Beautiful, Delicious Heirloom Summer Squashes

For many of us, "summer squash" is synonymous with zucchini. But there's a whole world of beautiful, flavorful summer squashes out there to add to your garden. Consider a beautiful golden pattypan squash, or an almost ethereal 'Zucchino Rampicante.'

Like zucchini, in general most summer squashes are very prolific, and a plant or two is all that is necessary to keep your family in fresh squash throughout the summer. Consider planting both early and late varieties; as one is coming to the end of its productivity, the other will just be starting.

The summer squashes in this article are heirlooms from all over the world. The seeds can be found through some catalogs, but if you're lucky enough to have a gardening friend who grows one of them, be sure to ask for some seeds for next season!