After 2 years, I’m thinking not. But here’s the story.

Year 1: 2020

In early February I began planning for my summer raised bed garden. Along with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beans, I decided to try some zucchini and squash. Who doesn’t like zucchini and squash, right? You can slice them up for salads or pasta, pair them with hummus for appetizers, or sauté them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and serve as a side dish.  

So I did some research to see what varieties of summer squash and zucchini would fare the best in Atlanta’s hot summer season. Apparently there are lots of them! Yellow Crookneck and Patty Pan (like Benning’s Green Tint and Early White Bush Scallop) are some definite favorites. And for zucchini, there’s Black Beauty and Tender Grey (just to name a few). I decided to go mainstream and chose Yellow Crookneck and a variety of zucchini I found at a local nursery. I should be set, right?

All started off well. I had my 3 x 8 foot raised bed ready and filled with really good soil. Good soil is key (you can read more about it in my blog post It’s All About The Dirt). I had my planting plan drawn out - I’d be pairing my squash and zucchini with a few tomato plants (which I truly thought was a good idea at the time). And I knew I needed bees or other insects for pollination. Did you know squash plants have both male and female flowers? The female flowers have a small swelling (i.e., ovary) behind short-stemmed flowers. The male flowers are larger than the female flowers, and have longer (and thinner) stems.

As I said, it all started off as planned. My plants were flourishing and blossoms were abundant. At least on the squash plants. My zucchini wasn’t faring as well, but I was holding out hope.

And then . . . they began to grow. Like really, really large! As in my squash and zucchini plants were fighting my tomatoes for space. They were just NOT playing nice! And social distancing? Forget it (remember this was 2020).

Soon it was time to harvest. And look what I got!

Well actually, this is what I wished I got. What I really got was . . .

A whole bunch of tomatoes and ONE squash. Absolutely no zucchini. Sigh. What went wrong?

YEAR 2: 2021

This year I decided I was going to be smarter. Instead of Yellow Crookneck and zucchini, I chose to go with just squash - and a Patty Pan variety (thinking I’d have better luck). I chose Early White Bush Scallop Summer Squash from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Summer squash all grow on bushes not vines, but the Patty Pan varieties I thought would be a little smaller and not as vigorous. Little did I know.

Instead of transplants from a nursery, I decided to direct sow. After our average last frost date (which is usually mid to late March), I set in my seeds about 3 feet apart along the edges of one of my raised beds. Down the center I planted some bush beans and at one end, I added some zinnias and cucumbers up a trellis. Soon I had beautiful squash plants with blossoms.

And very soon after that, I had this. Which can only be described as a hot mess. LOL

Now what? And besides having taken over the bed (crowding out all of my bush beans), none of my flowers were setting fruit. Seriously? So I started investigating. It turns out that almost all of my squash blossoms are male. Remember - you can tell the difference because male flowers have long straight stems. Oftentimes, squash plants start out by producing only male flowers. Having a bunch of males around can be a dream . . . but not if you’re hoping for squash.

After some serious hunting, I was able to locate one (ONE) female squash blossom. And it’s not even in full bloom. Notice the tiny squash that’s forming at the base of the blossom.

It appears having only male squash flowers is not that uncommon. The weather has a huge impact on squash plants - it could have been too hot or too cool. Or it could have been too dry or too wet. Sometimes your squash plants can fix themselves and begin to produce male and female squash blossoms at the same time. And then - sometimes they can’t. In which case . . .

IT’S TIME TO EAT

Squash blossoms (whether male or female) are edible! And after yanking out a large number of my only-male-producing squash plants (I did save some just to see what happens), I had an over abundance of squash blossoms.

Squash blossoms are considered a delicacy and can be eaten raw in salads, stuffed, battered and fried, or roasted in the oven. Pick your blossoms early in the morning (be sure to open the petals and check for pollinators), remove the pistil, then carefully wash and dry them. The blossoms are best if prepared and eaten right away - but you can store them in the refrigerator for a couple of days before using.

You can stuff squash blossoms with a variety of ingredients. Try a mixture with ricotta cheese, an egg, salt, pepper, garlic and chopped fresh herbs (like parsley, thyme, oregano and basil) and some lemon zest for brightness. Or try substituting goat cheese and shredded Gruyere cheese for the ricotta cheese. Or maybe mix ricotta, Mozarella and chives with the egg and herbs.

It’s easiest if you pipe the cheese mixture into the blossoms using a piping bag (like that used to ice cakes). Gently pry open the petals, add the stuffing and carefully twist the ends to seal. While battering and frying the blossoms is a super popular method, I chose to roast them. I lined a baking sheet with foil and coated the foil with olive oil. After arranging the stuffed blossoms, I brushed them with additional olive oil and sprinkled them with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Then I roasted them in an oven set at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes.

That’s it - simple and yummy! There is a reward for growing squash plants after all - even if you get nothing but male squash flowers. LOL

Well there you have it. That’s my squash saga. The jury’s still out if I’m going to get any squash this year, and I definitely am thinking about not planting any more squash in my garden next year. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go for it! Just remember - gardening is not necessarily a sure thing. And if it was . . . it wouldn’t be as much fun!

I hope this blog gets you thinking about all the possibilities for your own kitchen garden. If you’d like some help with design and planning, click the button below to reach out. And stay tuned for what’s up next on the blog!