How to Grow Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash is an annual vegetable in the cucumber family. It looks like a flattened or scalloped flying saucer shape, making it look like a unique novelty in white, green, yellow, or bi-colors. The leaves look like other squash leaves, lobed and somewhat abrasive.

Like other summer squash, pattypans are usually planted in the spring with a possible second summer planting. The plant sprouts quickly and grows fast; from germination to harvest, the first fruit is ready in 45 to 70 days, depending on the variety.

How to Plant Pattypan Squash

When to Plant

Plant pattypans when the soil has warmed to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. It is best to direct sow the squash in the garden. Early plants can become exhausted due to heavy fruit sets, so a second planting in mid-summer will keep your garden producing into fall.

Selecting a Planting Site

Squash is often planted in hills or clusters. Choose a site with full sun and rich, well-draining soil. Good neighbors for pattypan squash include cucumbers, radishes, peas, beans, pumpkins, corn, marigolds, and nasturtium flowers. The flowers help to repel garden pests.

Spacing, Depth, and Support

Space the hills 2 to 3 feet apart, place two to three seeds per hill and plant them about 1 inch deep. Once the seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, each hill can be thinned to one or two plants.

If planting in rows, space plants around 10 inches apart, with 3 feet between rows. This spacing will give your plants plenty of room to grow and space for air circulation between them.

Pattypan squash is a bush variety, not vining. It is fairly sturdy and won't need support. However, you can plant it alongside a trellis or tomato case to grow it vertically and save garden space.

Pattypan Squash Plant Care

Light

Summer squash grows best and sets the most fruit in full sun.

Soil

Pattypan squash thrives in rich, well-drained soil. Although it will grow in most good soils, it prefers a slightly acidic pH of 6.1 to 6.5.

Water

Keep the plants well-watered with 1 inch of water a week (including rain), especially when producing blooms and squash. If they experience too much drought, pattypans drop their flowers and fruits. Mulching helps keep the shallow root system cool and moist. Straw is great to use as a mulch to keep the fruits dry and clean, but any mulch will do.

Temperature and Humidity

Summer squash grows best at temperatures from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Even more critical is that soil temperature has reached at least 65 degrees before planting. Summer squash, including pattypans, may slow their production in the hottest summer days, resuming vigorous production in early fall.

Fertilizer

Side dress with compost or a balanced 10-10-10 granular fertilizer every four weeks while the plants produce flowers and fruit.

Pollination

Male blooms carry pollen that needs to reach the female blooms. You can help pollinate by transferring pollen from male flowers to female flowers.

You can tell them apart because male flowers grow on longer, thinner green stems off to the side of the female blooms, which grow on thicker stems located more in the middle of the plant. Having multiple plants will increase the chance of pollination.

Types of Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash, also known as scallop squash, is a lesser-known summer squash cultivar (Cucurbita pepo), including zucchini and crook-neck squash. If you think you'd like to add some pattypan plants to your garden, you can start by checking out the following varieties:

• 'Pattypan/scallop' is the name given to the pure species variation; it is a dependable choice. The fruit is usually pale green.
• 'Flying Saucer' has fruit with green centers and a yellow ring. The fruits are dense and nutty in flavor.
• 'Pattison panache' is a pale green French heirloom. It is best picked young.
• 'Sunburst' is a former All-America Selection. Its bright yellow fruits are very tender, especially when picked early. From seedling to harvest, it requires 52 days.
•  'Peter Pan' has meaty, light green fruit that takes 50 days to grow and harvest.
• 'Scallopini' has dark green speckled skin similar to zucchini, with a sweet, nutty flavor. It requires 52 days to grow and harvest. 
• 'Sunny Delight' has butter-yellow fruit that is especially flavorful. This hybrid requires 45 frost-free days to mature.
• 'Jaune et Verte' is a creamy light green with deep scallops,
• 'Benning's Green Tint' is a hybrid variety with glossy, pale green skin, maturing to bright white,
• 'Y-Star' is a bi-color, bight yellow-and-lime green variety,
• 'Total Eclipse' is a solid green variety with great flavor and high yield rates.

