Tondo Scuro di Piacenza is an Italian heirloom summer squash that predates the modern 'Eight Ball' hybrid by generations. These round, dark green beauties grow on vigorous bush plants that produce prolifically, reaching harvest in just 50 to 60 days. Rich in flavor and equally at home in a home garden or at market, this variety thrives in zones 3 through 12 and rewards full sun with abundant yields. It's the kind of heirloom that reminds you why gardeners keep saving seeds.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-12
?in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Dark green, perfectly round fruits that look almost ornamental until you taste them reveal rich, complex flavor that modern hybrids struggle to match. The vigorous bush plants pack surprising productivity into a compact footprint, making this heirloom dense with character rather than sprawling size. Coming from Italian seed stock, Tondo Scuro di Piacenza carries decades of market gardening tradition in every fruit, proof that the older squash varieties were already refined to perfection before breeders started chasing novelty.
This summer squash is prepared like any tender Cucurbita pepo, sliced and sautéed, grilled, roasted, or incorporated into pasta dishes and vegetable medleys. The round shape makes it naturally suited to halving and roasting whole with minimal prep. Its rich flavor means it shines simply prepared with olive oil and garlic, allowing the taste to speak for itself rather than disappearing into heavily sauced dishes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed. Plant seeds 1 inch deep in full sun, spacing them 24 to 36 inches apart to allow room for vigorous growth. Seeds sprout in 5 to 10 days when soil temperature is between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Harvest Tondo Scuro di Piacenza when fruits are young and tender, typically 50 to 60 days after planting. Pick fruits while the skin is still dark green and glossy; once they begin to pale or show signs of hardening, they are aging past peak eating quality. Summer squash are most delicious when harvested at 3 to 4 inches in diameter, before the skin toughens. Regular harvesting encourages continued flowering and fruiting throughout the season.
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“This Italian heirloom originates from the Piacenza region, where market gardeners selected and saved seeds for the variety's combination of beauty, productivity, and flavor. The name itself tells the story: tondo means round, scuro means dark, and Piacenza anchors it to place. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds notes pointedly that gardeners should forget the new 'Eight Ball' hybrid, because there already was an heirloom version that outperforms it. That version is this one, a living example of how regional Italian agriculture developed perfectly adapted squash varieties long before industrial seed companies began their work.”