Plants→Gourds, Squashes and Pumpkins→Tromboncino (Cucurbita moschata 'Tromba d'Albenga')

Can be used as summer type squash if picked when green OR as winter squash if allowed to mature on the vine to creamy beige and hard skin. Its curled form can make it difficult to handle in the kitchen, so trellising (try growing on a bamboo teepee or cattle panel archway) is a must. When the vines climb up, gravity makes the squash hang down and grow straight. These straight necks can be 2 feet long and have no seeds (seeds are in the bulbous end at the bottom), so they make great eating no matter how large the squash. You can't mess these up the way you can with zucchini, which must be picked while small so that the seeds aren't tough. Great plant for a beginning gardener because it requires little care aside from tying up the vines as they grow. Also, it is open pollinated, so you can save the seeds to share and grow next year. Holds up well against squash bugs and seems resistant to squash vine borers. Early in the season I sometimes spray with Bt, which is a natural caterpillar/bug control.

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This is my first time growing Trombone Squash. It is the "Jack & the Beanstalk" version of squash. I started a few seeds inside and planted them in the garden when they had their first set of true leaves. I only planted 4 to see how they would do and then subsequently put a couple of additional seeds in the row. In just a couple of weeks they are about 3 feet tall with huge and beautiful leaves. I would grow them even if they had no squash. We will need to add more trellising right away, as they grow very quickly. No blooms yet but there are buds. This is a winner for me in zone 9b. We have had a few 100 degree days already and the plants did not droop at all.

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