Zucchini ‘Black Beauty’ and crookneck ‘Early Yellow’ — the fastest return in the vegetable garden. Two windows here: February–March and August, planted early and harvested hard before the vine borer arrives.
Summer squash is the crop that makes new vegetable gardeners feel successful: transplants set out in late February are producing by April, and a single plant yields a squash or two a day for six weeks. The catch in the low desert is the squash vine borer, a moth larva that tunnels into the stem base in May and June and collapses the plant overnight. The strategy is to plant early, harvest heavily, accept the collapse, and plant again in August for a fall crop that the borer mostly misses.
We commonly carry ‘Black Beauty’ zucchini and ‘Early Yellow’ crookneck. Full sun, rich soil, a lot of water, and pick every day. The rest of the edible benches are on our Herbs & Vegetables page.
These are the summer squash varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
Bright yellow, bulb-ended crookneck squash with a buttery flavor; very early and prolific. Pick at five to six inches while the skin is tender.
The classic dark green zucchini on a compact bush. Ready about 50 days from transplant; pick at six to eight inches for the best texture.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Transplant from late February through March, covering on frosty nights, so the plants produce through April and May before heat and borers end them. Plant again in early to mid-August, shaded for the first weeks, for a September-to-November crop. Squash planted in April or May runs straight into the borer.
Rich, deeply amended soil — a third compost in a raised bed — with a balanced organic fertilizer at planting. Squash are thirsty: a deep soak every two days in spring and daily in the heat, on drip at the base, in the morning. Water on the leaves in the evening invites powdery mildew. Mulch heavily.
From late April, watch the stem base for frass (sawdust-like droppings) and sudden wilting; the borer is inside. Slit the stem, remove the grub, and mound soil over the wound — sometimes it works. Wrapping the lower stem in foil at planting and burying nodes to root along the stem help. If small fruit shrivel from the tip, pollination failed in the heat: hand-pollinate at dawn with a male flower.
Full sun. Each bush needs three feet of space and good airflow, which reduces powdery mildew. In the August planting, shade cloth for the first two or three weeks helps transplants establish in the heat.
Pick zucchini at six to eight inches and crookneck at five to six, checking every morning; a fruit doubles in size overnight and an overgrown one tells the plant to stop producing. Twist or cut with a knife. The male flowers (on thin stems) are edible stuffed or fried.
White powder on leaves arrives with monsoon humidity; remove the worst leaves, keep airflow open, water at the base, and spray potassium bicarbonate or neem early. Squash plants and fruit are non-toxic to pets.
Photo of the bed, how much sun it gets and what you want to eat — we’ll match varieties and planting dates to it. Advice is free.
We stock raised-bed and vegetable planting mix, compost and steer manure by the bag or the yard, organic vegetable fertilizers, tomato cages and stakes, shade cloth for the May-to-September stretch, frost cloth for January, and drip fittings. The pottery yard has half-barrels and 15-gallon pots for patio vegetables, and soil and mulch is sold by the bag or by the yard.
Late February through March, and again in August. Spring plantings produce April to early June; August plantings September to November.
Squash vine borer, a moth larva that tunnels the stem base from May. Look for sawdust-like frass at the base. Plant early, harvest hard, and replant in August when the moth is less active.
Poor pollination, usually in heat or when bees are scarce. Hand-pollinate at dawn: pick a male flower, strip the petals, and dab the pollen onto the female flower’s center.
A deep soak every two days in spring and daily in summer, at the base, in the morning, with mulch. They are among the thirstiest vegetables.
Daily. Zucchini at six to eight inches, crookneck at five to six. Overgrown fruit slows the plant down.
Powdery mildew, common in monsoon humidity. Remove the worst leaves, water at the base, improve airflow, and treat early with potassium bicarbonate or neem.
Summer Squash live on the herb and vegetable benches; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.