VegetableSquash
Trieste White Zucchini Squash
Trieste White Zucchini Squash is an Italian heirloom that produces short, pale green fruits on vigorous vines from midsummer through frost. This non-GMO cultivar matures in just 40 to 49 days, making it one of the earliest zucchini varieties you can grow. The pale, tender fruits are harvested young for their creamy, delicious flavor and are prolific producers across hardiness zones 3 through 13. The vines grow to 24 to 30 inches and thrive in full sun, rewarding patient gardeners with continuous harvests all season long.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-13
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
30 in
Height
TypeVining
Spacing
48
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-13
Size
30in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
These early-maturing squash produce abundant short fruits with a distinctive pale green hue and creamy texture that sets them apart from darker summer squash. Harvest them when they're about cigar-sized for peak tenderness and flavor. The vigorous vines pump out fruit prolifically once they start, and the non-GMO pedigree appeals to gardeners who value open-pollinated seeds. Pick them consistently through the season and the plants reward you with more blooms.
Common Uses
Trieste White Zucchini is best enjoyed when harvested young and cooked simply to preserve its tender, creamy texture. The small fruits are excellent sliced thin and sautéed with olive oil and garlic, roasted whole, or thinly shaved raw into salads. Because the skin remains tender at small sizes, the entire fruit is edible without peeling. Italian cooks favor these pale zucchini for pasta dishes, risotto, and vegetable gratins where their delicate flavor and smooth flesh complement rather than overpower other ingredients.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings or direct sown seeds outdoors after the last spring frost date when soil has warmed to at least 60°F. Harden off any indoor-started seedlings gradually over 7 to 10 days before moving them to their permanent location.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds in warm soil after the last spring frost date, planting 2 to 3 seeds per hill or spot spaced 48 inches apart in rows 6 inches wide.
Harvesting
Pick fruits when they are approximately cigar-sized for the best combination of tenderness and flavor. At this small size, the skin is still pale green and very tender, and the seeds inside are immature and mild. Harvest consistently every 2 to 3 days once plants begin producing, as regular picking encourages more flowers and fruit set. Cut fruits from the vine with a sharp knife rather than twisting them to avoid damaging the plant. These early-maturing zucchini are ready to harvest just 40 to 49 days after planting, so check plants frequently once you reach the 6-week mark.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Cucurbita pepo
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (NI)PR (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Trieste White Zucchini carries its name from the port city of Trieste in northeastern Italy, a region with a long tradition of growing distinctive vegetable cultivars. This variety represents the heirloom zucchini legacy of the Mediterranean, where light-colored summer squash have been cultivated for generations. The preservation of this non-GMO line reflects both Italian seed-saving traditions and the modern gardening movement's commitment to maintaining open-pollinated vegetables that gardeners can collect and replant year after year.”