I do it every year and I ought to know better. I either buy seeds or young plants and don’t read the fine print, or I’ll plant something, throw away the pack and then can’t remember what it is I planted. Then I don’t know what to buy or not to buy the next year.
This happens with tomatoes a lot. Some varieties don’t produce well, and some do. Some have lots of flavor, some don’t. But I can’t remember which was which because I didn’t save the packs or write down the names.
This year I had a squash relapse. I bought two zucchini squash plants and didn’t keep the tags. But zucchini is zucchini, right?
Wrong. There are dozens of varieties. I noticed that these zucchinis looked strange when I picked them. They weren’t the dark green vegetables like you find at Kroger’s. They were lighter green and striped – and delicious. And I’m not sure what I planted, exactly.
I think it was the “Bush Baby” variety, officially called Cucurbita Pepo.
The Bush Baby variety ripens in 59 days. Considered a marrow-type squash, Bush Baby’s have light and dark green stripes and a very delicate and satisfying flavor. It is bred to produce smaller fruits – 4 to 6-inches. It is said to have a non-stop higher-than-average harvest. The compact plants are perfect for a small garden or even large pots or containers.
We have had them rolled in an egg wash and battered and fried on two occasions and they are like Fried Green Tomatoes, only better.
I need to pay more attention in the future about what I am buying and planting so I can duplicate it if good and eliminate the plants if they don’t do well.
The Baby Bush Zucchini variety is one I definitely want to plant again.
