Summer Squash 'Trombone d' Albenga '
 
This wonderful Italian heirloom summer squash is a vigorous climbing vine, producing many 12 to 15 inch, lime-green fruits with a curvaceous trumpet shape and a delicate mild taste with a hint of nutty artichoke flavor. Trombetta's flesh is seedless and firm and doesn't get watery or mushy like regular zucchini.
Tromboncino squash is small to medium in size, averaging 24-38"  in length, is cylindrical in shape, and can be curved or straight with a slender neck and one bulbous end. When harvested early in the season, the squash’s skin is smooth, thin, and light green with pale, white, vertical stripes. If left on the vine, the skin will transform into a tan coloring with a hardened surface as it reaches maturity. The flesh is firm, dense, and pale green encasing a small seed cavity in the bulbous end containing some pulp and flat, cream-colored seeds. Tromboncino squash is tender, mild, nutty, and sweet with notes of pumpkin, walnut, and artichoke. 
 
Health benefits:
Summer squash  provide numerous health benefits. The vegetable is high in vitamins A, B6, and C, folate, magnesium, fiber, riboflavin, phosphorus, and potassium. That's a serious nutritional power-packed veggie. 
 
Details:
Plant life cycle: annual
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 58 -65 days
Seed depth: 1"
Plant spacing:  24-36"
Approx seeds per packet :5
 
How to grow:
How to grow:
Cultue:
Fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0–6.8 is best. Plastic mulch and fabric row covers (AG-19 grade) can aide plant establishment and exclude insect pests during the seedling stage. Row covers should be removed when plants begin to flower to allow for pollination. Poor fruit development may indicate insufficient pollination.
Transplanting:
Sow 2-3 seeds per 2" container or plug flat about 3 weeks prior to transplanting. Thin to 1 plant/container or cell with scissors. Harden plants 4–7 days prior to transplanting. After danger of frost has passed, transplant out according to the spacing recommendations for each variety. Handle seedlings carefully; minimal root disturbance is best.
Direct seeding:
Sow 2 seeds at the appropriate spacing interval for the variety's vine length, 1/2-1" deep. Thin to 1 plant per spacing interval after seedlings are established.
 
How to harvest:
Zucchetta Tromba d'Albenga. Also known as "Trombetta" or "Tromboncino". Zucchetta are long and curved, with a bulb at the end. Pick when young (6-10 inches) and cook like zucchini or let them get larger and roast them. The skin hardens up some as they get larger.