16. Golden Egg
‘Golden Egg’ is an early-maturing and prolific summer squash hybrid with a bright yellow hue.
The eye-catching fruits of this cultivar are egg-shaped, with greenish-white flesh, and a sweet and nutty flavor.
These are best when picked at four inches long, and are excellent for stuffing.
‘Golden Egg’
Yellow fruits are easy to see for picking on sprawling plants that can spread up to 6 feet at maturity.
‘Golden Egg’ will be ready to harvest in just 41 days.
You’ll find ‘Golden Egg’ seeds in packets of 25 available at Burpee.
17. Ronde de Nice
‘Ronde de Nice’ is a French heirloom dating back to the 1800s that holds up well in hot climates, and it has good general disease and insect resistance.
This open-pollinated and extremely productive cultivar is also known as ‘Rond de Nice,’ ‘Round French,’ or ‘French Round.’
Fruits are round and milky-green colored with a meaty texture and rich flavor, making them stars for stuffing, grilling, or braising.
For the best flavor and texture, ‘Ronde de Nice’ should be harvested when fruits are between one and four inches wide.
‘Ronde de Nice’
Plants grow in a compact bush shape, reaching mature dimensions of three feet wide and three feet tall, and they have beautiful variegated leaves.
‘Ronde de Nice’ will be ready to pick in 52 days.
You’ll find ‘Ronde de Nice’ seeds in a variety of packet sizes available at Eden Brothers.
18. Tatume
‘Tatume’ is a pumpkin-shaped heirloom summer squash that is popular in Mexico and Texas. It’s very heat tolerant, and grows well in the Southwest.
Also known as ‘Calabacita,’ this high-yielding cultivar produces greenish-gray fruit with faint stripes.
‘Tatume’ has firm, flavorful flesh, and its prolific flowers are excellent for stuffing.
Pick these fruits when they are the size of a softball for the best taste and flavor – or let them mature to bowling ball size and use them for making zucchini bread instead.
‘Tatume’
‘Tatume’ has good general disease and insect resistance, particularly to squash vine borers.
Plants produce vigorous sprawling vines that can grow up to 12 feet long at maturity, with squash that are ready to harvest in 65 days.
You’ll find ‘Tatume’ seeds available for purchase in various sized packs at True Leaf Market.
Scallop
Scallop squash are also called pattypans, with both names referencing their resemblance to scalloped cake or pie pans.
These are best picked small when the skin and seeds are still tender. If you happen to miss some though, larger pattypans can be peeled, and the tougher seeds removed.
Scallop squash can be sliced or cubed for sauteing, roasting, or frying. My favorite way to use these summer squash is to stuff them, which really shows off their unique shape.
Also sometimes referred to as flying saucer squash, scallop varieties come in a range of colors, including white, yellow, green, and also patterned.
19. Bennings Green Tint
‘Bennings Green Tint’ is an open-pollinated heirloom scallop developed 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 color, turning white as they mature.
A productive summer squash 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 small, at just two to three inches wide.
‘Bennings Green Tint’ is very tasty, with thin skin, and flesh that is both firm and creamy – just as Mr. Farr intended them to be.
‘Bennings Green Tint’
Plants are compact, semi-open bushes that grow to be three to four feet tall and wide at maturity.
‘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 sizes available at Eden Brothers.
20. Panache Jaune et Vert
‘Panache Jaune et Vert’ is a prolific French heirloom that dates back at least to the mid 1800s.
This open-pollinated summer squash variety is also known as ‘Patisson Panache Jaune et Vert,’ ‘Patison Panache Green and Yellow,’ or ‘Variegated Scallop.’
Fruits have creamy white to yellow skin with green stripes or splotches, and flesh that is fine-grained and very tasty.
Coloring can be somewhat variable in this cultivar, with some fruits lacking showy coloring – but once you taste them, you won’t care what they look like.
‘Panache Jaune et Vert’
‘Panache Jaune et Vert’ is best picked young, at two to three inches wide, but larger fruits are tasty too, and good keepers. They also make beautiful autumn decor if allowed to mature.
Bushy plants grow to 3-4 feet tall and wide, and their first fruits come to maturity in 55 to 70 days.
You’ll find ‘Panache Jaune et Vert’ seeds in a selection of packet sizes available at Eden Brothers.
21. Sunburst
‘Sunburst’ is a tasty and prolific pattypan hybrid, and it was the 1985 All-America Selections Winner in the edible category.
Fruits are a stunning glossy bright yellow color with a dark green ring on the blossom ends.
‘Sunburst’ produces scallop squash that have a mild, buttery flavor and a tender texture, with fine-grained white flesh.
These squash have the best flavor and texture when picked at two to three inches wide, and can be cooked whole at this size.
‘Sunburst’
Plants grow in a compact bush habit with a three- to four-foot spread and reach two to three feet in height at maturity. They are resistant to powdery mildew, and don’t mind cooler weather.
You’ll be harvesting ‘Sunburst’ in 50 to 55 days.
‘Sunburst’ seeds are available for purchase in a selection of packet sizes at True Leaf Market.
Want to learn more? Find tips on growing scallop squash here.
Calling All Squashbucklers
Alright gardener, you should now be prepared for some very squashy adventures.
These varieties should give you plenty of choice to grow a bumper crop of summer squash that you’re sure to enjoy cooking up in the kitchen.
This year my summer squash lineup includes ‘Black Beauty,’ ‘Grey,’ ‘Cube of Butter,’ ‘Costata Romanesco,’ and ‘Tatume.’ I can’t wait for harvest time.
Which varieties sound good to you? Do you have any other favorite types of summer squash? Let us know in the comments below!
Before you plant your seeds, how about some reminders on best practices for growing summer squash?
And while you’re at it, learn more about growing squash in your garden with these guides: