This weekend's plantings

This past weekend Bill and I planted our squashes and cucumbers. I spaced the cucumbers on the trellis (cattle panel) a bit further this year. Last year I had read to space them every 6 inches on a trellis. This year I am trying 12 inches. Too crowded last year.

• 4 - A&C Pickling - Abbott & Cobb introduced this variety in 1928. The fruit is uniform and deep green. A good variety for salads or for dill pickles; large yields.


• 4 - Parade - Popular Russian variety. Heavy set of uniform fruits that mature at relatively the same time, making it a good processing variety. Fruits 5" long by 2" diameter, one of our favorites at Heritage Farm. Resistant to extreme weather conditions. 50-60 days.


• 4 - Sweeter Yet Hybrid Cucumber - A burp-free cucumber with perfectly balanced taste. Best when harvested at about 10inches - 12 inches long, 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter. Fruits are dark green thin skin, needs no peeling away, sweet taste and no bitterness. Vigorous vines grow 70 inches tall on a trellis or 80 inches on the ground with no support. Fruits are long, cylindrical and mature in 48 days. Fruits are white-spined gynoecios hybrid. Disease resistant to DM (Downy Mildew), PM (Powdery Mildew), CMV (Common Mosaic Virus), ZYV (Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus) and PRSV (Papaya Ring spot Virus).


• 2 - Sunburst Summer Squash - AAS Winner leading market variety, consumers prefer the glossy bright deep yellow fruit making it one of the most sought after for full size and baby vegetable dishes. Fruits may be harvested when 2 to 3 inches as baby vegetables, without loosing the tender, buttery flavor which is sustained in the larger mature squash. Compact bushy plants are sure to produce heavy yields. Scalloped edges and deep dish shaped.


• 1 - Yellow Crookneck - the best yellow variety for buttery flavor and firm texture. Big plants are late to begin bearing, but then yield consistently over a long picking period. Best picked small, 4-5" long.


• 1 - Green Zucchini


• 1 - Costata Romanesco (Cucurbita pepo)
  Best-tasting.Distinctive Italian zucchini, prominently ribbed. Medium gray-green, with pale green flecks and ribs. Big, large-leafed bush with only about half the yield of hybrids, but much better tasting; clearly better textured, nutty, and delicious, raw or cooked. Also a good producer of heavy male blossom buds for cooking. Packet: 30 seeds.
  Days to Maturity or Bloom: 52