The Squash Summer Black Beauty Zucchini, 'Cucurbita pepo', has very tender, creamy white, flavorful flesh. The Black Beauty Zucchini plant is compact and bush like. This squash is a very versatile vegetable. They can be steamed, grilled, sauteed, eaten raw in salads, made into relish, and made into breads. If left on the vine, they can grow very large. Very large squash can become too pithy to eat. The Black Beauty squash has a dark green skin.
Plant in the spring, 2 to 4 weeks after the last average frost date. Squash prefers well drained, rich soil with lots of organic matter. Harvest after the first or second light frost. Squash is ready to harvest when the stem and skin hardens. Winter squash cannot be overripe, but they can be under ripe.