How much room for Tromboncino zucchini?

I am growing some Tromboncino zucchini indoors which will be ready to plant in my SFG next week. The instructions say to plant them 90cm (about 3 feet) apart. Do they really need that much room if I grow them up a trellis? What is the minimum number of squares that they will need?

You are brave! I am also trying one this year and plan to devote a 3x3 square at the end of a 3x6 bed where I can put up a (tall) trellis. If they like your weather they can ramble long distances. Check out this
blog post for pictures.

I'll also be growing Tromboncino zucchini this year I think I'm going to be planting mine in separate containers, and not in my beds.

I had no idea that they could get so big! I had planned to plant three of them. Now I probably won't have room for even one.

Go ahead and try at least one, but make sure you have a good sized trellis on a side that won't shade the rest of your garden. You can always prune it back. It should be a lot of fun and they are supposedly good eating and can be allowed to ripen for winter storage, like a butternut.

I'm going to feel like Jack and the Beanstalk!

I planted two plants along a 4' section of 5' tall cattle panel trellis last year. They covered it and I kept wrapping the vines back through the trellis as they would out grow it. I found the young squash better than the mature. While the mature wasn't bad--I prefer buttercup or butternut for flavor and texture for winter squash. The young ones get to 2-3' long in no time and I would slice them, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion and grill and then hit with some freshly chopped parsley. In my experience, the plants are vigorous, resisted insects but are not overly productive in terms of fruit.

I think mine went about 20 feet in each direction last year, along the top of my trellis (I have long skinny beds lined up along the fence). And that's without it surviving long enough to produce very much. I have a really tough time growing squash here.

I, too, prefer it at the immature stage. And it freezes great in slices, unlike other squash that is too watery and can only be frozen grated.

ETA: I have two plants going this year. Each about 10 feet long right now and have male blossoms. I can see the females coming along, but the squash will be about a foot long before the flower even opens, and then grow faster than you can imagine once it is pollinated. Getting excited to see it again this year!

Here is my tromboncino so far:

My tromboncino is not as far along as Rooster's. Cold, wet spring and first planting was eaten. These are the plants from the second sowing, just starting to vine. I need to get the trellis netting up soon.

dvelten wrote:My tromboncino is not as far along as Rooster's. Cold, wet spring and first planting was eaten. These are the plants from the second sowing, just starting to vine. I need to get the trellis netting up soon.

Looks great! That thing is about ready to take off  My squash has totally outgrown my trellis, and I think I'm going to have to get out the trellis stretcher! It seemed like it took mine forever to get to the stage you're at now, and then it just took off. I can't wait till I actually start getting some squash.
Keep us posted how your's does this year  

You picked my favorite squash! You can grow it as a summer or winter squash. I just finished cooking 4 squash from last winter, and they tasted great. As to the size of the plant, it depends if it is happy. I have had vines that were longer than my kids swing set, so about 20 feet. They are bug resistant, love water and sun. Powdery mildew does not seem to phase them in the slightest. I hope you get some great shapes.

Patty from Yorktown

Very interesting squash! I'm hoping to be able to sample one of these soon  

I ate my first tromboncino squash last night and I must say, it was excellent! It will be a standard item from here on out. Not pithy or seedy at all. Almost has a creamy flavor/texture, if that makes sense, that's very pleasing   I'm hooked!

RoOsTeR wrote:I ate my first tromboncino squash last night and I must say, it was excellent! It will be a standard item from here on out. Not pithy or seedy at all. Almost has a creamy flavor/texture, if that makes sense, that's very pleasing   I'm hooked!

Was it sort of creamy like a butternut? I really want to try these next year. Congrats!!

How much room for tromboncino? LOT'S! Straighten out the bent neck and this several day old squash easily measures over 2'.  

That's pretty darned cool! Are you going to allow a few of them to grow large and into a 'winter' type of squash? If so, let us know how it tastes then..... I am going to plant these next year!

I know this is an old thread, but I hate making new threads if there is already one I can use.

This year, the Canadian Crookneck are not doing well. I thought I would try a tromboncino next year. Any followup on the taste and texture of the immature ones and the winter squash stage? This will help make up my mind. Thank you in advance.

sanderson wrote:I know this is an old thread, but I hate making new threads if there is already one I can use.

This year, the Canadian Crookneck are not doing well.  I thought I would try a tromboncino next year.  Any followup on the taste and texture of the immature ones and the winter squash stage?  This will help make up my mind.  Thank you in advance.

sanderson ... do not abandon the Canada Crookneck ... you just got me started with them this year!

This is my 3rd year with tromboncino.  Last year I grew about 4 or 5 plants and only got 3 fruits.  I ate both spring and winter tromboncino.  I thought both tasted like zucchini.   The winter one had tough skin and wouldn't go thru the spiralizer.  Since I want to eat the skins I like the spring one best.    The 2nd winter one went bad in the basement after about 3 mths or so.  The 2 best fruits grew on the ground in dirt.  The other one grew from one ft of MM but took over the trellis from the cukes.  It ended up with blemishes which may have been from being blown against the trellis weave, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I'm growing them again this year on the ground with seed from the last years very large winterized one.  The plants are good but so far any fruit that forms aborts before the flowers open.  I had this problem last year, too, in the beginning.  The year before all the fruits aborted so I never got any.

Are they worth it?  Not sure as I haven't be able to get into and feel the 'flow' with them yet.
At least they don't get attacked by SVB - that's a BIG plus!

You need to get Dixie in here to answer. Her weather is probably a lot closer to yours.

TD, Don't worry, they are my favorite. After CC responded, I don't think I will try the tromboncino. If they don't taste like sweet winter squash, I will just stick with the CC and a couple other.

sanderson wrote:TD,  Don't worry, they are my favorite.  After CC responded, I don't think I will try the tromboncino.  If they don't taste like sweet winter squash, I will just stick with the CC and a couple other.

I've got about ten Canada Crookneck squash growing on my CC plants. They are of various sizes. The largest has stalled out at about 10 inches in length and is changing color from green to more of a yellowish-green. I expected it to grow larger but with our strange summer weather maybe it decided that was enough. The longest of the CC vines is now less than a foot from the top of the megatrellis. If I had trained them to go straight up rather than zigzagging, more of the vines would be at or near the top of the trellis. I love the way the squash hang from the trellis and sway around in the wind.

trolleydriver wrote:I've got about ten Canada Crookneck squash growing on my CC plants.

I grow my tromboncino in dirt/amended soil. I have cut back to two plants as that is about all I can keep up with. I get so many, I have a hard time dealing with them all, but they are so interesting most people will gladly accept them if offered. To about 2 feet in length, they remind me of your typical summer squash. Allowed to mature into fall, they are more of a winter squash. Somewhat like spaghetti squash without the texture? If that makes sense. If left to mature till fall, I bake them much like a hard spag squash. I do prefer the younger, smaller ones.
Tromboncino is one of my favorite squashes. If picked at peak, they are delicious, tender, kinda creamy(?) texture.
I would start with one plant. Keep them trimmed. They can become a real beast if left to roam