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Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
  • Tatume Summer Squash
Tatume Summer Squash

Cucurbita pepo
$4.50
Description

Tatume (also known as calabacita) is a great choice if you love summer squash but have trouble getting zucchini or yellow squash through the season. In our climate, those crops can face heavy pest and disease pressure, while Tatume has proven much more resilient for us.

Tatume grows differently from the typical bush-type summer squash. Instead of forming one compact plant, it sends out long vines that sprawl along the ground and can take up quite a bit of space. This growth habit seems to help it weather squash vine borer damage. Because the vines root at multiple points along the ground, the plant can take some damage without the whole thing collapsing.

Harvest the small, green fruits while they're young and use them just like zucchini or other summer squash. They have a nice texture and are versatile in the kitchen.

Tatume can also be left on the vine until it turns orange and fully matures, and some accounts recommend using it like a winter squash. We don't particularly care for it at that stage—the texture and flavor aren't as appealing to us, and the mature fruit has a relatively small amount of edible flesh around a large seed cavity. We'd recommend eating them young and letting a few fruits mature for seed saving instead.
Product details
  • About 25 seeds
  • 35-40 days to harvest
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at GROW HUB in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Winter squash need warm weather, plenty of space, and a long growing season. Sow seeds directly about 1 inch deep, planting 3–4 seeds together in a hill or planting area, with 5–6 feet between hills. Thin to the strongest plants once they are established.

These vines will spread far and wide, and happily climb—so give them plenty of room. Be prepared for a jungle of vines that will keep growing for much of the season!

Plant into fertile, compost-rich garden soil and feed regularly with a good-quality organic fertilizer. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can encourage lots of leaves and vines at the expense of fruit production.

Winter squash are very sensitive to cold and should not be planted outdoors until the danger of frost has passed. In North Florida, some growers plant as early as late February, but be prepared to protect young plants if cold weather returns. You can also plant winter squash as late as April.

Water at the base of the plants using hand watering or drip irrigation when possible. Keeping foliage dry helps reduce the conditions that encourage disease.
How to save seeds

Squash are easy to save seed from, but keeping a variety pure can be tricky! Squash have separate male and female flowers and rely on insects for pollination, so different varieties of the same species can readily cross. This only matters if you want your saved seed to grow true to the original variety. If you’re happy to experiment, crossing can be a fun way to create something new!

First, make sure you know the species of your squash. Varieties within the same species can cross. For example, butternut and Seminole pumpkin are both Cucurbita moschata, and therefore can cross if they are flowering at the same time and growing in proximity. Zucchini, acorn, and many summer squash are Cucurbita pepo, and so they all can cross with one another. Different species generally will not cross. 

If you want to keep a variety pure, grow only one variety of that species, provide plenty of isolation, or use hand-pollination to control which flowers cross. This is especially important for seed growers because pollinators can travel considerable distances between squash plants.

For seed saving, choose fruit from your favorite fruits with the qualities you like (shape, color, flavor etc.) and allow the squash to fully mature. Winter squash can be harvested for seed when the fruit is fully mature and ready to eat. Scoop the seeds from the mature squash and separate them from the surrounding flesh. Rinse them well, then spread them out in a single layer to dry completely. Once thoroughly dry, store them somewhere cool, dark, and dry.

Learn all you need to know about saving tomato seeds in our free guide: Saving Winter Squash Seed

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