Description

Squash Cucuzza
Lagenaria siceraria var. longissima

An impressive gourd that can reach 1.60 metres in length, sometimes more. Very vigorous, climbing plant. You’ll need a support at least 2 meters high, ideally a pergola or other very sturdy structure. For consumption, harvest immature, best at 3 feet long or less. Can be cooked like zucchinis. Other names: Sicilian squash, Zucca da pergola, Sicilian snake. 95-120 days to maturity.

Full sun, well-drained, rich soil. Sow indoors 5 to 10 weeks before last frost. Transplant when the temperature is above 10°C at night. Protect young plants at the start of the season. 2 cm deep. 60 cm between plants.

Germination: 91% in December 2025
Ecological seeds produced at Catherine’s Ornamental Garden.

Note
It’s quite late, so it’s better to get a head start and sow indoors. But don’t overdo it, or the seedlings will be fragile and will have too much trouble recovering once transplanted. If your seedlings are etiolated or so large that they need support, leave them to the skewers and prune them. They’ll be easier to manage. To help them in the early stages, we build them a simple shelter with netting and a floating blanket, to protect them from bugs, beetles, wind and sunburn.

White flowers are nocturnal. They open around suppertime and close in the morning. In the moonlight, they’re quite pleasing to the eye. Hand-pollinating the first female flowers may give you a chance at first, while the moths find your plants.

We can start harvesting young Sicilian zucchini from mid-August/September, if all goes well. In less optimal conditions, harvesting will be delayed. Full sun is ideal, as is good manuring.

The taste is good, as is the texture. But you have to harvest them young and remove the skin. I make a kind of ratatouille with them in the slow cooker, and they’re a great ingredient for making big recipes!