If the thought of summer squash brings to mind images of yellow crooknecks and little else , get quick to make a new discovery – there are so many different types !
These admit straightnecks , zucchini , pattypans , round cultivars , and even some with bold stripes and other intriguing patterns .
I ’ve created a helpful leaning of 21 of the best summer crush varieties you’re able to grow in your garden .
We tie to trafficker to avail you retrieve relevant products . If you buy from one of our links , we may earn a commission .
I ’ve included some open - pollinated heirloom with deep historical beginning , some passing productive and disease resistive hybrids – and some oddball varieties for the adventurous among us .
These penis of the cucurbit family are all raw annual and they are somewhat straightaway to mature .
Unlikewinter squashandpumpkins , which necessitate a longer produce season , even if you find yourself show this in summer solstice , it may not be too late toget sowing !
summertime squash has so many culinary function , and some types are peculiarly well - befit for specific purpose , so I ’ll ensure to guide these out to you .
I ’ll also let you know how big you may bear the plants to grow , when to harvest for the best gustatory sensation and texture , and how many days you will demand from sowing to harvesting .
Here ’s a canary - peep at my listing , with elaborated description to follow :
21 of the Best Summer Squash Varieties
Crookneck
1 . Early Summer
2 . Pic - N - motion-picture show
3.Supersett
Yellow Straightneck
4 . Early Prolific
5 . Lioness
6 . Zephyr
Zucchini
7 . Black Beauty
8 . Caserta
9 . Charles Grey
Striped courgette
10 . Cocozelle
11 . Costata Romanesco
12 . Green Tiger
Yellow courgette
13 . Cube of Butter
14 . Golden Zebra
15 . Rheinau Gold
Round and Oval
16 . Golden Egg
17 . Ronde de Nice
18 Tatume
Scallop
19 . Bennings Green Tint
20 . Panache Jaune et Vert
21 . Sunburst
If you ’re a gourmet and the stock crookneck squash seems a bit too pedestrian for you , get ’s take a moment to delve into its history .
In his excellent Bible “ Heirloom Vegetable Gardening,”available on Amazon , William Woys Weaver volunteer very full evidence that xanthous crookneck squash originated in New Jersey and was cultivated by the Lenape people prior to European settlement .
I do n’t know about you , but for me that rich inheritance give it a whole novel allurement as a desirable summertime squeeze to grow in my garden .
xanthous crookneck potpourri are placeable by their thin , curved neck , and bulbous body .
The pelt of these varieties can be smooth , jolty , or downright warty – with wartiness increase as the fruits mature .
If you ’ve only ever had icteric crookneck with flesh that was overpoweringly seedy and weak , give it another fortune and harvest it small , for effective tang .
Crooknecks can be baked , sauteed , grilled , or spiralized – and you’re able to even wrench them into a hearty soup .
For a delicious exercise of a yellow crookneck soup , break out thisrecipe on our sister situation Foodalfor summer squelch soup with cheesy zucchini crispies .
And do n’t blank out to check out out ourcrookneck grow guidefor more tips .
‘ Early Summer ’ is an heirloom , open - cross-pollinate crookneck squash mixture that has been sold in catalog since 1928 .
fruit have narrow , curving necks , and are abstemious yellow in color with semi - smooth cutis . These crooknecks have a sweet and buttery flavor with a creamy , tender texture .
Best when glean at four to six inch in duration , ‘ other Summer ’ crooknecks have lowly seed cavity and hold well after pluck .
‘ Early Summer ’
These summer squelch produce on compact , semi - open bushes that give three to four feet full and two feet tall at maturity , and have some resistance to squash vine borers .
‘ Early Summer ’ is extremely fertile and yield will be quick to harvest in 50 days .
You ’ll chance ‘ former Summer ’ seeds in a selection of package sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
If the estimation of being up to your elbows in summertime squash does n’t daunt you , you might strain growing a prolific hybrid . ‘ Pic - N - Pic ’ is a crookneck squash loanblend that was bred for mellow productivity and practiced flavor .
Fruits are golden sensationalistic with liquid , tender skin , and are easily picked when they are four to six inches long .
‘ Pic - N - moving-picture show ’
Bushes have a three- to four - foot spread , and spring up two to two and a one-half feet tall at maturity with an open wont , which makes picking the fruit easy .
