Looking for something new and delicious to grow in your kitchen garden this year? Give summer squash (Cucurbita pepo) a whirl. This delicate and tasty treat is easy to grow in a well-prepared garden. And because it comes in a variety of colors and shapes, this veggie packs some visual interest to your garden, too!

Summer squash grows well with other vegetables, like onions (which are also good for confusing the dreaded squash borer).

Photo Credit: Mary Moore

Summer squash comes in a variety of colors, like these yellow straight-neck squash and green zucchini.

Photo Credit: Mary Moore

Never tried summer squash? You actually probably have and didn’t even realize it. Zucchini is just one type of summer squash. This long, green beauty is popular because its plant produces a lot of vegetables, making any beginning gardener feel successful. Yellow squash is another type, but it’s got a bit more of a delicate taste. This veggie can be long and straight like a zucchini or have a curved, swanlike neck. Another variety that’s gained popularity is the patty pan squash. Shaped like a 1950s flying saucer, this veggie has a subtle taste and is often both yellow and green.

One of the best things about summer squash is that it grows very quickly – no matter what type you pick. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground, or you can start them early in pots. Just know that they’re very sensitive to frost, so be sure that the last freeze has passed before moving or planting them outside. If the forecast calls for an unexpected late frost, cover your plants with clay pots or frost-protection fabric to keep them safe and healthy.

Plant your squash seeds about 1 inch deep and water them well. Be sure to cover the area with a floating fabric to protect sprouting plants from various insects. When the plants start blooming (in about a month), uncover them to allow pollinators to fertilize the flowers. Harvest your squash while they’re still small to get the best-tasting, most-tender vegetables. (These plants quickly produce a lot, so you won’t run out anytime soon!)

To keep your summer squash plants producing all season long, protect them from predatory insects – especially the red, wasplike squash borer. This pest lays its eggs at the base of the squash plant. Once they hatch, young squash borers move into the plant and destroy it from the inside. To keep these uninvited visitors at bay, plant fragrant herbs or flowers (like marigolds) around the squash plantings. To lure the insect elsewhere, consider adding lavender to your garden. Planting winter squash in the same hill also seems to help deter the pest. If the squash borer still manages to infest your vegetable vine, open the plant up, remove the borer and replant the vine above the cut.

Another trick I use is to plant a second hill of squash in another part of my garden at about the same time as the first squash hill starts producing vegetables. If the borer takes out my first hill, I just bag the infected plant and toss it in the trash (not my compost). The second hill starts producing squash soon after I’ve removed my old plant.

I always have so much squash I hardly know what to do with it all. But I’ve found lots of yummy recipes in which I enhance the veggie’s slight taste with a variety of herbs, onions or other treats from my garden (like tomatoes).

One quick recipe is to dice half of a small onion, then sauté it over low heat in a medium-sized sauté pan in 1 tablespoon of either olive oil or butter. When the onion starts to turn transparent, I add two sliced summer squashes to the pan, cover and stir occasionally. I cook the squash until it’s tender, then serve immediately.

Another favorite is a casserole using Swiss cheese, and several each of tomatoes, squash and onions. Just slice the cheese and your harvest. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In a baking dish that’s at least 4 inches deep, place several slices of squash to cover the base of the baking dish. Follow with a layer of tomatoes, then a layer of onions, then a layer of Swiss cheese. Lightly sprinkle the top with oregano and thyme. Repeat the layers (like you would when making lasagna) until the top of your casserole is about an inch shorter that the top of your baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Serve warm.

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