Pattypan Squash vs. Zucchini

These cousin vegetables are in the same Cucurbitaceae family and look nothing alike; nonetheless, the two seem interchangeable regarding inner flesh texture and use in recipes. Pattypan squash has less inner moisture content than zucchini but tastes like zucchini.

Older pattypan squash's skin is sometimes too tough, while zucchini's skin is always tender. There is no need to peel young pattypan squash. Eat them when their skin is soft and thin.

Harvesting Pattypan Squash

Check the days to maturity for the variety of pattypans you are growing, but most types are ready to harvest in 45 to 70 days. The fruits are ripe and are ready to be picked when they are about 2 inches in diameter, and they will remain tender until they reach a 4-inch diameter (ping pong ball to softball size).

Each squash weighs less than 1 pound. Check your summer squash daily, as they can reach harvest size within four days of flowering. It's advisable to wear gloves when harvesting.

How to Store Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash can be dried, unwashed, and stored for three or four days in an open plastic or paper bag in your crisper drawer at about 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also wash, dry, and freeze fresh pattypans, which will stay in the freezer for 10 months.

How to Eat Pattypan Squash

Kids may be enticed to try pattypans because of their fun shape. Cook pattypans whole by steaming over boiling water until tender, usually about four to six minutes, depending on size.

You can also roast pattypans. They will cook more evenly if you slice them in half. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and roast on the top rack for 10 to 15 minutes at 420 degrees Fahrenheit until tender. Coat them with olive oil or butter and season to taste.

How to Grow Pattypan Squash From Seed

Pattypan squash is grown by starting seeds indoors four to six weeks before your transplant date, but direct-seeded plants will quickly catch up. To germinate seeds, you can soak them in water for 24 hours before planting. You can also directly sow the seeds in the garden or container in well-drained soil. They will germinate and grow quickly.

How to Grow Pattypan Squash in Pots

Pattypan squash is pretty compact when it grows and even more so if placed in a pot, which is perfect if you have limited space but want to plant summer squash.

1. Choose a large, roomy container of any material with a drainage hole or a large grow bag 10 to 12 inches wide and 10 inches deep to give the plant room to grow male and female blooms.
2. Fill the pot with compost, potting soil, a handful of sand, and some perlite to create a light and well-draining mix.
3. Place one or two germinated seeds about 1/2 inch into the soil, lightly cover, then lightly mulch the top. Add 1 inch of water and place the pot in a sunny or partly sunny location. (If one of the seedlings looks like it's failing to thrive, you can cut it down to give the other seedlings more energy.)
4. Water the container 1 inch a week (including rain). When the plants begin to flower, ensure they are not experiencing drought or dry conditions. Use a balanced fertilizer once every week or two, and in eight weeks, you can likely harvest your first squash.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Like other squash, pattypans can be subject to some common pest and disease problems:

• Cucumber beetles feed on seedlings and mature leaves, blossoms, and fruits. They can also spread bacterial wilt and mosaic virus. They will overwinter nearby and can produce several generations per season. Rotate crops to prevent significant infestations.
• Squash bugs are small gray or brown insects that feed on leaves, causing them to wilt. Although they prefer winter squash, bugs will kill young summer squash vines. Neem oil is a good organic treatment, and diatomaceous earth sprinkled over the soil also keeps them away.
• Squash vine borer larvae bore into the base of the stem and feed there until they mature, cutting off the vine's circulation. Once the plant is affected, there is no cure, but squash vine borer can be prevented by spraying plants with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a natural bacteria.
• Powdery mildew can affect the leaves of plants during humid summers. It won't kill the plants, but it will weaken them and diminish fruiting. You can use either baking soda spray or milk remedy to get rid of it.