Cucurbita pepo## HOW TO GROW STRAIGHTNECK Start indoors 3–4 weeks before last frost, plant out 2 weeks after last frost. Start 3 seeds in flats or 4” pots, thin to 1-2 plants. Direct seed after last frost or soil 70˚F. Seeds will rot in cool wet soil. 5-6 seeds to a 12” diameter hill or disturbed area. Can transplant end of last frost with row cover. Cucurbita pepo require a relatively short span of time from planting to ripening fruit than other squash. Cure in warm dry place such as a garage for 1 week after harvest. Pinch new blossoms midsummer to encourage larger set fruit size. Winter squash of C. pepo do not store as well as those of C. maxima or C. moschata and are often known as autumn squash. Hard frost damaged fruit will not store well. Soil pH 5.8-7.0. Hardiness zones 4-11. Annual.Days from maturity calculated from the date of seeding. Average 176-300 seeds per ounce. Average 22M seeds per acre. Federal germination standard: 75%. Usual seed life: 6 years. Isolation distance for seed saving: 1/2 mile.Planting Depth 1/2-1”Soil Temp. Germ. 70-85˚FDays to Germ. 3-10Plant Spacing 18-24”Row Spacing 6’Days To Maturity 59–63Full Sun, Moist Well Drained Early Prolific Seed Count 1 Ounce ≈ 320 seeds.25 Pound ≈ 1,281 seeds1 Pound ≈ 5,125 seeds##A tasty yellow summer squash, especially when eaten small. Plant is upright and provides good fruit cover. Fruit is 6–8” (15-20 cm) long, and slightly bulbs at blossom end. Harvest at 5–6” long for tender or 12–14” mature. Tags: Color: Yellow, Shape: Elongated, Heritage: Heirloom, Season: Late Summer Fall.There are two centers of this species that occurred independently of each other. The first (C. pepo subsp. pepo) occurred in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The second (C. pepo subsp. ovifera) in what is now the southeastern U.S. about 4,000 years ago. Originally cultivated for their edible seed. Native Americans planted squash in the Three Sisters Guild with beans and corn. Corn as a trellis for beans, beans to fix nitrogen in the soil and squash to suppress weeds as boarder to neighbor’s crops. Cucurbita pepo varieties includes acorn, delicata, pattypan, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, yellow crookneck, zucchini and some pumpkin varities. Zucchini was cultivated in Italy as a hybrid from the cucumber. Zucca is the Italian word for squash. Also known as winter squash. Delicious sumer squash recipes.