‘ Pic - N - Pic ‘ summer crookneck will be ready to glean in just 50 daylight .
You ’ll find ‘ Pic - N - moving picture ’ come in packets of 65,available at Burpee .
3. Supersett
Want that bumper harvest of summer squash early ? ‘ Supersett ’ is an early - maturing hybrid summer crookneck that provides generous crop with delicate flavour .
Also known as ‘ Superset , ’ this variety produces fruits with calendered yellow , still skin . ok - textured frame has a sweet and dotty flavor .
fruit should be clean at five to six column inch in distance .
‘ Supersett ’ grow on undetermined George Herbert Walker Bush works with few spur , and has excellent mildew immunity .
You ’ll lead off harvesting these crooknecks in just 40 days .
Yellow straightnecks are very much like crooknecks – but without the crook . Some rest home cooks prefer these varieties because the straight shape makes them loose to slice or chop .
And many small market farmers prefer growing straightnecks to crooknecks because they are less prostrate to breakage during transport – no delicate neck to worry about .
aside from the necks , straightnecks are very much like crooknecks – with svelte necks and bulbous efflorescence end .
immature yield have slender skin that will become tougher as the fruit matures .
Fruits are lily-livered , or lily-livered with a green tint , and can be either suave or bumpy , depending on the cultivar .
In the kitchen , straightnecks work well for sauteing , roasting , and grilling , and can be used as a substitute in pretty much any formula that call for courgette .
In fact , chickenhearted straightnecks make scrumptious spiralized dome , and your homegrown harvest could be used in this mouthwatering formula for zucchini spaghetti with peach and pumpkin seminal fluid pestofrom our sis internet site , Foodal .
One of the most popular straightneck varieties , ‘ former Prolific ’ is an open - cross-pollinate heirloom that won the All - America Selections prize in 1938 .
Plants produce light yellow , club - regulate summer squelch that have slightly bumpy peel .
These straightnecks – best pick when four to six column inch long – are well - loved for their buttery , crackers flavor .
‘ Early Prolific ’
Plants raise in an open , bushy form . They have a two- to three - foot bed covering and grow two to two and a half animal foot improbable at due date .
‘ Early Prolific ’ will be ready to harvest in 50 days .
You ’ll find ‘ Early Prolific ’ seeds in a variety of packet sizesavailable at dependable Leaf Market .
If you ’ve had issues with disease in your squash plants in the yesteryear , you may want to adjudicate acquire ‘ Lioness , ’ a hybrid miscellany with broad disease tolerance .
The fruit of this productive cultivar are yellow with a greenish tincture – even when they are mature . They are intimately foot at seven inch in length or smaller .
‘ Lioness ’
plant have a shaggy habit with a two- to three - foot spreadhead , and reach two to two and a half feet tall at maturity .
‘ Lioness ’ is resistant to courgette yellow mosaic computer virus , watermelon vine mosaic virus , melon tree ringspot virus , and cucumber mosaic virus . Fruit will be quick to harvest in 50 sidereal day .
You ’ll retrieve ‘ Lioness ’ seeds available for purchase in packs of 250 or 1,000 fromSeed King Express via Amazon .
‘ Zephyr ’ will abide out when you mature it in your garden , leaving no fault about which variety of summertime mash it is .
The fruits of this high up - yielding straightneck have an intriguing two - toned radiation diagram . These summer squash are yellow with light greenish ends , making them look like they were partially dipped in green dyestuff .
How did these yield take on such a beautiful appearance ? acquire by Johnny ’s Selected Seeds , ‘ Zephyr ’ is a intercrossed cultivar that has yellowed crookneck squash , delicata , and acorn squash in its ancestry .
‘ Zephyr ’ is best reap when fruit are four to six inch long , as the cutis will become tough as they get larger .
This cultivar also has a few quirks – some fruits may have crooks or else of being all straight , and the first fruits to educate on the plants are sometimes yellow with green grade insignia .
mostly , fruits are icteric with a green lead at the blossom end , and have timid whitened stripes that can become more distinct as they suppurate .
‘ Zephyr ’
Fruits are tasty with a nutty smack and unshakable texture . They grow on two - foot - tall bushes with an open increment habit , make picking easy .
‘ Zephyr ’ has good general disease and insect resistance , and will be quick to start harvesting in 54 solar day .
You ’ll happen ‘ Zephyr ’ seeds useable for purchase in packs of 25 seeded player fromDave ’s Garden Seeds via Amazon .
Like the other type of summer squash vine mentioned in this list , zucchini has its line of descent in the Americas – so why the Italian - sounding name ?
Although the species start in the Americas , zucchini - type squashes were first cultivated in Italy .
you’re able to learn more about zucchini ’s history and gain helpful information for cultivating these plants in ourcomplete guide to growing zucchini .
liken to summer crookneck and straightneck varieties , courgette have a unbowed shape , tenuous peel , and slimly drop sides .
Zucchini is howling spiralized , steamed , sauteed , grilled , or fry .
And if you of a sudden discover a baseball - squash racquet - sized zuke growing on one of your plant , well darn , you ’ll just have to make some courgette lettuce . Such a disaster .
If you need a formula , there ’s one for healthy and yummy zucchini breadon our sister land site , Foodal .
‘ Black Beauty ’ is a well - known , receptive - pollenate heirloom cultivar that has gain far-flung popularity for serious intellect .
It won the All - America Selections booty in 1957 , honor for its tasty fruit , abundant harvests , and ease of farm .
Long , straightforward fruits have offer , dark immature to black peel , and creamy blank soma . ‘ Black Beauty ’ is just as unspoiled raw as it is cook , and it also makes an fantabulous cultivar for freeze .
‘ Black Beauty ’
Fruits are tasty , and usually best when picked at 8 inch long or less , though they often remain tender at much larger sizes .
shaggy-coated works are fast - mature , broadcast three to four feet and grow to about two animal foot marvelous – with harvestable fruit in 50 days .
You ’ll receive ‘ Black Beauty ’ seeds uncommitted for purchase in an assortment of packet sizesat Eden Brothers .
‘ Caserta ’ is another All - America Selections Winner , this time in 1949 .
to begin with bred at the University of Connecticut , the fruits of this open - pollinated heirloom variety have a beautiful food colouring – light Green River blotch with non-white super C .
svelte fruits are cylindric and more or less tapered , with a rich , full taste , and a firm , creamy grain .
While these zucchini are well picked at eight in in length , they often remain sensitive up to 16 inch long . Mottling can turn into more distinct stripes , particularly in mature fruit .
‘ Caserta ’
Bush - character plant are vigorous and productive , growing two feet tall with a three- to four - infantry cattle ranch at maturity .
‘ Caserta ’ will be quick to harvest in 60 days .
You ’ll happen ‘ Caserta ’ seeds in an assortment of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
‘ Grey ’ zucchini is a heat - resistant kind that thrives when grown in waterless locations . It is popular in Mexico and the Southwest .
Also call in ‘ grey , ’ ‘ Tender Grey , ’ or ‘ Mexican Grey , ’ yield of this cultivar are stocky and coloured light or dark dark-green - Charles Grey , with sluttish bleached flecks .
It ’s best to harvest ‘ Grey ’ when fruit are around seven inches long , though they often remain tender at much larger sizes .
‘ Grey ’ Zucchini
Semi - bush-league plant life grow to 24 inches marvellous with a three- to four - foot paste at matureness .
‘ Grey ’ has respectable general disease resistance and is ready to reap in 45 to 60 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
You ’ll find ‘ Grey ’ seeds in an assortment of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
Striped zucchini provide a piddling more ocular interest than their unstriped summertime mash counterparts .
But the value of these varieties does n’t stop at mere look – many of these cultivars are extremely tasty , sometimes with more flavor than your ordinary zucchini .
While there are some intercrossed strip zucchini cultivars , many of these are Italian heirloom . When you taste one , you ’ll understand why these seeds were keep open , grown , and cherished for multiplication .
stripy zucchini can be used just like other types of courgette – for spiralizing , grilling , or making zucchini shekels – but one culinary role that really show off the bar is to practice these summer mash to make boats for laugh at and overindulge .
If you ’ve never made zucchini gravy boat before , have a look at this recipe for squeeze zucchini with millet , tomato plant , and oliveson our sister site , Foodal .
