This experimental squash was inspired by a walk through the field, and the sight of rows of delicata squash plants bearing still-green fruit, with no time to mature before the frost. Usually, these immature fruit simply go to waste. This sparked a culinary epiphany—a multipurpose delicata squash bred for flavor four ways: immature fruit, young stems, blossoms and mature squash. Picked green, the immature delicata create a delicious new category of summer squash, noteworthy for its delicate crunch. And the mature fruit stand out for their sweet and tender flesh. The blossoms are also edible, encouraging a truly stem-to-fruit approach for chefs, growers and eaters.

Plant Details:

• 10 seeds per packet
  
• Produced in CA and NY.
• Immature squash: 3-4" long green fruit (before striping develops)
• Stems: 1/2" diameter (penne size)
• Mature squash: 5-7" long deep yellow fruit with orange/green stripes
• Maturity:  50 days for immature squash, 100 days for mature.
• Organic

Field Notes:

• Soil Requirements: Fertile, well-drained soils.
• Row Covers: Cover young plants to increase early growth and protect from insect pests. Remove covers at flowering to ensure pollination and fruit set.
• Plant Support: Trellising encouraged in intensive systems. Semi-bush (initially bush, develops vines later in season).
• To prioritize harvest of immature fruit and stems, we recommend growing Tetra alongside other summer cucurbits. Consider succession planting as you would summer squash.
• To prioritize mature fruit harvest, plant with winter squash and stop picking immature squash after 2-3 weeks.

Direct Seeding

• Sow seeds ½” deep after last frost, when soil temperatures reach at least 70˚F.
• Sow 1-2 seeds every 24”; thin to one plant every 24”.
• 6-12 days to emergence.

Transplanting

• Start seeds indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost. Sow seeds ½” deep. Optimal soil temperature for germination is 80-90˚F.
• Harden off gradually for 3-5 days, protecting seedlings from wind, strong sun, hard rain and cold.
• Transplant outdoors after last frost, when soil temperatures reach at least 70˚F. Do not disturb roots when transplanting.

Harvest

• Immature squash: Harvest immature green fruit at 3-4”, before striping develops. Pick regularly for continued production. Expect 4+ weeks of consistent picking. For a mature squash harvest, stop picking immature fruit after 2-3 weeks.
• Stems: Harvest bright green, ½”-diameter stems from the center of the plant. Do not harvest more than a third of the stems at one time.
• Blossoms: Harvest male blossoms (stem only, no small fruit attached) prior to opening. Cut stem 1” below the blossom.
• Mature squash: Harvest when fruit have turned deep yellow with orange/green stripes.

Storage

• Immature squash: Immature Tetra store up to five days maintaining texture and flavor. Store whole and dry under plastic in refrigeration.
• Stems: Unpeeled stems can be stored in a lidded container lined with a damp paper towel for 3-5 days.
• Blossoms will store 1-2 days in a lidded container lined with a damp paper towel.
• Mature squash: Mature Tetra store 1-2 months without curing. Keep fruit clean and avoid scratching or scuffing to prevent post-harvest rot.

Pest + Disease Info

• Insect Pests: Cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and aphids. Pyrethrin, spinosad, soaps, row cover, or Blue Hubbard trap crops help prevent damage. Check undersides of leaves for eggs. Use best management practices such as crop rotation and removal of crop debris post-harvest to deter insect population growth.
  
• Diseases: Protect from powdery mildew. For fruit rots (anthracnose, scab, fusarium), bacterial wilt, and viruses such as cucumber mosaic virus, maintain good air circulation and schedule watering to allow plants to dry fully.