TROMBONCINO
Product Description:
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Key Features:
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Key Features:
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Customer Reviews
This is our first full year of growing a garden larger than 16 square feet. And, we had terrible luck earlier in the year with vine borers taking out our squash and pumpkins soon after they would start producing, except for butternut squash and luffa. Started these from seed indoors July 23, moved outdoors in the shade 3 days later after they sprouted. Planted first week of August, in a raised bed that had previously grown tomatoes. By the beginning of September we had squash large enough to eat. Sauteed similar to zucchini but slightly more firm. Which to me is good since most squash gets mushy when cooked. Now some of the Tromboncino are very large and we look forward to seeing how they taste fully matured.
Is recipes! I cannot say enough good about this squash. It is very tasty and productive. And it can be eaten young when it is just like a summer squash. Or you can let it mature, when it turns into a winter squash. I don't know what the fully grown version tastes like because I picked mine at various early stages. Even at 20 inches it is still young and tender and sweet. I baked mine, put them in stir fries, and made them into noodles. Noodles are my absolute favorite way to have it. I mix them with an equivalent amount of thin spaghetti and one of an endless possibility of sauces.
I grew mine in a container with a general purpose fertilizer, and automatic watering. We created a 'squash house' covered in chicken wire to protect it from woodchucks and deer. But squash will not be contained and in no time it had grown through the chicken wire. I then had to put up a second barrier to stop the deer eating it. I lost a few but still had many.
One hill of 2-3 Tromboncinos generally gives me a patch over 20 feet in diameter, and provides over a dozen 5 gallon buckets of squashes. They can be eaten as the tender, 6" base of an unopened flower, all the way up to 3' long behemoths. The seeds are all in the end, so the neck remains firm and tasty, even when it's stored through the winter. It can also be dehydrated and saved for winter soups.
This is an amazing plant. The very long neck of seedless flesh is perfect. Half-inch slices, pan-fried with a little salt and pepper (and garlic powder) on medium heat to brown, are delicious! That browning is the crucial part.
| Soil Temp for Germ | 65–85°F |
| Seed Depth | 1–1 ½" |
| Seed Spacing | 3–4/hill |
| Days to Emergence | 5–10 |
| Thin Plants to | 1–2/hill |
| Row Spacing | 3–6' |
| Fertilizer Needs | Medium |
| Minimum Germination | 75% |
| Seeds per Gram | See below |
| Seed Life | 3–4 years |
Cucurbita spp. In the diverse family of squash are true nutritional powerhouses, encompassing a wide array of forms, flavors, colorations, and culinary applications. Squash are rich in the carotenoids necessary for vitamin A production and boast a wide complement of amino acids. While starchy, most of the carbohydrates in the fruit come from special polysaccharides, pectins, which have exhibited strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic, insulin-regulating properties.
Days to maturity are from date of direct seeding.
Culture
• Fertile, well-drained soil gives best results
• Squash is a warm season crop, so avoid planting too early; raised beds and plastic mulch help keep roots warm
• Squash are monoecious (bearing separate male and female flowers on the same plant) and require insect pollination
• Poor fruit set is often the result of inadequate pollination; plant bee attractant flowers
Direct Sowing
• Plant after frost danger when soil warms to 65°F
• Work in shovelful of compost and 1/2 cup TSC's Complete fertilizer into hill
• Keep soil evenly moist but not wet as too much moisture causes seed to rot
• Bush varieties: sow 3-4 feet apart
• Vining varieties: sow 4-6 feet apart
Transplanting
• Start indoors 3-4 weeks prior to anticipated transplant date in 4 inch pots
• Work in shovelful of compost and 1/2 cup TSC's Complete fertilizer into hill
• Transplant carefully as to not disturb roots
Insects & Diseases
• Common insects: Spotted and striped cucumber beetles, vine borers and squash bugs
• Insect control: Row covers and/or apply Pyrethrin
• Moschata species are resistant to vine borer
• Common diseases: See chart below; diseases vary by region
• Disease prevention: 3-4 year crop rotation, and fungicide applications
Harvest & Storage
• Summer squash: Harvest regularly when fruits are young to keep plants productive
• Winter squash: Leave on vine until fully mature, rinds should be firm
• When winter squash is mature cut stem leaving 2-4 inches remaining, gently wash in sanitizing solution; 10 parts water to 1 part bleach
• For best results move winter squash to a warm dry area 80-90°F to cure; see each type (below) for curing requirements
• Store winter squash at 50-60°F with 50-75% relative humidity and good air circulation
Curing Requirements
• Acorn: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Buttercup: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Butternut: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Delicata: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Hubbard: Cure 10-14 days; Store 1-2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4-6 months
• Kabocha: Cure 10–14 days; Store 1–2 months for best flavor; Will keep 4–6 months
• Mini-Hubbard: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
• Spaghetti: Curing not required; Stores 2-3 months
Approximate seeds per gram
• Acorn, Butternut, & Delicata: 9-16
• Buttercup & Hubbard: 3-7
• Green, Gray Summer: 7–9
• Kabocha: 5–7
• Patty Pan: 7-10
• Romanesco: 4–5
• Spaghetti: 4-7
• Yellow Summer: 7-15
• Zucchini: 5-8
KEY TO SQUASH DISEASE RESISTANCE AND TOLERANCE
HR indicates high resistance.
IR indicates intermediate resistance.
CMV | Cucumber Mosaic Virus
PM | Powdery Mildew
PRV | Papaya Ringspot Virus
SLCV | Squash Leaf Curl Virus
WMV* | Watermelon Mosaic Virus
ZYMV | Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus
* Numbers indicate specific disease race.