‘ Cocozelle ’ is an open - cross-pollinate heirloom cultivar that was grown all the way back in the 1880s .
The tenacious , straight fruits have moody green skin with clean greenish stripes and slender tantalization . They are extremely flavorful , with a more or less nutty taste and dull flesh .
‘ Cocozelle ’ is at its tasty when fruit are six to 10 inches long .
‘ Cocozelle ’
shaggy-coated industrial plant have an open development wont and few spine , make picking a zephyr . Plants ripen to three to four feet all-embracing and around two feet tall .
‘ Cocozelle ’ will be ready for picking in 45 to 60 twenty-four hours .
You ’ll encounter ‘ Cocozelle ’ cum in a motley of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
‘ Costata Romanesco ’ is an open - cross-pollinate heirloom from Italy that has gardener coming back to it class after yr for its superior flavor .
Embodying the “ wearisome food ” ism , it ’s not a heavy producer compared to some summertime squash , and is a little slow than others to get go – but once it does , its fruits are a delicacy .
Fruits are profoundly ribbed , give ascending to its other moniker , ‘ Italian Ribbed . ’ When sliced , its cross sections look like small stars – offering a unique introduction for either fresh feeding or frying .
fruit are dark dark-green with narrow , light light-green stripes along the ribs , and light flecks . The dim flesh is never watery , and they have a distinctive , nutty flavour and tender skin .
‘ Costata Romanesco ’ is best picked when six to eight in long .
plant bring out lots of tough male flush , which are excellent to habituate for making stuffed squash flowers , one of the traditional uses of ‘ Costata Romanesco ’ in Italy .
‘ Costata Romanesco ’
plant are sprawling with vines growing up to five feet recollective at maturity , and they are resistant to powdery mildew .
‘ Costata Romanesco ’ will be quick to harvest in 60 day .
You ’ll find ‘ Costata Romanesco ’ source in a selection of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
‘ Green Tiger ’ is a beautifully foray intercrossed cultivar that come with the added fillip of disease underground .
cylindric fruits are sheeny with sheer , dark and light green stripes , and not much flecking – and they are as tasty as they look .
‘ Green Tiger ’ is well clean when fruits are six to eight inch long , but fruit can also be pluck at three inch if you are in the mood for baby zucchini .
Bush eccentric plants are unsloped with a two - foot spreading and grow up to two to three feet improbable at maturity .
‘ Green Tiger ’ is resistant to watermelon mosaic virus and zucchini yellow mosaic computer virus , with first harvests ready for pick in 55 to 60 days .
While you already have plenty of delicious courgette options so far in this summer squash listing , I would be remiss if I did n’t mention a handful of yellow zucchini cultivars .
The bright yellow hue will clear up your meals , and some say they have a sweeter taste than their green counterparts .
Yellow zukes are also easier to spot on plants than light-green ones , make it more likely that you ’ll pick them before they turn into mini submarines .
And if you ’re question what the departure is between yellow straightnecks and yellow zucchini , as far as eating die , yellow courgette is less washy than chicken straightneck , and has a nuttier flavor .
In the kitchen , white-livered courgette works well for spiralizing , sauteing , roasting , or eating as crudite .
It would also be a star in a grilled veggie record . Try it in this formula for grilled vegetable with balsamic and garlic , also on Foodal .
‘ Cube of Butter ’ is a hybrid cultivar that supply generous harvesting of tender yellow courgette .
fruit are lemon yellow with creamy blank build and a lush texture – and they have a buttery flavor when eaten either cooked or raw .
Generally nibble at six to eight inches , these courgette will wield their high - quality flavor and grain when they are up to 10 column inch long .
undefended bush eccentric plant mature to three to four feet all-inclusive and two feet improbable , and with few spines , they are well-off to beak .
‘ Cube of Butter ’ has upright universal disease resistivity , and in exceptional it is resistant to courgette yellow mosaic computer virus , downy mould , and podi virus .
You ’ll get your first harvests of these yummy chickenhearted courgette in 50 daytime .
If yellow zucchini is n’t unique enough for you , how about a patterned cultivar ?
prove ‘ Golden Zebra , ’ a golden - colored hybrid with timid white bar .
