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DESERT

DESERT

Product Description:

Cucurbita pepo 50 days. Desert produces heavy yields of uniform, flawless fruit. Vigorous, compact plants keep blooms open longer than typical zucchinis for more successful pollination and fruit set in both hot and cool temperatures. Suited for open field or high tunnels. IR: CMV, ZYMV, WMV, PM.
  • Key Features:

ORGANIC SEED

$4.65

$4.65

  • Key Features:

Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
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D
DAVE W.
A Bull in HOOOOT Weather

I have grown other Zucchini strains that stressed in hot weather. This strain is definitely heat tolerant. In San Jose Ca. when the 100 degree days showed up, the leaves didn't show any signs of stress or damage from the HOOOOT weather. The yield is large. The color beautiful. The taste is great. I read the review from the Texas writer and decided to try this strain out. Proved to be spot on. If you have problems with heat on your Zucchini, this strain will not fail you in HOOOOT weather.

C
CM
Set Fruit in 106+ degrees AND Produced through Many Frosts!

Summer 2022 in Central West Texas was BRUTAL...100-118 degree days most of the summer, and 5 weeks straight 106-112 highs almost every single day. Other than our sweet potatoes and cowpeas; all our other vegetables including all our summer squash & zucchini varieties just went dormant...EXCEPT our 3 Desert Zucchini plants!

During the worst of the heat, while it didn't produce a lot of zucchini; it DID produce and we were thankful for every zucchini the plants gave us. Absolutely stunned that Desert zucchini not only bloomed & pollinated but set fruit in those temps! Worst of the heat ended mid August, and while the other squash & zucchini varieties were slow to produce and never did much, Desert began producing tons of zucchini the next 8 weeks, AND had one more surprise for us! As usual we get light frosts in mid October, and like always, the frosts wipe out the squash plants...EXCEPT for the 3 still thriving Desert zucchini plants, who kept on producing zucchini with ease through MANY light frosts, and even several nights with 25 degree lows. UNREAL!

Picked our last zucchinis Nov. 18th, 2022, then a couple days later a low temp of 20 finally killed the Desert zucchini plants. Crazy this variety was able to produce zucchini through two opposite EXTREMES! Desert Zucchini will have a much deserved spot in our garden every year now, lol! Thanks TSC for offering this mind-blowing zucchini variety! :)

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.

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