20 Top-Notch Squash Varieties [Slideshow]
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Delica
Hybrid Squash Delica has wide adaptability, and is vigorous with good fruit setting. Fruit is sweet and flavorful, maturing 45 to 50 days after flowering. Best production requires low humidity and moderate temperatures Weight is around 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Available from American Takii.
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Hokkori
Hybrid Squash Hokkori 133 is very vigorous and high yielding producing uniform, sweet fruit that matures in 45-50 days after flowering. Weight is around 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Available from American Takii.
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Sweet Mama
Hybrid Squash Sweet Mama is a bush-type squash with a single vine and short internodes. Fruit matures in 45 to 50 days after flowering and has deep green skin with light green streaks and the flesh is bright yellow and very sweet. Weight is around 4 pounds (1.8 kg). All America Selections winner. Available from American Takii.
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Bonus
This medium-long zucchini squash is straight and cylindrical in shape with medium green color and heavy flecks. The medium sized, open plant produces fruit maturing around 57 days with tolerance to PRSV, WMV, and ZYMV. This variety has reduced Spines on a smooth, classy fruit. Available from Abbott & Cobb.
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Cosmos
This bright yellow, semi-crookneck squash is perfect for shipping. Its vigorous plant provides excellent yields of smooth fruit with medium bulbs. An early maturing variety, measuring approximately 6-7”, Cosmos offers moderate to good disease tolerance for most viruses including intermediate resistance to PRSV, WMV, and ZYMV. Available from Abbott & Cobb.
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Solstice
A proven performer, this bright yellow hybrid squash has smooth, straight fruit and an excellent bulb ideal for straightnecks. The early maturing fruit grows on a vigorous plant with great yield potential. Moderate to good disease tolerance has been exhibited in Southeastern U.S., including (IR) WMV and ZYMV. Available from Abbott & Cobb.
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El Greco
Featuring good tolerance to cold conditions, a high set, and an open plant for easy picking, this dark green zucchini is the go-to choice for productivity and fruit quality. Available from Harris Moran.
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Esteem
Esteem matures in 52 days and is an attractive zucchini with a darker green color that many markets demand. Open-bush plants produce good yields of fruit with attractive flecking, a shiny appearance, and cylindrical shape. It has intermediate resistance to powdery mildew, zucchini yellow mosaic virus, watermelon mosaic virus, and papaya ringspot virus. Available from Harris Moran. and Harris Seeds.
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Respect
This high quality medium dark-green zucchini features a good earliness and a high-yielding, vigorous open plant producing high grade fruit. Available from Harris Moran.
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Reward
With early high yields, broad adaptability, an open plant, and a high pack-out, Reward is perfect for growers looking for a medium dark-green zucchini with appealing fruit quality and a convenient, high early yield. Available from Harris Moran.
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Shokichi Green/Shokichi Shiro
Personal-sized, kabocha winter squashes are ornamental as well as edible and are an attractive, small size for farmers’ markets or CSA boxes and weigh from ½ to 1¼ pounds. Shokichi Green produces single serving-size, green fruits with light stripes. Shokichi Shiro is a small, single serving-size gray Kabocha. Both are high in dry matter and yield six to ten fruits per plant. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
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Winter Sweet
This winter storage kabocha is a more reliable producer and stores better than Confection, while its flavor is every bit as good. Unusually good black rot resistance means that healthier fruits go into storage and keep longer without rotting. Fruits avg. 4-5 lb., are light gray with a charcoal mottle, and the color resists fading. Flaky, sweet flesh. Best eating quality between 2 and 5 months after harvest. Avg. yield: 3-4 fruits/plant. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
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Zephyr
Precocious, distinctive slender fruits are yellow with faint white stripes and light green blossom ends. Harvest young at 4-6" for unusually delicious, nutty flavor and firm texture. Big, open plant is high yielding. NOTE: Under certain stressful situations, such as hot weather, Zephyr can show some variability in the amount of green at the ends of the fruits. In addition, sometimes the first fruit on a plant will be green striped. Available from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
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Payload
- Medium-green, glossy fruit with cylindrical, uniform shape
- Open plant with reduced spines
- Medium vigor growth habit
- Broad based disease resistance
- Available from Syngenta, Rispens Seeds, Rupp Seeds, Seedway. Stokes Seeds.
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Spineless perfection
- Classic Spineless Beauty-type fruit with high gloss and rich green color
- Open, upright plant habit for ease of picking
- Similar yields to Spineless Beauty
- Available from Syngenta
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Goldprize
- Glossy, smooth fruit with attractive yellow color
- Long harvest and improved fruit quality
- Improved disease resistance
- Available from Syngenta
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Gold star
- Vigorous plant with outstanding fruit smoothness and quality
- Reduced spines
- Improved disease resistance
- Broad adaptability, ensuring marketability
- Available from Syngenta
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Paycheck
- Excellent fruit quality
- Very good adaptability
- High yield potential
- Good for fall seasons when CMV can be an issue
- Available from Syngenta
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Gentry
- Attractive, smooth fruit helps ensure marketability
- Performs well under high temperatures
- High yield potential
- Available from Syngenta
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Cuarzo
- High quality fruit with uniform shape and appearance
- Extended harvest window and excellent yield potential
- Improved disease resistance package
- Available from Syngenta
View all
Delica
Hokkori
Sweet Mama
Bonus
Cosmos
Solstice
El Greco
Esteem
Respect
Reward
Shokichi Green/Shokichi Shiro
Winter Sweet
Zephyr
Payload
Spineless perfection
Goldprize
Gold star
Paycheck
Gentry
Cuarzo
Browse the gallery for details on 20 squash varieties from the nation’s leading seed breeders and distributors.
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Alexander is a former associate editor with American Vegetable Grower® and currently a contributing writer in Denver, CO. See all author stories here.