Straight , cylindrical fruits are bright yellow with white stripe that become more pronounced as fruit fledged .
‘ Golden Zebra ’ is a flavorful summer squash with a meaty texture , and is best picked at seven to eight in foresightful or smaller .
‘ Golden Zebra ’
Bush plants are a stocky two- to three - metrical foot by two- to three - animal foot at maturity in terms of height and spreading , and they will give you your first harvest in 50 to 60 sidereal day .
You ’ll find ‘ Golden Zebra ’ in mailboat of 30 seedsavailable at Burpee .
If yellow zucchini sounds keen but you ’d favour to develop an open - pollinated variety for deliver seed , consider ‘ Rheinau Gold . ’
This cultivar was developed in biodynamic conditions by organic seed company Sativa Rheinau , based in Switzerland .
flavoursome fruits have fragile , lucky jaundiced tegument and do n’t farm quite as gravid as most fleeceable diverseness .
Bush plants grow in an open riding habit for easy picking , and get a first harvest in 50 days .
Read more about growing atomic number 79 and yellow courgette here .
What if you could take a courgette and remold it to make it round ? big musical theme , right ?
as luck would have it for you , you wo n’t need to hire in any home - multiply experiments , since the work of creating this type of cultivar has already been done .
French and Italian industrial plant breeders baffle us to this idea , having bred heirloom zucchini that are circular in shape before the local US supermarket even knew what zucchini was .
And along with these round varieties , there are also some that are oval in shape .
These type of summer squash rackets are great for stuffing , and would be a good option to bell pepper for those following a nightshade - free dieting .
Another one of my favorite uses for these is to slice up them and stack them for hold Mediterranean - expressive style veg timbale .
‘ Golden Egg ’ is an early - maturing and prolific summer mash hybrid with a bright scandalmongering hue .
The middle - catch fruits of this cultivar are bollock - shaped , with greenish - blank flesh , and a sweet and around the bend smack .
These are best when clean at four inches long , and are fantabulous for scarf out .
‘ Golden Egg ’
Yellow fruits are easy to see for picking on sprawling plants that can spread up to 6 foot at maturity .
‘ Golden Egg ’ will be quick to harvest in just 41 years .
You ’ll find ‘ Golden Egg ’ seed in packets of 25available at Burpee .
‘ Ronde de Nice ’ is a French heirloom date back to the 1800s that contain up well in hot climate , and it has skilful general disease and insect resistance .
This open - pollenate and extremely productive cultivar is also known as ‘ Rond de Nice , ’ ‘ Round French , ’ or ‘ Gallic Round . ’
Fruits are round and milky - green colored with a meaty texture and deep flavor , making them stars for stuffing , broil , or braising .
For the best tang and texture , ‘ Ronde de Nice ’ should be harvested when yield are between one and four inches wide .
‘ Ronde de Nice ’
Plants grow in a compendious crotch hair shape , arrive at matured dimensions of three feet wide and three human foot tall , and they have beautiful variegated farewell .
‘ Ronde de Nice ’ will be ready to pick in 52 days .
You ’ll discover ‘ Ronde de Nice ’ seed in a miscellanea of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
18. Tatume
‘ Tatume ’ is a pumpkin - shaped heirloom summer squash that is democratic in Mexico and Texas . It ’s very estrus tolerant , and grow well in the Southwest .
Also bonk as ‘ Calabacita , ’ this high - yielding cultivar produces greenish - gray yield with faint stripes .
‘ Tatume ’ has firm , saporous soma , and its fertile flowers are fantabulous for ingurgitate .
Pick these fruits when they are the size of a softball for the best taste and savor – or let them mature to bowl bollock size and use them for making zucchini bread alternatively .
‘ Tatume ’
‘ Tatume ’ has good cosmopolitan disease and worm resistance , particularly to mash vine borers .
plant life bring about vigorous straggle vines that can turn up to 12 feet prospicient at maturity , with squash that are quick to harvest in 65 days .
You ’ll find ‘ Tatume ’ seeds available for leverage in various sized packsat True Leaf Market .
escallop squash are also called pattypans , with both names referencing their resemblance to scalloped cake or pie pans .
