SQUASH-TROMBONCINO
SQUASH-TROMBONCINO
A$3.50
Availability: In stock
Cucurbita moschata
SQUASH-TROMBONCINO Squash, also known as Zucchetto or Zucchetta, is a unique and versatile Italian squash variety loved by gardeners and cooks for its unusual trombone-shaped fruit and rich flavour. Most often used as a summer squash, Tromboncino can be harvested young and tender like zucchini, or left to mature into a larger squash. The light green to tan fruit can grow up to 1 metre long and is best grown on a trellis to keep the fruit straight, although mature fruit left unsupported will often curl into its classic trombone shape. Delicious steamed, grilled, or sliced raw into salads, Tromboncino Squash is a wonderful alternative to ordinary zucchini and a rewarding variety to grow in the home garden.
Additional growing tips for Tromboncino Squash
- Pick young fruit: often if you want a zucchini-style crop. Regular picking encourages the plant to keep producing more young, tender fruit.
- Leave some fruit to mature fully: if you want a firmer squash that stores longer. Young fruit is used like zucchini, while mature fruit is used more like winter squash.
- For the straightest fruit: train the vines early before they become too tangled. Tie the main runners gently to the trellis as they grow.
- Do not worry if the mature fruit curls into odd shapes: This is normal and is part of why it is called Tromboncino, because the mature fruit can resemble a trombone.
- Plant it where bees and pollinators can easily find the flowers: The large yellow flowers are attractive to pollinators, which helps with fruit set.
- If flowers form but fruit drops off when tiny: it may be poor pollination rather than a plant problem. Hand pollination can help by moving pollen from a male flower to a female flower.
- Tromboncino is often considered: more resistant to squash vine borer than many common zucchini types because it belongs to the Cucurbita moschata group, but it should still be checked for pest damage.
- Keep the fruit off damp soil where possible: Trellising helps reduce blemishes, rotting, and pest damage by improving airflow around the plant.
- Prune only lightly if needed: Remove badly diseased or overcrowded leaves, but avoid removing too many healthy leaves because they help shade and feed the developing fruit.
- Harvest with a short stem attached: This helps the fruit keep better and reduces damage at the cut end.
- For a fun garden feature: grow Tromboncino over an archway or pergola. The hanging fruit can become quite ornamental as well as edible.
Heritage of Tromboncino Squash
Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Plant Height
90 - 120 cm (3 - 4 feet)
Season of Interest
Summer to early Autumn
Temperature Range
18 - 30°C (64 - 86°F)
Determine / Indeterminate
Annual / Perennial / Biennial
Annual
Frost Hardy / Tender
Frost Tender
Full Sun / Part Sun / Shade
Full Sun
Sow Direct / Raise Seedlings
Sow Direct
Soil
Fertile, well-drained soil
pH
6.0 - 7.5
Soil Temperature
18 - 24 °C (65 - 75 °F)
Seed Preparation
None required
Sowing Depth
2.5 cm (1 inch)
Plant Spacing
90 cm (36 inches)
Row spacing
120 - 150 cm (48 - 60 inches)
Watering
Moderate
Germination Time (Days)
7 - 14 days
Harvest Time (Days)
70 - 80 days
Good Companion Plants
Corn, Beans, Marigolds
Bad Companion Plants
Potatoes
Pests
Squash vine borers, Aphids
Diseases
Powdery mildew, Bacterial wilt
More About Us
ABSeeds is an Australian owned business trading under the umbrella of Direct Compost Solutions which is owned and managed by Victoria Brun.
We as a company endeavor to provide to the public, Organic, Old Fashioned, Heritage, and Open-pollinated seeds that have not been genetically modified.
We purchased the business in November 2018 and renamed it to ABSeeds (All ‘Bout Seeds) to make the title shorter and represent what we hope to achieve with this business in the years ahead.
Seeds that we can’t grow ourselves we will acquire from people who grow for us, or we may purchase seeds from reputable heritage seed companies.
