Scallop Squash seeds

Grow the Cutest, Tastiest Summer Squash You've Never Tried — Start With Our Scallop Squash Seeds

Let's talk about scallop squash for a second. Also called patty pan squash, flying saucer squash, or — if you're fancy — cymling. Whatever you call them, they're the most adorable vegetable on the planet and that's not even debatable. Flat, round, scalloped edges, looking like someone pressed a regular squash in a waffle iron and said "yeah, that's better." They come in whites, yellows, greens, and bicolors, and when you pick them small — like 2 to 3 inches across — they're so tender and buttery you can eat the skin, the seeds, everything. No peeling. No scooping. Just slice, cook, devour.

And here's the kicker — almost nobody grows them. Walk into any grocery store in America and you'll see zucchini stacked to the ceiling, but scallop squash? Maybe one sad little pile in the corner, if you're lucky. Maybe at a farmers market if you're really lucky. Which means the best way to eat truly fresh scallop squash — picked that morning, still cool from the garden, so tender it barely needs cooking — is to grow it yourself. At SeedOrganica, we carry fresh, quality-tested scallop squash seeds for planting in backyard gardens, raised beds, and yes, even containers. If you've been looking for scallop squash seeds for sale from a source that focuses on home gardeners and kitchen garden enthusiasts, you just found your spot. No bulk bags. No commercial quantities. Just the right amount of seeds to fill your summer with the most delightful squash you've ever tasted.

Explore Our Scallop Squash Seeds Varieties

Scallop squash might fly under the radar compared to zucchini, but there's actually solid variety within this category — different colors, different sizes, different flavor nuances, and a few heirlooms with seriously cool backstories. Here's what we carry and why each one deserves a spot in your summer garden.

White Bush Scallop is the classic. The original. The one that's been grown in American gardens since before the Revolution — literally. This variety traces back to Native American agriculture and has been documented in colonial garden records going back centuries. The fruits are pale creamy-white with those signature scalloped edges, and when harvested young (2 to 4 inches across), the flesh is incredibly tender, mild, and buttery with a sweetness that regular zucchini can't touch. Let them grow bigger — 5 to 6 inches — and they develop a slightly firmer texture that's perfect for stuffing, hollowing out and baking with cheese and breadcrumbs like a little edible bowl. The plant is a compact bush type, which means it stays relatively tidy instead of sprawling across your entire garden the way some squash vines do. Productive, reliable, and about as American as a vegetable gets. If you're new to scallop squash, start here. This is the gateway variety.

Sunburst Yellow is the one that makes people gasp at the farmers market. Brilliant, vibrant, sunshine-yellow fruits with a slightly deeper golden center and those same gorgeous scalloped edges. The color is so saturated it almost looks painted. Flavor-wise, Sunburst is slightly sweeter and nuttier than the white varieties — there's this subtle richness that comes through especially when you sauté the squash in butter with a little garlic and fresh herbs. The texture when picked small is silky-smooth. It's one of those vegetables that's so pretty you almost don't want to cook it — but then you do, and it tastes so good you immediately go back outside to pick more. An All-America Selections winner, which tells you it performed well across a wide range of growing conditions nationwide. It's the whole package — looks, flavor, and reliability.

Peter Pan is a light green scallop variety that brings a different color to the mix and has its own devoted following. The fruits are a soft celadon green — almost jade-like — with a slightly more complex, slightly more "squashy" flavor than the milder whites. There's a hint of something almost nutty or chestnut-like in the flavor, especially when roasted. Peter Pan plants are compact and early — you can start harvesting in about 50 days from transplanting, which is quick for a squash. The early maturity is a real plus if you've got a shorter growing season or you're just impatient (no judgment — we all are). The green color also makes these gorgeous in mixed displays with yellow Sunbursts and white scallops at the same time. Three colors, one plant family, instant summer garden bragging rights.

Benning's Green Tint is an heirloom variety from the early 1900s that's earned a devoted cult following among heritage vegetable growers. The fruits are pale green with a slightly darker green scalloped edge — almost like someone traced the outline with a marker — and the flesh is white, fine-grained, and exceptionally creamy when cooked. Benning's Green Tint was developed by a USDA horticulturist and specifically selected for its eating quality, which means flavor was the priority from the start. Not shipping durability, not supermarket shelf life — actual taste. And you can tell. This variety is noticeably more flavorful than generic modern hybrids. Plants are vigorous, bushy, and heavy producers. If you're an heirloom seed collector or just someone who appreciates a vegetable with a real story, Benning's is a must-grow.

Golden Bush Scallop is the deep gold variety — darker and richer in color than Sunburst, with an almost orange-gold hue when fully mature. The flavor is the richest of the yellow types — sweeter, more complex, with a dense, almost custard-like texture when baked or roasted. It's fantastic in dishes where you want the squash to hold its own and not just fade into the background. Grilled with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, it tastes like summer on a plate. The plants produce prolifically, and the fruits are especially beautiful because that deep gold color really stands out against the green foliage. If you're growing for a farmers market stand or just want to impress the neighbors when you show up with a basket of gorgeous produce, Golden Bush delivers.

Scallopini is a personal favorite — a newer hybrid variety that combines the classic scallop shape with dark green skin and a slightly more concentrated, zucchini-like flavor. It's the scallop squash for people who love zucchini but want something more interesting to look at and cook with. The dark green color is unique among scallop types, and the flesh is dense and holds up beautifully to grilling, roasting, and even spiralizing into squash "noodles" if that's your thing. Plants are incredibly productive — almost comically so. Once Scallopini starts producing, you'll be harvesting every other day trying to keep up. Which honestly is the best kind of problem a summer gardener can have.

