Publications

The Garden
May 2003

A summer's mélange

Flying saucers, billiard balls and saxophones - summer squashes come in an exciting and varied range of shapes and sizes. Lia Leendertz finds that these rampant growers produce one of the sweetest crops in the summer kitchen garden

Images: Tim Sandall

Thinly sliced, courgette ‘Jemmer’ with its yellow, flecked skin will make an attractive and interesting addition to any salad.

In preparation for the feast is squash ‘Patty Pan’ being cut into thick slices. Others awaiting similar treatment (from top to bottom) include: the rotund form of courgette ‘Eight Ball’, bottle-shaped summer squash ‘Yellow Crookneck’ and serpentine summer squash ‘Tromboncino’ separating dark-skinned courgette ‘Black Jack’ from yellow-skinned courgette ‘Taxi’

Summertime must bring some of the sweetest, most tender vegetables to serve the kitchen and table, and those that can be plucked from the plant, cooked on the barbecue and eaten within minutes are at a premium.

Among the best vegetables that carry these characteristics are summer squashes. They can be eaten raw in salads with fresh herbs or thickly sliced and lightly grilled. Barbecued, they form a perfect vegetarian side dish or warm salad. They can even be picked when tiny and popped into the mouth whole as a snack during a long bout of weeding.

Plants that can be treated as summer squash include courgettes, marrows, pumpkins and winter squash: if they can be picked young instead of being left to mature, they qualify. This is much to the gardener’s benefit as the smaller the fruit are when cropped, the more dense and sweeter the flesh is to the palate.

It is important to choose the right cultivars - those that start to form fruits early in the year and respond to picking by producing more fruits are best. Go for cultivars with a bush form, rather than a vine. These can be planted closer together, will stay compact and tend to be more prolific fruiters.

The only real difference between summer squashes and their adult forms is in the time of harvesting. They should be picked early and with a military regularity or they will soon develop into tougher fruits for storage rather than fresh fruits for immediate eating. By growing a combination of a few different cultivars, it is possible to produce fruits of many shapes and colours.

Wide-ranging choice

A demonstration at RHS Garden Wisley in summer 2001 proved that some cultivars are more suited than others to this treatment.

The Patty Pan types of winter squash, all of which can be left to develop and mature for winter storage, seemed to work particularly well when harvested young. The fruits are not unlike flying saucers with flat, round fruits and wavy edges. Undoubtedly the best of these was the cultivar ‘Sunburst’ which produced many small, bright yellow fruits.

Among the ordinary courgette types, pale green ‘Clarita’, yellow ‘Taxi’ and mid-green ‘Early Gem’ all performed well when picked young. ‘Black Jack’, although no different in form, was conspicuous in showing off its extremely dark green skin.

A far more interesting shape was found in ‘De Nice à Fruit Rond’, with pretty, compact, pale green, completely globular fruits. Less attractive and more difficult to manage was ‘Eight Ball’. Its highly vigorous growth makes it hard to keep up with once cropping begins so the dark green, round fruits had a tendency to grow too large.

Acorn squash ‘Table Ace’ works well for summer harvesting. Its characteristic pear-shape with a long neck is formed early on.

Some crook-necked types were also tried, but it was felt that they were better left to develop as winter squash. Their interesting characteristics, such as the circular shape formed by the length of the fruit and the warty skin, just do not develop early enough to make them worth growing as summer squash. The long, skinny and straight fruits were also awkward to cook easily.

Perhaps surprisingly, squash ‘Tivoli’, also known as vegetable spaghetti, was successful when cropped as a summer squash. Because the spaghetti-like strands of the flesh only form when the fruit is fully mature and ripe, when harvested at an immature stage it has a normal squash texture.

Sowing and growing on

In mid-spring, sow two to three seeds per 5-7.5cm (2-3in) pot and place in a propagator or maintain temperatures of at least 20°C (68°F). After germination, thin to one strong seedling and keep plants at 15°C (60°F) until they are hardened off. Plant out in early to mid June, when two strong leaves have developed and a third leaf is forming.

Alternatively, plants can be sown in their final position in late May to early June as soon as the soil feels warm to the touch. Choose a sunny spot for direct sowing and transplanting, and lightly mulch around the plant to maintain soil moisture.

Summer squashes hate the cold, so watch out for chilly, windy or wet weather and cover plants with fleece. They may sulk a little after planting, but will soon pick up once the weather warms.

Although they are hungry plants, squashes produce lots of leaves and few fruit if given large amounts of organic matter. Position rows about 90cm (3ft) apart and plants about 45cm (18in) apart within the rows. Protect from slugs during the first couple of weeks.

One of the more difficult aspects of squash growing is watering. When first planted out, plants can quickly deteriorate from stem rot if given too much water. However, once they are actively growing they need plenty to prevent one of their biggest problems. Squashes are stalked by powdery mildew, and the instant there is a check in growth, perhaps caused by a dry spell, it will make its presence known, severely affecting the plant’s ability to produce fruit.

As wet foliage can also cause mildew, avoid splashing the leaves, and water early in the morning to prevent water sitting on the leaf overnight. An organic mulch should provide all the nutrients the plants require, as they are harvested so early in the year.

The real secret behind successful summer squash growing is harvesting. It should begin around eight weeks after sowing, when the fruits are just a few inches long. Many will be so young they will still have petals attached to the ends when they are ready for eating. From the first pick onwards, it is essential to harvest at least two or three times a week. Any longer and fruits will grow too large and become tough to slice, and will need to be baked or boiled like pumpkins or marrows.

Provided you can keep up with the frantic pace of picking, growing a few cultivars of summer squash will lead to a glut of fruits in midsummer. So why not gift the excess to curious friends and neighbours to try - they will undoubtedly prize the sweet and tender flesh and shapely, multicoloured forms.

Lia Leendertz is Features Co-ordinator for The Garden

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