grown zucchini before, and he or she will attest to how prolific these vegetables are. In the following sections, I define different kinds of squash and describe many popular squash varieties.

One way to slow squash production is to eat the flowers. They taste great stuffed with cheese and herbs or sautéed with olive oil and garlic, along with some Italian bread.

Different squash types

Before setting out to incorporate squash into your garden, the first order of business is to define the different types. They're generally broken into two categories — summer squash and winter squash. From there you'll find all sorts of different types. The following list should help:

Summer squash
are bush-type plants whose fruits are harvested when they're tender and immature. Summer squash usually are separated into yellow, straight, or crookneck varieties; green zucchini varieties; or green-, white-, or yellow-skinned, scallop-shaped, "patty-pan" fruit varieties, as shown in Figure 8-1. (This last group got its name because the fruits resemble the pie shells used in England for baking vegetable, meat, or fish "patties.") Summer squash usually mature within 2 months of planting and continue to produce all season long. Summer squash don't store well, however.

Winter squash
have vining or bush-type plants whose fruits are harvested when they're fully mature. They mature after 3 months or more of growing and are best harvested after the cool, fall weather sets in. You can store them for months in a cool basement — hence the name winter squash. They're also good for baking.

You can easily get lost in the maze of winter squash types, so here's a quick list of the most popular types. I include the botanical names, too, for you Latin buffs.

•
Acorn (
Cucurbita pepo
):
This squash type has black, dark green, or white skin and an acorn-shaped, ribbed fruit. It has pale yellow flesh.

•
Buttercup (
Cucurbita maxima
):
This green or orange, turban-shaped type has a "button" on the end of its fruits. It has dry, orange flesh.

•
Butternut (
Cucurbita moschata
):
This bottle-shaped squash has smooth, tan-colored skin and moist, orange flesh at maturity.

•
Delicata (
Cucurbita pepo
):
This small, green- and yellow-striped, zucchini-shaped squash has sweet, pale yellow flesh.

•
Hubbard (
Cucurbita maxima
):
This large, blue or green, oval-shaped squash has a long neck and dry yellow or orange flesh.

•
Kabocha (
Cucurbita maxima
):
This buttercup-like squash has drier and sweeter flesh than other types. It's the latest winter squash craze.

•
Spaghetti (
Cucurbita pepo
):
This oblong, tan-colored squash has yellow flesh with a stringy, spaghetti-like texture. Kids think it's cool that a squash could look like spaghetti, so consider impressing your own children (or your neighbor's) by growing this type.

Keep your squash areas weeded and watered, and you'll be rewarded with super squash. Just remember to give the plants room to grow. Summer squash varieties tend to stay in a bush form, but they still need a few feet to spread out. And even though winter squash do come in bush forms, most of the best-flavored varieties have at least 6-foot vines. Check out the later section "Planting and feeding" for the full scoop on growing squash and other viners with ease.