Pineapple Summer Squash is a cream-colored, fluted acorn-type squash that straddles two worlds: harvest it young as a tender summer squash, or let it mature into a hearty winter storage crop. This heirloom variety, introduced with great fanfare in Burpee's 1884 catalog, was celebrated as one of the finest-grained squashes of its era and remains a dual-purpose marvel. Growing in bush form across zones 3 to 12, it reaches harvest in just 50 to 60 days, making it accessible to gardeners in nearly every climate. The cream-colored, fluted fruit delivers delicate flavor whether you pick it small for quick cooking or mature it for stuffing and roasting.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-12
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Moderate
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Few squashes offer the flexibility of Pineapple: slice young fruit raw or lightly sauté them, or mature the same plant for dense, fine-grained flesh that's exceptional stuffed and baked. The 1884 introduction by Burpee sparked a gardening sensation that lasted through the early 20th century, with countless seedsmen offering it as a cornerstone variety. Its cream and fluted form is unmistakable in the garden, and the bush habit means it doesn't demand sprawling space. From seed to first harvest in 50 to 60 days, it suits short seasons beautifully while thriving in warm climates up to zone 12.
Pineapple Summer Squash shines in two distinct culinary moments. Pick the young fruit and prepare them as you would summer squash: slice thin and sauté quickly with butter, or add them to stir-fries and light vegetable dishes where their delicate flesh and fine grain shine. Mature the fruit to full size, and you unlock its other personality: these are exceptional when halved, seeded, and stuffed with grains, herbs, and vegetables, then roasted until the flesh becomes creamy and tender. The fine-grained texture Burpee emphasized in 1884 makes it superior to coarser squashes for both applications.
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Direct sow seeds into warm soil after the last frost date has passed, when soil temperatures consistently reach 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant seeds in hills or rows spaced 36 inches apart.
For summer squash use, harvest young fruit when they're tender and the skin yields easily to a fingernail, typically within the first 50 to 60 days of growth. For mature winter squash, allow the fruit to remain on the plant until the skin hardens completely and turns a deeper cream color; the stem will brown and dry. A mature squash should resist puncture from a thumbnail. Cut fruit from the vine with a sharp knife, leaving a short stem attached; handle carefully to avoid bruising.
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“In 1884, Burpee's seed catalog introduced Pineapple squash to American gardeners with considerable excitement, hailing it as one of the most fine-grained squashes available. The variety captured the imagination of the era; by the late 19th and into the early 20th centuries, countless seedsmen were offering Pineapple squash in their catalogs, a testament to its popularity and reliability. It endured as a standard offering through decades of horticultural change, saved and replanted by gardeners who valued its dual nature: a delicate summer squash when immature and a storage-worthy winter squash when left to mature. The fact that it remains in cultivation today, preserved through seed-saving networks and heirloom catalogs, reflects its genuine utility and the esteem in which Victorian gardeners held it.”