These are well picked small when the hide and seed are still lovesome . If you happen to overleap some though , bigger pattypans can be peeled , and the tougher seeded player removed .
scollop crush can be sliced or cube for frying , roasting , or frying . My favorite way to use these summertime squash is to stuff them , which really designate off their unique shape .
Also sometimes refer to as fly disk squash , scallop varietiescome in a range of colour , including white , yellow , unripe , and also patterned .
‘ Bennings Green Tint ’ is an open - cross-pollinate heirloom scollop rise by Charles N. Farr , a market grower from the Benning neighborhood of Washington , DC , who started selling the variety around 1896 .
These pattypans are pale green in colour , turn white as they mature .
A productive summertime squash racquets cultivar , it ’s also known as ‘ Farr ’s Benning White Bush , ’ ‘ Benning ’s Green Tint , ’ or ‘ Bennings Green Tiny . ’
In keeping with that last name , these pattypans are best when picked modest , at just two to three column inch wide .
‘ Bennings Green Tint ’ is very tasty , with tenuous hide , and flesh that is both fast and creamy – just as Mr. Farr mean them to be .
‘ Bennings Green Tint ’
Plants are summary , semi - open bushes that grow to be three to four feet tall and wide at adulthood .
‘ Bennings Green Tint ’ will be ready for a first harvest in 50 to 60 days .
You ’ll find ‘ Bennings Green Tint ’ seeds in a selection of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
‘ Panache Jaune et Vert ’ is a fertile Gallic heirloom that dates back at least to the mid 1800s .
This open - pollinated summer squash vine variety is also known as ‘ Patisson Panache Jaune et Vert , ’ ‘ Patison Panache Green and Yellow , ’ or ‘ motley Scallop . ’
Fruits have creamy whitened to yellow skin with fleeceable stripes or splotches , and flesh that is OK - ingrain and very tasty .
Coloring can be somewhat varying in this cultivar , with some fruits lacking showy coloring – but once you taste them , you wo n’t care what they front like .
‘ Panache Jaune et Vert ’
‘ Panache Jaune et Vert ’ is best picked vernal , at two to three inches wide , but large fruit are tasty too , and good keepers . They also make beautiful fall decor if allowed to mature .
Bushy plants grow to 3 - 4 foot improbable and broad , and their first fruits make out to maturity date in 55 to 70 days .
You ’ll find ‘ Panache Jaune et Vert ’ seed in a selection of packet sizesavailable at Eden Brothers .
‘ Sunburst ’ is a tasty and fertile pattypan loanblend , and it was the 1985 All - America Selections Winner in the edible family .
Fruits are a stunning lustrous bright yellow vividness with a dark gullible ring on the blossom ends .
‘ Sunburst ’ produces scallop squash that have a balmy , buttery flavor and a legal tender grain , with OK - grained white flesh .
These squash have the good tone and texture when picked at two to three inches all-embracing , and can be cooked whole at this size .
‘ Sunburst ’
plant develop in a compendious George W. Bush use with a three- to four - foot spread and touch two to three human foot in height at maturity . They are resistant to powdery mildew , and do n’t mind cooler atmospheric condition .
You ’ll be harvest ‘ Sunburst ’ in 50 to 55 day .
‘ Sunburst ’ seeds are available for purchase in a natural selection of bundle sizesat True Leaf Market .
Want to acquire more?Find tips on growing scallop squash here .
Calling All Squashbucklers
Alright gardener , you should now be prepared for some very waterlogged risky venture .
These varieties should give you plenty of pick to turn a bumper harvest of summer crush that you ’re sure to enjoy cooking up in the kitchen .
This year my summertime squash lineup includes ‘ Black Beauty , ’ ‘ greyness , ’ ‘ Cube of Butter , ’ ‘ Costata Romanesco , ’ and ‘ Tatume . ’ I ca n’t wait for harvest meter .
Before you plant your seminal fluid , how about some reminder onbest practice for rise summer squash ?
And while you ’re at it , learn squash in your gardenwith these guides :
© involve the Experts , LLC . ALL right hand RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Originally release on June 13th , 2020 . Last updated April 11th , 2025 . Product photos via Burpee , Eden Brothers , Harris Moran , Dave ’s Garden Seeds , MSeedss , True Leaf Market , and Voyageur Press . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .
About
Kristina Hicks - Hamblin
