Summer Squash Types
Most summer squash today are varieties of Cucurbita pepo. Summer squash plants differ from winter squash because most summer squash varieties bear their fruit on bushy plants rather than vining or sprawling plants like winter squashes. Summer squashes are also harvested when their rinds are still soft and edible, and fruit is still immature. Winter squashes, on the other hand, are harvested when the fruit is mature and their rinds are hard and thick. Because of the thick rinds of winter squash vs. the soft rinds of summer squash, winter squash has a longer storage life than summer squash. This is actually why they are known as summer or winter squash – summer squashes are enjoyed only for a short season, while winter squash can be enjoyed long after harvest. There are also different summer squash types. These are usually categorized by the shape of the summer squash. Constricted neck or crookneck squashes usually have yellow skin and a curved, bent or angled neck. Likewise, straightneck squashes have straight necks. Cylindrical or club-shaped squashes are typically green, but can be yellow or white. Some, but not all, zucchini and cocozelle varieties of summer squash fall into the cylindrical or club-shaped categories. Scallop or patty-pan squashes are round and flat with scalloped edges. They are typically white, yellow or green.
Different Summer Squashes You Can Grow
If you are new to the world of growing summer squash, all the different kinds of summer squash may seem overwhelming. Below I’ve listed some of the more popular summer squash varieties. Zucchini, Cocozelle and Italian Marrow
Black Beauty Vegetable Marrow White Bush Aristocrat Elite Spineless Beauty Senator Raven Golden Greyzini
Crookneck Squash
Dixie Gentry Prelude III Sundance Horn of Plenty Early Yellow Summer
Straightneck Squash
Early Prolific Goldbar Enterprise Fortune Lioness Cougar Monet
Scallop Squash
White Bush Scallop Peter Pan Scallopini Sunburst Yugoslavian Finger Fruit Sunbeam Daize
Cylindrical Squash
Sebring Lebanese White Bush
