Cucurbita pepo 'Zucchini' (Squash)

Zucchini is one of the most productive and adaptable vegetables in the summer garden, and for a reason: it grows quickly, tolerates a range of conditions, and delivers a steady harvest from midsummer through the first frost. Standard green zucchini produces smooth, cylindrical dark-green fruits on compact bush plants, and the key to getting the best quality is harvesting young. Fruits picked at six to eight inches are tender, flavorful, and cook in minutes. Left on the plant too long, they turn into oversized marrows with thick seeds and watery flesh.

Bush zucchini plants are relatively compact, making them workable in smaller beds and raised gardens. They benefit from consistent moisture and rich soil, and regular harvesting keeps them producing vigorously. Plants also produce abundant large blossoms, both male and female, which are edible and a classic summer delicacy stuffed or battered and fried.

Zucchini performs reliably along the Oregon coast, even during cooler summers, as long as you get plants in the ground after last frost and give them a sunny spot.