Lemon Summer Squash is a bush variety that lives up to its name, producing compact plants laden with bright yellow fruits shaped and sized like actual lemons. Ready to harvest in just 50-60 days, these 3-4 inch squashes deliver exceptional yields and remarkable insect resistance, making them one of the most reliable summer squashes for home and market gardens. The flavor is outstanding when fried, and the plants thrive in full sun across a wide temperature range of 70-95°F, making them adaptable to most growing regions.
24
Full Sun
Moderate
3-11
?in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds reports this variety shows the best insect resistance they've observed in any summer squash, a genuinely rare claim in the squash world. The combination of prolific production, compact bush growth, and genuine flavor when cooked fresh makes this a standout performer. It's earned recognition as their most popular summer squash variety for good reason: the lemon-like appearance catches eyes at markets while the taste and yield keep home gardeners coming back season after season.
Lemon Summer Squash shines when fried, where its tender young flesh and thin skin deliver the best texture and flavor. The compact size of 3-4 inches means fruits are perfectly portioned for family meals and don't require halving. Young squashes are ideal for this preparation; allowing them to mature too large results in oversized seeds and fibrous flesh, so regular harvesting while young keeps both quality high and plant productivity strong.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds 1 inch deep into warm soil after frost danger has passed, when soil temperature reaches 70°F. Seeds sprout in 5-10 days under ideal conditions.
Harvest fruits when they reach 3-4 inches in size, while still young and tender with thin, soft skin. Pick regularly and frequently to maintain plant productivity; as soon as you allow fruits to mature and enlarge, the plant receives the signal to slow production. Never harvest when the plant foliage is wet, and handle plants gently to avoid damaging vines. Squash blossoms are also edible; harvest male flowers the day before they open to minimize any impact on fruit yield.
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“This heirloom cultivar has proven itself in Missouri gardens for generations, where it evolved into a reliable workhorse variety prized for both home gardening and market production. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, the seed house that has maintained and promoted this variety, reports it as an annual that performs exceptionally well in their region, suggesting it arrived as a farmer-selected type valued for consistent productivity and pest resistance.”