Keep an eye on the weather reports this week. As the overnight temperatures dip this week, be sure to protect your tender vegetables. Use frost cloth or FreezePruf to protect warm season veggies on these cold nights.

Fast and prolific, summer squashes have beguiling shapes and colors: bright yellow wonders with swanlike necks; disks with ornamental scalloped edges; or bold green batons that are slightly larger at the bottom than at the top.

Summer squashes are harvested when seeds and skin are still tender. All are members of the gourd family, as are an eclectic group of squash-like gourds that have tougher, inedible skin. They don't fit into the winter squash category, because their seeds are edible. Plus, although exteriors are rigid, no heavy-duty equipment is needed to break through their rinds.

Here are some types of summer squashes you will see available at Orchard Nursery.

Crookneck:
Tapers from the bulbous bottoms to long, curved neck with bright yellow, thin skin that is sometimes bumpy. Baby varieties about 3 inches long; regular about 7 inches. Creamy flesh with mild squash flavor. Baby varieties more tender with fewer seeds.

Gold Bar:
Cylindrical with sunshine yellow with deep green tip. Baby variety about 3 inches long. Regular about 7 inches long. Flesh is tender and delicately mild. Baby varieties contain less edible seeds.

Baby Summer Green (Patty Pan), Summer Green:
Disks with scalloped edges and light to dark green exterior. Baby varieties about 2 inches across. Regular about 5 inches across. Both offer mild squash flavor. Baby varieties contain fewer edible seeds.

Baby Summer Yellow (Patty Pan), Summer Yellow:
Sunny yellow disks with scalloped edges; dark green sunbursts patterns appears on both blossom and stem ends. Baby varieties about 2 inches across. Mild and buttery flavor profile. Baby varieties contain fewer edible seeds.

Baby Scallopini, Scallopini:
Disks with scalloped edges. Thin, yellow-green skin. Baby varieties about 2 inches across. Regular about 5 inches across. Deliciously creamy and mildly nutty.

Baby Zucchini, Zucchini:
Cylindrical with glossy green exterior often dotted with lighter green speckles. Baby variety about 3 inches long. Regular zucchini about 7 - 14 inches, depending on maturity at harvest. Creamy- white flesh with mild squash flavor. Baby varieties more tender with fewer seeds. Edible zucchini flowers are sometimes attached to baby variety.

Eight Ball:
Shaped like tennis balls, these round, deep green zucchini-like squash are great for stuffing. Zucchini like flavor.

One Ball:
3" round yellow cousin of 8 Ball. Beautiful golden-yellow fruits with a green star. Very early maturing, 38 days. Open bush is very productive. Fruits should be harvested when the size of a billiard ball.

Squash blossoms:
Varying shades of yellow and orange, they are best when freshly picked. Similar but milder flavor than the squash it produces, they have meaty petals. Summer and winter squash produce edible blossoms.

Resources used for descriptions:

Melissa's Great Book of Produce, Everything You Need to Know About Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, by Cathy Thomas.

Pick summer squash regularly when they are young and tender.

Plants benefit from generous amounts of organic material worked in the soil. A 5-10-10 traditional fertilizer or a 4-5-3 organic fertilizer can be used as well. Watering should be slow and deep to encourage deep rooting.

Here are some types you will see available at Orchard Nursery through the growing season.

French:

(Haricot vert)
Generally more slender than a pencil, these green beans have soft, velvety skin and are about 5 inches in length. Green bean taste with added sweetness. Very tender, yet crisp when briefly cooked.

Green:

(Blue Lake string)
Straight and about 4 - 6 inches long, these bright green beans are plump and have a velvety feel. Generally stringless. They have pleasant, beany sweetness and tender crisp texture.

Purple Wax:
Red to purple, sometimes with dark coppery tint. Similar to green bean and turn green when cooked.

Yellow Wax:
Green bean shape, but skin is light yellow to deep yellow and very thin. Size varies.

Flavor profile milder than green bean. very tender seeds.

Soybean:
Fuzzy, green, crescent shaped pods about 2- 3 inches long. Gray-green beans. Must be cooked. Beans have appealing mild flavor with a subtle nuttiness.

Romano:
Romano beans are a form of flat snap bean which originated in Italy. Many Italians cook with these beans when they are in season during the summer months, and they are also cultivated in other regions of the world. Specialty grocers and farmers' markets sometimes carry Romano beans in the summer, and they can also be grown at home, assuming you live in an area with a Mediterranean climate

Fava:
Tough, inedible green pod encloses 4 - 7 plump beans. Pods vary in length from 4 - 13 inches. Beans are bright green and kidney shaped. Must be cooked. Smaller, less mature beans are pale green, sweeter and more tender. Larger beans become starchier, require longer cooking, and must be peeled. This bean makes a great cover crop to be planted in the fall through winter into early spring. It is an extra treat in early spring to eat fresh from the garden.

Descriptions from: Melissa's Great Book of Produce, Everything You Need To Know About Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, by Cathy Thomas.

Full sun and ample water. Fertilize early to promote strong growth before flowering. Rotate planting site each season.