Jaune et Verte — French for "yellow and green" — is the bicolor stunner of the collection. Each fruit is split almost perfectly in half between bright yellow and vivid green, like someone drew a line down the middle with a ruler. It's one of the most visually striking vegetables you can grow, and when you slice through it, you see both colors in cross-section. The flavor is mild, sweet, and delicate — classic scallop squash taste with that fun visual twist. These are the ones that get photographed. The ones people put on Instagram before they cook them. And honestly, when they look this good, who can blame them? A bowl of mixed Jaune et Verte, Sunburst, and White Bush on the kitchen counter looks like a still-life painting.

My advice? Plant at least two or three varieties in different colors. A white, a yellow, and a green — or throw in the bicolor for extra fun. Scallop squash of different colors roasted together on a sheet pan is one of the most beautiful and delicious things you can pull out of a home garden. The flavors complement each other, the colors look incredible, and the effort involved is basically "cut squash, add oil, put in oven." High reward, low effort. That's the whole scallop squash philosophy.

Gardening Insights — Growing Scallop Squash Like a Total Pro

If you've ever grown zucchini, you already know about 90% of what you need to know about growing scallop squash. They're both summer squash. Same family, same basic needs, same "holy cow how did one plant produce this many" productivity. But there are a few scallop-specific tips that'll help you get the best results.

Sunlight: Full sun. All day, every day. Summer squash of all types are sun-loving plants that need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct light to produce well. More is better. The sunniest, warmest spot in your garden is where scallop squash belongs. Insufficient light leads to fewer flowers, less fruit, and more susceptibility to fungal issues like powdery mildew. That south-facing bed that heats up in the afternoon? Perfect. The edge of the garden that catches morning and midday sun? Also great. Just don't tuck it into a shady corner and expect results. Squash needs to bask.

Soil: Rich, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. This is where scallop squash differs from lean-soil-loving Mediterranean herbs — squash is a heavy feeder that wants fertile ground. Work in a generous amount of compost or aged manure before planting. Squash plants are big, they grow fast, and they produce a lot of fruit, which takes serious nutritional fuel. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0 to 7.0) is ideal. If you're planting in raised beds, a mix of quality garden soil, compost, and a balanced granular fertilizer will set you up nicely. In containers, use a rich potting mix and plan on supplemental feeding throughout the season.

Watering: Consistent, deep watering at the base of the plant. Summer squash has big leaves that lose a lot of moisture through transpiration, especially on hot days, so the roots need a steady supply. About 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week is the target, whether from rain or irrigation. Water at soil level — soaker hoses or drip irrigation are ideal — because overhead watering wets the leaves and creates a perfect environment for powdery mildew and other fungal problems. Mulch around the base of the plant with straw, shredded leaves, or wood chips to retain moisture and keep the soil temperature stable. Don't let the soil dry out completely during fruiting — inconsistent moisture leads to stunted, misshapen fruits and stressed plants that become bug magnets.

Starting from seed: Scallop squash is one of the easiest vegetables to start from seed. Direct sowing after your last frost is the simplest approach — plant seeds about 1 inch deep in warm soil (at least 65°F), spacing plants about 24 to 36 inches apart for bush varieties. Germination is fast — usually 5 to 10 days — and growth is rapid from there. You can also start seeds indoors 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost in peat pots or soil blocks to get a jump on the season. Don't start too early indoors, though — squash seedlings grow fast and get root-bound quickly, and they don't love transplant shock. Timing matters. If you direct sow, you can stagger plantings 2 to 3 weeks apart for a longer harvest window rather than having everything ripen at once.

Pollination — the thing nobody tells you about: Squash plants produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers show up first — usually about a week before the females — and their job is to provide pollen. The females have a tiny baby squash at the base of the flower. Bees and other pollinators carry pollen from the males to the females, and that's how fruit forms. If your scallop squash is flowering but not setting fruit, pollination is almost certainly the issue. Either your bees aren't active enough (too early in the season, too cold, too much pesticide use in the area) or there aren't enough male and female flowers open at the same time. The fix? Hand-pollinate. It takes about 30 seconds. Grab a male flower (the one without the baby squash at the base), peel back the petals, and dab the pollen-covered center directly onto the center of an open female flower. Done. Fruit city. Once your local bee population gets going in summer, they'll handle it for you, but early in the season hand-pollination can make a real difference.

Harvest timing — the most important tip of all: This is where scallop squash lives or dies as a culinary experience. Pick them small. Like, way smaller than you think. A scallop squash harvested at 2 to 3 inches across is tender, sweet, buttery, and you can eat the entire thing — skin, seeds, everything. A scallop squash left to grow to 6 or 7 inches is still edible but the skin gets tougher, the seeds develop, and the flesh gets more watery and bland. Most people who say "I don't really like scallop squash" have only ever eaten them overgrown and overcooked. A baby scallop squash sautéed whole in butter with fresh herbs? That's a completely different vegetable. Check your plants every day or two once they start producing and harvest anything that's reached 2 to 4 inches. The plant actually produces MORE fruit when you pick frequently because you're not letting it redirect energy into growing giant squash. Smaller harvest = more harvest. Better flavor = more production. Everybody wins.

Quick tip: If you end up with a few that got away from you and grew too big (it happens to everyone — you skip one day and suddenly there's a squash the size of a frisbee hiding under a leaf), don't throw them out. Large scallop squash are perfect for stuffing. Cut them in half horizontally, scoop out the seeds, fill the hollow with a mixture of sausage, breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs, bake until golden and bubbly. It's like a squash boat. Kids love 'em. Adults love 'em. Even people who claim they don't like squash love 'em.

Frequently Asked Questions