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'Costata Romanesco' Squash - Summer
 
Sub-Category: Zucchini
 
Sub-Category 2:
Description: Zucchini type. Large, big-leafed plants bear up to 20-pound fruit with prominant gray-green and pale-green ribs and flecks. Italian type. Good producer of male blossom buds.
Days To Maturity: 52-60
Seed Sources:
 
Rating Summary
 
Overall: (4.4 Stars)Overall
Taste: (4.6 Stars)Taste
Yield: (3.5 Stars)Yield
Ease/Reliability: (4.4 Stars)Ease/Reliability
 
Reviews
 
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Number of Reviews: 15

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KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease

Reviewed on 09/03/2011 by Ferdzy - An intermediate gardener

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Ontario, Canada
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Sand
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

It is a bit hard to know what to say about this one. I grew it for 4 years, all from one packet of seed. The first 2 years, it was terrible - low germination, and what few plants I got sulked and dwindled. I was growing other zucchini successfully at this time, so it was not my overall technique that was at fault. Then I decided to give it one last try, and lo and behold, I got decent germination and plants that did well. It was never as productive as other zucchini I was growing, but production was decent. Also, the flavour was excellent. Everyone in the family agreed that this was a superior zucchini for flavour. Last year I grew the last remaining seeds and got the same good results. Perhaps my seed was not overall of high quality. I will certainly try this again.
 

Reviewed on 07/06/2010 by Rennasus - A novice gardener

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Los Angeles, California, United States
Frost Free Season: More than 203 days
Soil Texture: Sand
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

Planted these from seed in early April, and by July 1 each plant had one huge zucchini. Not a very dense squash, rather light, but sauteed up nice and firm. Will see how they fare in zucchini bread!
 

Reviewed on 01/15/2010 by bobdodster - An experienced gardener

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Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

This Zucchini is a lot better tasting than the usual hybrids. The drawback is that is a low yielding variety in comparison although it does produce over a long season. The vines are very long and will run almost as far as cucumber vines. In spite of this it is the only Zucchini I will grow because of the superior flavor.
 

Reviewed on 01/03/2009 by April - A novice gardener

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Ottawa, Michigan, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

While these took longer to mature than some hybrids, they were well worth the wait. Great stir-fried, baked, stuffed, in casseroles, in bread, we couldn't get enough! Our neighbors wouldn't leave us alone - they kept asking us if we had some to spare/sell. They can get to be quite large if you do not check them often, but even the monster-sized ones tasted great stuffed and baked.
 

Reviewed on 11/18/2008 by Garlic Girl - An experienced gardener

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Tompkins, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

I love this zucchini's slightly nutty flavor. I find I haven't gotten the over-the-top yields I've gotten from other varieties, which isn't a bad thing. Produces many male flowers for stuffing.
 

Reviewed on 09/04/2008 by tmitch - An experienced gardener

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Jefferson, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

This is the second year I have grown this variety. I like it very much. You must check it every other day or you will find squash the size of Volkswagons. Fortunately we have pigs and chickens who love the big ones.
 

Reviewed on 09/01/2008 by dabido - An experienced gardener

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Multnomah, Oregon, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

I found this a delicious zucchini. As a summer squash it is no doubt best small (say 6 inches). This is the size you see in the grocery stores in Italy. I did let one grow to humongous size at the end of the season. The skin was so hard, it couldn't be pierced. Rather than toss it, I baked it like a winter squash and it was more than edible, it was good.
 

Reviewed on 01/18/2008 by Henbogle - An experienced gardener

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Sagadahoc, Maine, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

I grew this for the first time in the 07 season, and was very pleased. Although it was slower than hybrid zukes to set fruit, when it did, fruits were plentiful and daily checks were required to avoid the dreaded Winnebago sized squash. (Fortunately the chickens loved the big 'uns.) The plants were unphased by the striped cucumber beetles that attacked the pumpkins and cukes, nor by the powdery mildew that struck the pumpkins later in the season. The squash itself was very tasty and firm, with beautiful ridges and very tender skin. Its coloration and the ridges did make it hard to see the fruits amidst the plant. The plants also produced copious male flowers for fried blossoms. I will grow this squash again and again.
 

Reviewed on 12/28/2007 by daveydonuts - An intermediate gardener

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Washington, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

Keeping the fast-growing squash picked from these plants is basically a daily chore, but by picking them while relatively small you will be rewarded with a healthy yield of excellent tasting squash. If you neglect your picking duties for a few days you will return to find that your garden has been taken over by enormous squash sometimes several feet long, depending on the length of your absence. As the season nears its end, I tend to suffer from this failing, but fortunately I enjoy the zucchini bread that can be made from these overgrown mutants.
 

Reviewed on 12/09/2006 by jpatti - An intermediate gardener

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Cumberland, Pennsylvania, United States
Frost Free Season:
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

I didn't care for this. It sets very few fruits, hard to find amongst the foilage, and when you finally find them, they're insanely huge. Way past what I'd eat fresh. I tried cutting up and dehydrating a few of them and discovered they are so hard, they don't even make soup. I actually had to throw out a couple quarts of soup because the had zucchini chunks never softened and it made the soup quite unpleasant. I won't grow this again.
 

Reviewed on 11/06/2006 by starwoodfarm - An experienced gardener

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Baker, Oregon, United States
Frost Free Season: Fewer than 103 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

It's a very tasty squash. And quite pretty. It yielded better than my others.
 

Reviewed on 05/30/2006 by pajohnso - An experienced gardener

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Marquette, Michigan, United States
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

This is so much better tasting than the watery standard variety sold in most garden centers. Vey dense and not watery at all. Very good flavor, almost bordering on nutty. This is a variety I grow every year.
 

Reviewed on 01/19/2006 by Nancy Strasser - An experienced gardener

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Pulaski, Virginia, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

Excellent for freezing: keeps its firmness better than most zucchini. But for fresh zuch, it is not my first choice for taste.
 

Reviewed on 12/28/2005 by Miss_Mudcat - An intermediate gardener

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Indiana, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day

I thought this zuke was never going to produce, but it finally did and the flavor was worth the wait. I purchased seeds because I fell in love with the ribs which make the prettiest cross-sections. They are best raw in my opinion, much better tasting than any zuke I have ever eaten.
 

Reviewed on 02/08/2005 by Nancy W - An experienced gardener

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day

I like this zucchini because it has more flavor than most summer squash, and it's beautiful to pick and to eat. I originally bought seed from Johnny's, who described it as less productive than most zucchini - I haven't compared varieties side by side, but I think they may be right, compared with other varieties grown over the years - not a bad feature in a zucchini, though. And even if I wanted more of them, I'd grow this for the flavor.
 




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